Talkable offers a talkline to anyone suffering from panic or anxiety. We currently have a range of ways that you can help as a volunteer and as we continue to grow and provide ever more vital support to people. Opportunities to join our team of volunteers include: *Call Handler Volunteers. *Message Line Volunteers. *Legal Advisor Volunteer(s). *Mental Health Consultant Volunteer(s). *Policy and Procedure Advisor Volunteers. Excellent support and any relevant training is provided to all volunteers. There will also be an Area Manager to oversee everything and volunteers will be a part of a group of others who all help and support one another. There are flexible times available to assist. All help makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. For more information about any of these volunteer roles or any other ways you wish to help us as a volunteer please contact Chelsea Birkett at E Mail: info@talkable.online or tel: 07999 453655.

The volunteer will join about 150 other Samaritans in the Branch which operates round the clock - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The volunteer will support people in crisis, either on the phone, in person at the Samaritan Centre, or by email. Each year we expect to receive about 25,000 phone calls, 300 personal visits, and over 2,000 emails from all over the world. There are also opportunities to take part in running the Branch and in our growing outreach programme.

Place2Be works with over 280 primary and secondary schools, reaching a school population of more than 116,000 children. As a volunteer counsellor you will work one to one in a therapeutic capacity with up to 3 children per week. The commitment is for one day per week, for three school terms, from 8.30am to 4.30pm to include therapy sessions and supervision of clinical work. There may also be opportunities to get involved with group work alongside the School Project Manager.

Help People at Difficult Times Listening volunteers are there for anyone who needs someone, and provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide. Every seven seconds someone contacts us. Every seven seconds we can help someone turn their life around. As a listening volunteer you get the chance to make a real difference to someone’s future. You can offer support on the phone, email or text. Volunteers typically volunteer a minimum of a 4 hour duty per week, as well as a 4 hour night duty at monthly intervals. There are no qualifications required and you’ll receive full training to prepare you for the kinds of conversations you’ll have. And when you start out, you’ll have a mentor with you, to give you confidence you’re doing the right thing. You can also apply to help with administration or other non-listening support. Let us know how you would like to help.

Rape Crisis Grampian is a fully inclusive service which provides free, confidential support to survivors of rape and sexual violence aged of 13 years and over. To enable us to provide a consistent service, Survivors are supported by Volunteer Support Workers. We currently have a pool of eleven Volunteers who offer face to face, email or telephone support. Support Volunteers undertake a comprehensive selection and training process and will be registered with the PVG – Protection of Vulnerable Groups scheme. We are looking for individuals who are: *Empathetic, non-judgemental and good listeners *Able to commit to volunteering for at least 12 months and a minimum of three hours per week *Able to maintain confidentiality and anonymity *Open to gaining an understanding about rape and sexual violence and its impacts on individuals. Excellent training and support is provided to all volunteers. Including sixty hours of training. The training is comprehensive and ensures all Volunteers are equipped with the skills necessary to support Survivors. Debriefing is provided after each support session and volunteers are further supported via quarterly group Supervision as an additional means of support. If you would like more information or to apply please contact our Volunteer Coordinator on: 01224 590932 or email: volunteercoordinator@rapecrisisgrampian.co.uk

Childline is a vital service available 365 days a year to support children and young people, whatever their worry or concern. A ChildLine counsellor provides an essential service to children and young people who contact the helpline by telephone or via the ChildLine website. As a trained volunteer, Childline Volunteer Counsellors are able to respond to children and young people in a variety of ways that meet their needs at the time they contact. Full training is provided and ChildLine Supervisors always work alongside counselling volunteers giving support, advice and any direction required. A great opportunity to help make a real difference for the lives of children. For further details regarding this and other volunteer opportunities at our Aberdeen base or to apply to be a volunteer please: apply online via: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/volunteering-nspcc-childline or email: kerri.stewart@nspcc.org.uk / phone:01224 973030.

Echo Coaches provide peer to peer telephone support for carers supporting a loved one through recovery. Echo coaches are volunteers who have cared for someone with an eating disorder and are matched with a parent carer who is currently supporting someone with an eating disorder.  You will support the carer over a 6-month period, by having a regular weekly 30-minute phone call  You will receive online training giving you all the skills to become a peer coach  Digital call handling technology means that calls can be diverted through Beat’s Helpline so no personal phone numbers (or other contact details) will be shared

Based in health, care and community settings, CCL is a service that promotes wellbeing by offering an active spiritual listening service. CCL helps people explore their deepest hurts and draw strength from their own inner resources and from the communities of support around them. CCL is a short term, early intervention model of person-centred, assets-based, spiritual listening with the aim of promoting personal and communal spiritual wellbeing. We are looking for volunteers to become listeners with the following experience: 1. Recognition of a spiritual dimension to life in self and/or others (create a safe space for the person to verbalise whatever gets in the way of their wellbeing and resilience) 2. Personal resilience, receptiveness to the pain of others 3. High degree of reflexivity, ability to recognise own inner process 4. Accepting and non-judgmental presence, commitment to person-centred ways of being and doing 5. Advanced communication skills, ability to handle raw feelings and emotions 6. Ability to foster wellbeing and autonomy rather than cultivate neediness and dependency 7. Ability to hold clear boundaries about issues and relationships 8. Ability to demonstrate previous experience in active listening it is expected that potential Listeners would be able to demonstrate these skills within their training and continue to develop these qualities when delivering the service. Based in a health care setting, usually a GP Practice. Commitment to 4 days training and a half day a week am/pm listening. Referral based listening service usually from GP or other Health Professionals. If you have any questions or would like to discuss our volunteer opportunity please contact Evonne Llewellyn, Community Chaplaincy Listening Service Volunteer Coordinator at evonne.llewellyn@nhs.scot or call 07584 217192.

Shetland Bereavement Support Service (SBSS) are looking to recruit volunteer Support Workers. A Support Worker will provide one to one counselling to anyone struggling to cope following a bereavement.

Anyone can talk to Samaritans, at any time, about whatever’s getting to them. We’re just ordinary people, who give up our time to listen. The service we offer is confidential and non-judgemental. Samaritans operates 24/7, 365 days a year. We offer support to people over the phone, by email, text and face to face. The Aberdeen branch is looking for people who are interested in becoming listening volunteers. No previous experience is required and full training and support is given. All help is greatly appreciated and makes a real difference. For further information please contact: Margaret Smith E Mail: volunteering@aberdeensamaritans.org Tel No: 03705627282