COUNSELLOR TRAINING
 New Course for March 2009

If you are on this page, you are probably interested in becoming a volunteer telephone counsellor with the GLCS.

The GLCS provides a telephone counselling, information, referrals to people wanting to talk to someone about their issues. Our counselling line is staffed by volunteer counsellors.

Calls to the counselling line are mainly from gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people or those that are questioning their sexuality. We also get calls from friends and family members. A wide variety of topics are discussed, such as coming out, relationship problems and how to meet people. Unfortunately, many calls to our service go unanswered because the demand for help is much greater than the supply of volunteer hours.

It is an aim of the GLCS to increase access to our service by increasing the number of skilled telephone counsellors. To do this the GLCS currently runs at least two training courses for volunteer counsellors each year.

It takes about 6 months in total to complete full train as a telephone counsellor (or about 3 months if you have exeperience or are doing a short course) and then we then ask that counsellors volunteer for a 3 hour shift once per fortnight for at least one year.

How to Become a Volunteer Counsellor with the GLCS

1. Register with us to be placed on the course notification list, so that when the next course is announced, you are notified. You can do this by e-mailing us by clicking here or if you don't have e-mail, phoning us on 8594 9506 and leaving your postal address details.

2. Get the information on how to train as a Counsellor. After being notified that a new course has been announced, the application forms and information sheets will be posted to this webpage (at the bottom of this page). Please download and read all the documents. Should you have problems with downloading or opening the documents and require paper copies to be posted to you, please e-mail us by clicking here or call us on 8594 9506 and leave your postal address details.

3. Send us an application letter.  If after reading the information you are still interested in applying to become a volunteer telephone counsellor, please fill out and post back to us the application letter. This iapplication is in a Microsoft Word format. Please be as detailed as you like in the application. The GLCS sub committee will consider your application and then invite successful applicants to an interview and information session.

4. Attend an Interview and Information Session. Successful applicants will be invited to attend an Information Session and Interview. If after the interview you are successful, we will contact you and let you know that you have been accepted in the GLCS Training Course. You will need to pay the relevant membership and training course fees prior to the commencement of the course, either by paying at the GLCS or on the first day of the course. Our fees basically just cover the costs of running the course.

If you already have counselling skills and experience, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is available by application to our Training Committee. Many still choose to do the course, as it refreshes their skills base.

Application form for 2009 Course

You may need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and read some of these files.

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