Volunteer Wanted-Volunteer Qualified Counsellors! | Reach Out for Mental Health

Join Reach Out for Mental Health as a volunteer therapist or assessor and help us provide life-changing support to adults in Essex who are struggling — but not in suicidal crisis.

What difference will you make?

What You’ll Get from Us Free clinical supervision (monthly) Induction and ongoing training A chance to be part of something meaningful, values-led and human The satisfaction of using your skills to create real impact in people’s lives By volunteering with us, you’ll be helping keep vital mental health support accessible, timely and deeply human — even when times are tough. We can’t wait to welcome you.

What are we looking for?

We’d Love It If You Have… A recognised counselling or psychotherapy qualification (or are in Year 2+ of a BACP/UKCP-accredited course) Registration or accreditation with a recognised body (e.g. BACP, UKCP) A minimum of 100 hours of supervised client work (trainee hours count!) Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches Experience working with adults with complex life challenges A warm, reflective and empathetic manner Bonus Points If You… Have experience with couples, families, or young adults Are trained in CBT, DBT, EMDR, or creative therapies Have worked in voluntary or community-based settings Have a DBS check carried out in the last3 months or are on the update service Have a therapy dog or PAT-trained pooch

What will you be doing?

Reach Out for Mental Health is a small but mighty suicide prevention charity supporting adults in Essex through compassion, connection, and lived experience. We’re now launching a new chargeable counselling service to support people with everyday struggles, while helping fund our core (and always free) suicide prevention work. Importantly, we will never charge clients experiencing suicidal thoughts — that’s a line we hold with our whole hearts. We’re looking for qualified volunteer counsellors and therapists to join us in two key areas Therapy provision and Assessment support. You can volunteer in one or both roles. Therapy Provision (2–3 hours/week) Provide short or longer-term therapy (up to 16 weeks) to adults facing anxiety, grief, trauma, relationship stress, identity issues, or emotional overwhelm. No clients in active suicidal crisis will be referred through this service. We welcome all modalities CBT, DBT, psychodynamic, integrative, systemic, person-centred, creative or animal-assisted therapy — bring your strengths! You’ll be Supporting clients 2–3 hours per week Managing a small caseload in line with ethical frameworks Attending free clinical supervision (provided by us) Referring clients to other services when needed Writing secure, brief case notes (we’ll show you how) Assessment Support (min. 3 hours/week, as-needed) Help carry out initial client assessments — a vital first step in someone’s journey. You'll gently gather information, assess risk and need, and help us determine whether counselling is the right next step. You’ll be Committing to 3+ hours per week (Mon–Fri, 9am–7pm) Using your own laptop and phone (we’ll provide a SIM card) Following our assessment framework (training provided) Liaising with the team about concerns or next steps Offering a calm, kind first point of contact to those reaching out Bonus Bring Your Dog! Our Chelmsford office is dog-friendly! If you have a PAT-trained dog (or similar), they’re welcome to join you for in-person sessions. We believe dogs can play a powerful role in therapeutic spaces — and we’d love to explore that with you.