Volunteers
Griefline is almost totally dependent on its volunteers to deliver a service that provides a caring and listening ear to our grieving callers.
Volunteering at Griefline
Thank you for considering volunteering with Griefline. Volunteering at Griefline can be a rich and rewarding experience for people seeking to contribute to improving community wellbeing.
Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, they may have lived experience with grief and loss, be studying to become a counsellor or mental health practitioner, or a member of the community with an interest in supporting others in their experience of grief and loss.
Griefline volunteers are women and men of all ages who have a breadth of personal experience, are compassionate, non-judgemental and good listeners.
Griefline volunteers need to be prepared to commit to a 3-hour shift each week for at least 12 months after completion of their training for the Helpline.
The goodwill and generosity of Griefline volunteers starts at the top and filters right throughout the organisation. The entire Board is voluntary and all paid staff provide pro-bono support beyond their salaries and contracts.
Volunteer opportunities
Helpline Support Volunteer
Griefline Phone Volunteers need to be prepared to commit to a minimum of 3 hours per week for at least 12 months after completion of their training.
Policeline Volunteer
- Policeline Volunteers have completed the Grief & Loss training, and volunteered for a minimum of 72 hours on the Helpline.
- Policeline volunteers undergo additional training, and provide structured counselling support via phone or video.
- Policeline volunteering is most suited to students and recent graduates of counselling and mental health studies.
Services Support Volunteer
- Services Support Volunteers assist in the office during business hours with programs and services administration. Services Support Volunteers provide office support as required.
- No Grief and Loss training is required for Services Support Volunteers (unless they wish to commence volunteering on the Helpline).
Community Ambassador Volunteer
- As a Griefline Community Ambassador, your role is to help promote the work we do through your own networks, while sharing your lived experience with grief and loss. By sharing your story, you are showing others who are struggling that there is hope. Our Community Ambassadors also participate in Griefline media and marketing campaigns, including social media and public relations, as well as acting as a guest moderator in our online forums.
- No Grief and Loss training is required for Community Ambassador Volunteers (unless they wish to commence volunteering on the Helpline).
“Being a volunteer at Griefline is an integral part of my life and is my way of giving back to the community. I have over the years volunteered in different roles and capacities and Griefline is different. Every time I volunteer, I get the privilege to support someone in their time of need, to be part of their journey. I have an opportunity to use my skill set, my experience to empower and help others.”
. – Rebecca, Griefline Volunteer Telephone Counsellor
Grief and Loss Course
All Helpline Support Volunteers are required to undergo Griefline’s Grief and Loss training, which is conducted by senior clinical health professionals and provides participants with the knowledge and skills needed to support callers to the Helpline.
The course covers all theoretical components of Grief and Loss, and the practical application of these with callers to the Helpline.
The course is a combination of online and face to face components. The online self-paced learning and full day role-play practical workshop (conducted via Zoom).
From Sept/Oct intake, a $600 investment is required to complete the Griefline Grief and Loss training. A non-refundable deposit of $100 is required to secure your place in the training, and full payment is required on or before the role-play workshop date.
In recognition of the significant volunteering commitment to Griefline and our community of help-seekers, a $100 service rebate is returned to volunteers after 12 months of continuous service.
Our 2021 volunteer intakes will occur in the following months:
- SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
Interested in becoming a volunteer telephone counsellor?
If you’re ready to take the step to becoming a volunteer with Griefline, please follow these steps and we will be in touch.
- Complete the Volunteer Expression of Interest here
- Email your resume to admin@griefline.org.au
- Email a current police check to admin@griefline.org.au