Volunteer Counsellor Job Description

Volunteer Position Description
Community Counselling Programme

Title: Volunteer Counsellor

Purpose
To enhance the quality of life for service users of The 519 Church Street Community Centre by providing professional counselling services on a donor basis.

Qualifications
In addition to providing a current copy of their resume / CV and references as per the 519 Counselling Programme Application form, applications to the programme must provide documentation authenticating that they:

Possess counselling degree(s), qualification(s), or certification(s);

Are a member of a professional association, governed by a code of ethics, and having a client grievance procedure; and,

Are covered by liability (malpractice) insurance.

Duties
Volunteers working with the Community Counselling Programme are expected to fulfill the following duties:

Work with a minimum of two clients per week at a regular mutually agreed upon time;

Adhere to the accepted professional standards regarding confidentiality, recording, boundaries, best counselling practices and ethics. A clinical supervisor clinically supervises all Counselling Program volunteers;

Attend orientation, bi-weekly collective supervision meetings, individual supervision sessions and any scheduled trainings;

Maintain regular contact with the Counselling Programme Coordinator / Clinical Supervisor to advise when clients leave the counselling relationship and to indicate availability for client referral;

To consult with the Coordinator / Clinical Supervisor in all high-risk cases or when there is a need to explore client service options.

Orientation/Training
Counsellors are provided with on-going case supervision as well as periodic skills development and/or issue-based training opportunities. The Counselling Program Coordinator / Clinical Supervisor provides counsellors with an orientation to the facility and to the Counselling Programme.

Hours
Volunteers commit to regularly scheduled counselling sessions of 2 to 3 hours per week, attend biweekly collective supervision meetings and other scheduled individual supervision times or training sessions as required.

Commitment
Counsellors commit to donating their services to the Counselling Programme for a period not less than one year.

Supervisor
The Community Counselling Programme Coordinator / Clinical Supervisor provides programme and clinical supervision to volunteer counsellors. The Volunteer Coordinator is an indirect supervisor.