Purpose: 

Provide confidential, non-directive supportive listening, acting as a first line of contact to those in need. Volunteers support callers on a 24-hour Distress Line with issues such as family violence, bullying, sexual assault, mental illness, seniors abuse, child abuse and suicide. Volunteers help callers identify the resources necessary for coping with their concerns. 
 

Tasks: 

• Explore Distress Line callers' immediate concerns, provide support and, when necessary, referral to appropriate community resources  
• Complete call sheets and required call statistics forms  
• Complete Risk Assessments and provide the Help Lines Support Worker on duty the necessary information required to authorize and implement interventions on behalf of the caller  
• Adhere to the standards of ethics and maintain the confidentiality of callers, volunteers and staff members  
• Complete additional training for the Canadian Suicide Prevention Society 
• Report any risk management issues to volunteer supervisor  

Time Commitment: 

• 90 hours of training between January - April. This includes a mixture of classroom, online, and on the job training.
• 192 hour commitment to the Distress Line after completion of initial training  
• 16 hours per month of self-scheduled shifts.