Volunteer With Us

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds and life experiences. You may have your own experiences of self-harm or mental ill health, or simply be keen to learn more about how to support others through these experiences.

Our Helpline and Text Volunteers offer vital support both remotely across the UK and from our Bristol office.

1. Fill out the short form for the type of volunteering you'd like to apply for (see further up the Volunteers page).

2. Once your application has been received, we'll be in touch to arrange an informal interview and next steps.

We offer training a number of times throughout the year so register your interest now to find out about upcoming opportunities. Please be aware that there may be a wait time before we respond.

When you join our team, you'll first take part in our training course. The training is a brilliant opportunity to meet new people and learn the valuable skills you'll take with you into the work, including:

• Understanding self-harm
• Active listening skills
• Supporting suicidal callers
• Understanding the impact of trauma and abuse
• Mental health awareness
• Reflective practice

Our training typically lasts four days. We advertise when these dates are upcoming on both our social media and to people who have registered their interest through the form.

The training is trauma-informed and covers reflective listening, supporting people who self-harm, boundary and containment theories, supporting people who are suicidal, and how we can look after ourselves in the work.

In addition to the training course, volunteers also complete a minimum of two shadowing evenings with experienced listening service volunteers to gain insight into live calls/text conversations.

We currently offer both remote volunteering shifts (available across the UK) and office-based shifts in central Bristol. Our Bristol office is near the Bristol Royal Infirmary, with good public transport links and nearby parking. Please note, our current office premises are not wheelchair accessible.

We ask you to volunteer for one shift each week.

We are always looking to open new shifts so it's worth completing the form to register your interest even if the current shifts don't work for you.

Remote: Our current open shift runs from 5.45pm to 9.15pm on Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday evenings.

In-office in Bristol: Our current open shifts run from 5.30pm to 9.15pm on Monday and Thursday evenings. Monday shifts are available to all volunteers and Thursdays are available for only self-identifying women.

Absolutely. We welcome all experiences in our team and many of our volunteer and staff team have their own experiences of self-harm or emotional distress. We want all our volunteers to feel in a place where they're emotionally safe and able to offer support to others; if you'd like to talk this through and explore whether this is the proper role for you, please get in touch with our staff team, and we'll be happy to speak to you about it.

We regret that the premises are not wheelchair accessible. We can offer a preliminary phone call to discuss any adjustments we could make for more flexible roles.

You can apply to become a volunteer on our helpline, text services or as a Trustee. We also welcome applications from anyone who feels that they have skills that would lend themselves to the operational management and development of our organisation - please get in touch by sending an email to [email protected] or by visiting our Volunteer With Us page for more information about current opportunities and to apply. 

You don't need previous helpline or counselling experience. We're looking for individuals with:

• An open mind
• A commitment to the role
• A willingness to learn
• Empathy and an understanding that everyone's situation is personal and unique
• Flexibility and adaptability
• An interest in new learning experiences

After your training you'll be confident in providing confidential emotional support via calls, texts, and/or emails to people across the UK. The work can be emotionally demanding but highly rewarding.

All Listening Services shifts are supervised by a member of staff, and every three months you’ll have access to Group Supervision and Reflective Practice sessions with an experienced practitioner. Here, you'll have a safe and confidential space to reflect on the work and its impact on you and talk through any issues.

We ask that Listening Service volunteers commit to a minimum of a year of service after completion of training. 

Commitment times may vary for other types of volunteering and can be discussed upon your application. 

An Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for a role within our Listening Services team (which will be arranged and paid for by us). We usually provide a basic DBS check for other team members who are not working directly with service users. This can be discussed upon application for the particular type of volunteering you are applying for. 

For remote Listening Service volunteers, you will require access to a laptop and an uninterrupted space during your shift.

For office-based Bristol volunteers, our main office is in Central Bristol, near Bristol Royal Infirmary, with good public transport links and parking nearby. All equipment is provided when you attend our office.