Peer Support Caller

The Mental Health Society of Greater Victoria is looking for volunteers for our peer support team! As an organization, our mission is to improve mental health in Victoria by contributing to relevant education and improving access to local support services. In order to connect the public with mental health services, we offer peer-led support calls. During these support calls, we provide peer support and refer clients to mental health services. We are looking to recruit 2 or 3 people for this position. 

As a Peer Support Caller, you will conduct peer support calls with clients. Using the recommended services, you will refer clients to appropriate resources and offer friendly guidance throughout their mental health journey. This position requires lived experience with mental health challenges and/or experience supporting others with mental health concerns. 

Format & Time Commitment
We are a volunteer organization that adapts to our volunteers' availability. All positions are remote. For support callers, each call is usually ~15 minutes long and conducted at the same time every week. Volunteers may be asked to take on multiple clients at a time. 

Our team also hosts virtual meetings for our team. These meetings will be in the evenings and will be scheduled according to the volunteers’ availability. Currently, these meetings take place virtually, using Google Meet. On top of meetings, we ask that all volunteers engage in regular communication through Slack (an online messaging platform). 

Required skills and experience: 
Passionate about mental health
Strong research skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Attention to detail
Excellent organizational skills
Sensitive to diverse circumstances and needs of the public (e.g.., low-income, urgent support, LGBTQ2+ friendly)
Past or present experience living in Victoria, BC
Lived experience with mental health challenges (your own experience or experience supporting a friend/loved one)
Required for peer support callers

Bonus skills and experience:
Informed about a broad range of mental health diagnoses and challenges
Previous nonprofit experience 
Mental health training (e.g., mental health first aid, suicide prevention certification, professional experience with at-risk populations)

Example tasks: 
Conduct weekly calls with clients
Write detailed logs about support calls 
Manage and maintain client records 

Required Documents:
1) Resume
2) Cover letter/Written paragraph: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you would be a good fit for the position 

Please email the above documents to tereza@mhsvictoria.org to apply. We hope to find someone with initiative who is passionate about our cause and eager to help the community! All are welcome to apply. The most eligible applicants will be contacted to schedule an online video interview. We look forward to hearing from you!