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Hotline Volunteer Job Description
CrisisLink Hotline Volunteers:
- Offer prevention services to the community in the form of emotional support.
- Offer intervention services to the community in the form of crisis intervention and suicide prevention.
- Offer information and referrals to other community resources.
Commitment to Serve Our Communities
- Commit to a minimum of 150 hours (not including initial and refresher training hours) in one of two formats:
- Six months working two 3-hour shifts per week.
- One year working one 3-hour shift per week.
- Attend regularly scheduled hotline shifts.
Commitment to Training
- Satisfactorily complete 50+ hours of training in active listening, crisis intervention, suicide prevention, CrisisLink philosophy and procedures.
- Complete all requirements of the three-month listener apprentice period.
- Attend one refresher training and one in-service training yearly.
- Attend interim trainings as recommended by the Hotline Team (i.e., Hotline Trainers, On-the-Job Trainers, the Hotline and Volunteer Manager, the Director of Hotline Services and Training).
Responsibilities
- Demonstrate competence in and adhere to CrisisLink philosophies, policies and procedures.
- Follow CrisisLink policies to arrange for hotline shift coverage when absent.
- Participate in the continuous training program in order to maintain skill level and adherence to CrisisLink policy, procedure, and/or program changes.
- Ongoing awareness of CrisisLink procedures, trainings, announcements and events. Read emails, internal computerized announcements, bulletin boards and newsletters to remain informed.
Qualifications
- Empathy for others.
- Genuine desire and willingness to help people in need.
- Openness to learning new skills, philosophies, ways of communication.
- Openness to change.
- A desire to receive and give positive and constructive feedback before, during, and after training and throughout all experiences with CrisisLink.
- Commitment to maintaining high levels of skills and performance.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to speak clearly and be easily understood over the telephone.
- Minimum age 21.
Supervision
- Accept ongoing performance-monitoring and supervision from the Hotline and Volunteer Manager and the Director of Hotline Services and Training.