Crisis Supporter

Crisis Supporter Student Position Description

1. Role

To undertake crisis supporter training with Lifeline with the prospect of being invited to become a volunteer Lifeline Crisis Supporter on achievement of competency.

2. Characteristics

Inherent in the role of a Crisis Supporter is their ability to empathically and respectfully connect with callers. This is sustained by the personal attributes that the Crisis Supporter brings to the helping relationship. Therefore the Crisis Supporter Student must be able to demonstrate: • • • • • • • • • The ability to express empathy and respect for others; The ability to establish good initial contact with callers; A strong sense of self and self-awareness; The capacity to understand and help others proactively whist maintaining clear boundaries of responsibility; The ability to integrate professional and personal learning experiences into the helping process in order to convey an understanding of the caller’s situation; The ability to differentiate their own feelings from those of the caller and maintain sufficient emotional distance from personal experiences in order to maintain perspective; Willingness and ability to respond reflectively to feedback given in training and supervision about their performance and apply that to ongoing practice; Awareness of personal bias; and Openness to diversity.

3. Requirements

A Crisis Supporter Student must be able to demonstrate their willingness to: • • • • • • • • • • Undertake Lifeline’s crisis supporter core training (e-learning and face to face modules) and student placement; Adhere to Lifeline’s vision, purpose and guiding principles; Work with a diverse range of callers including challenging callers and those with a disability; Work with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; Work effectively with other team members and Centre management; Maintain consistency in commitment, reliability and punctuality; Commit to minimum requirements concerning...