Make a Difference as a Volunteer Crisis Counselor
Training Begins September 7th 2024
Long Island Crisis Center provides free, confidential and nonjudgmental programs and services to support and empower Long Islanders at critical times in their lives. This includes our 24/7 Crisis Hotlines, as well as our online counseling platform, ChatLIVE Long Island.
Individuals reach out to the Crisis Center for many reasons, including thoughts of suicide, mental health challenges, substance use issues, relationship problems, and more. Out motto is Any Problem, Any Time, Any One.
Volunteer Training Program
Long Island Crisis Center volunteers are the heart of the Agency. They provide the counseling services to our clients. All you need to start is the desire to help and time to give.
You do not need any previous experience. LICC provides a free, comprehensive training program to all volunteers. You must be at least 18 years old to volunteer at LICC.
At this time, we are offering two different volunteer tracks with different training and time requirements. We are looking for volunteers to train to become telephone Hotline Counselors who answer a variety of different crisis hotlines, including the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as volunteers to train to become Chat Counselors to strictly answer our ChatLive contacts.
How The Training Works
Our training will follow a hybrid format, with training done both in person and virtually on Zoom.
Counselor Training (both hotline and chat counseling) will begin with two **in person** information training sessions on Saturday September 7th from 9:30am-4:30pm and Sunday September 8th from 12:30pm-4:30pm. You MUST be able to attend these sessions at our location in Bellmore in order to participate in our training.
Hotline Counselor Training Track (Telephone and Chat Counseling)
After the initial in person weekend training referenced above, weekly information sessions for hotline counselors will be held Saturday Mornings from 9:30am-12:00pm beginning Saturday September 14th and ending approximately Saturday November 30th 2024 in a combination of Zoom and in person sessions. After your information training sessions end in November, you will be paired with a mentor for the remainder of your counselor training which will end sometime May 2025 when you will become a solo counselor. Mentored sessions will take place at either at our Bellmore location or virtually on Zoom at approximately 4 hours per week.
Chat Counselor Training Track (ChatLive ONLY)
After the initial in person weekend training referenced above, weekly information sessions for online chat counselors will be held Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm-9pm virtually on Zoom beginning Wednesday September 11th and ending approximately Wednesday November 13th. After the information sessions end in November, you will be a solo counselor with ongoing guided supervision by the Program Director. Online chat counselors volunteer approximately 3 hours per week remote from their own location. *Note: chat counselors do not answer telephone hotlines.*
Here’s How to Get Started
The first step is to complete the online Volunteer Application. After submitting the form, a staff member will contact you via email to discuss next steps.
If you are invited to the next step of the process, you will be asked to attend a one-hour Zoom Informational Session to learn more about Long Island Crisis Center and our training process. You must be able to attend one of these training sessions on Zoom before being considered for our Counselor training program.
Upcoming Informational Sessions
Saturday August 3rd, 2024 from 10am-11am
OR
Tuesday August 6th, 2024 from 7pm-8pm
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dana at [email protected]