Telephone Support Line Volunteer Placement at CAMH

The Telephone Support Line is not a crisis line but a supportive, confidential service. It is a place where people can call to speak to someone who is an objective, non-clinical support when they are working through an issue or they are lonely and want to touch base with someone.

If you are interested in giving back to the community, learning more about mental health and addiction issues, and providing effective and timely support to individuals who are reaching out, the Telephone Support Line could be a good opportunity for you.

Volunteers on the Telephone Support Line are required to come in for three hours a week, either 3-6 pm or 6-9 pm, Monday to Friday for one year.

Volunteers need to have:

solid boundaries and judgment
self-awareness
open-mindedness and the
ability to work independently
Empathy
A strong desire to facilitate helping others who are reaching out to help themselves.

On the Telephone Support Line, we value diversity and we appreciate the unique insight that people who have experienced mental health and/or addiction issues may provide when offering support to peers

Recruitment and training takes place an average of two times per year. The training program is approximately four weeks long.