Volunteer Opportunity
Caring Contact Crisis Line
Residents from Westfield, Summit, Linden, Clark, Florham Park, and North Plainfield completed training in June to become volunteers on the Caring Contact crisis hotline. During the 52 hours of training the graduates developed the ability to listen actively, assess the needs of someone in crisis and provide empathy and support. The training included dynamic and interactive presentations by guest experts in active listening, grief recovery, mental health issues and suicide intervention. Volunteer Listener Training was taught by trainers who are long-time listeners and nationally certified instructors in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.
“This training and volunteer opportunity is ideal for people of varying backgrounds – retirees, empty-nesters, stay-at-home parents, and full-time professionals” said Mary Claire Givelber, Caring Contact’s executive director. “Many of our listeners are looking for something meaningful to do after they retire, or their children leave home. Full-time professionals also participate finding the flexible volunteer hours work well with their work obligations.”
Following the training, new volunteer crisis counselors are supported by seasoned listeners during 24 hours of internship before they take calls on their own. Even once a volunteer is a certified listener, Caring Contact provides a range of support and training opportunities to allow them to keep honing their skills.
The next volunteer crisis counselor training begins September 20th through December 13th. The training will run once a week on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will be a combination of in-person training and via Zoom. Anyone interested in registering for the training should visit caringcontact.org/listener-training/ or call the Caring Contact administrative offices for more information at 908-301-1899.
Caring Contact is a volunteer-staffed crisis hotline and listening community, providing active listening support and best-in-class training to the Central and Northern New Jersey community. More than 80 trained volunteers answered over 17,000 calls last year from people in crisis, having suicidal thoughts or simply needing someone to talk to.
If you need someone to listen, call us at 908-232-2880. If you, or someone you know, are in crisis call 988, the new access code to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. To learn more, visit caringcontact.org. You are Not Alone.
