Volunteer Qualified Counsellors Volunteer

Wanted-Volunteer Qualified Counsellors! - Volunteer

Join Reach Out for Mental Health as a volunteer therapist / counsellor and help us provide life‑changing support to adults in Essex who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and complex trauma.

What difference will you make? Your time and expertise will make an enormous difference — not just to the clients you support, but to the heart of our organisation itself.

By volunteering with us, you’ll help us reach people who might otherwise fall through the gaps in traditional services. Individuals living with suicidal thoughts, complex mental health conditions, and the effects of trauma are often waiting for long‑term NHS therapy, or have struggled to find a counsellor capable of holding their depth of pain safely. You’ll be that safe space.

Your support will also give our charity the capacity to say “yes” to more people who reach out. Every counsellor who joins us allows us to reduce waiting times, share the load across our team, and continue offering a service that’s free, accessible, and built on compassion and professionalism.

Together, we’re creating something special — a community of counsellors who believe that everyone deserves to be heard, to be cared for, and to have hope.

What are we looking for? Please only apply if you have the following:

• A recognised counselling or psychotherapy qualification
• 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 worked in voluntary or community‑based settings
• Have experience working with adults with trauma/suicidal ideation
• Have a DBS check carried out in the last 3 months or are on the update service

What will you be doing? We’re looking for qualified counsellors with a warm heart and a steady hand to volunteer up to three hours a week, helping us support people who are living with suicidal thoughts, complex mental health needs, and often the lasting impact of trauma.

Our charity provides counselling for clients whose needs are beyond the scope of our student counsellors. You’ll offer safe, consistent, and compassionate support that helps clients feel heard, valued, and understood.

You can choose to work face‑to‑face across various venues in Essex (we’ll reimburse all travel expenses), or — if you live further away — provide sessions online or by phone
, where you already have experience delivering remote counselling.

You’ll join a small but deeply committed team of counsellors, trainees, and volunteers who share a passion for preventing suicide and nurturing hope. While you’ll work independently with your clients, you’ll never be alone — we believe in strong supervision, open communication, and a community that looks after each other as much as we do our clients.

Your role will focus on providing high‑quality, person‑centred counselling — creating a safe space for clients to explore their experiences, build trust, and find their own path toward healing and stability.