Volunteer Crisis Line Counselor

Description

Volunteer Crisis Line Counselor (Suicide Prevention Center)

We are now reviewing applications for our next class in May-June 2026.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Once a class is at capacity, any remaining applications will be automatically considered for the following training cycle.

Please check the calendar to view our subsequent 2026 training dates.

About Didi Hirsch

Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services has been a national leader in whole-person mental health, crisis care, and substance use services since 1942 and is home to the nation's first Suicide Prevention Center. We are a nonprofit organization providing care to about 270,000 people annually across our programs. Didi Hirsch has deep roots in community-based mental health and a commitment to providing culturally responsive services that are just and equitable. More than 1,000 dedicated employees and volunteers make Didi Hirsch's work possible.

Summary

Our Suicide Prevention Center needs your help to staff its 24/7 Crisis Line as a volunteer Crisis Counselor! This role is one of the most intensely rewarding ways to contribute to your community while helping to erase the stigma around suicide and mental health. As a volunteer, you will provide active listening and verbal support over the phone to individuals experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crisis. Volunteers take calls on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline as well as other organization-specific and other contracted crisis lines, all of which offer support to people navigating thoughts of suicide, mental health struggles, grief, and other serious emotional challenges. Many of our volunteers are pursuing careers in the mental health field or considering a career change before applying to graduate school, while others are looking for something meaningful to do in their spare time. Some have been personally affected by suicide, and others simply want to help people in need.

Volunteer Requirements

• Must be age 18 or older.
• Basic computer competency and fluency in English required.
• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly over the phone using spoken English; this volunteer role is conducted entirely via audio phone calls.
• Ability to attend the 6-week training and satisfy all training requirements described below.
• Ability to commit to one weekly 4-hour shift on the Crisis Line for 12 months.
• Ability to participate in ongoing education opportunities as training curriculum is updated (as needed).
• Ability to satisfy at least one of the following requirements for shift location:
  • Complete shifts in person at our Los Angeles office location; or
  • Complete shifts remotely from home (must have a reliable computer, reliable private internet access, quiet private space to take calls).
    • Ethernet cable must be used, Wifi Speed 400 mbps required.
    • Wired headset with microphone
    • View system requirements here for a compatible computer.

No prior experience in mental health is needed. Due to the nature of our work, we do encourage applicants who have experienced suicide firsthand or through a loved one to seek support first before applying.

Training Requirements

Training is held remotely over Zoom video conferencing. All volunteers are required to have a stable high-speed internet connection, computer with functional audio/video, and headphones. Trainees are expected to complete all of the following:

• Crisis Line Training: Training occurs twice a week for 6 consecutive weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6-9pm). Trainees learn to facilitate crisis calls through evidence-based approaches to suicide prevention and role-playing. Please review the training dates at this link.
• Additional Training Requirements: All volunteers are required to complete assignments and supplementary training courses outside of the 6-week training experience. These include asynchronous 988 (Lifeline) trainings, HIPAA and other agency policy trainings, and more. Additionally, volunteers must complete written and mentor assignments. These all total 35+ hours outside of the classroom experience.
• Documentation: All volunteers are required to complete a background check, in-person TB test, and in-person LiveScan fingerprinting during training.

Time Commitment

After the training program, volunteers will enter into an apprenticeship for an approximately three-month period, in which a supervisor will be listening in and providing feedback for all crisis calls. In addition, all trainees are expected to commit to the same weekly 4-hour shift for an entire calendar year.

BBS Hours: The Suicide Prevention Center does not offer supervision for intern hours.

Our Vision

A future where everyone has equitable access to care and is empowered to achieve optimal mental health and well-being.

Our Mission

Didi Hirsch provides compassionate mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services to individuals and families, especially in communities where discrimination and injustice limit access.

CORE VALUES

Excellence: We are constantly innovating, learning from the communities we serve, and applying the latest research to advance best practices. We uphold the highest ethical standards to ensure we are providing compassionate and excellent care.

Diversity & Inclusion: We value diversity of background, experience, and ideas. We celebrate differences and prioritize creating a sense of belonging.

Equity: We are dedicated to promoting health equity in our communities, and we work to dismantle disparities and discrimination within both systems of care and society.

Well Being: We are devoted to the well-being of our staff, volunteers, and communities, and believe healthy teams lead to healthy clients.

Advocacy: We advocate across all levels of government and use our voice to reduce barriers to care with the goal of access to high quality, integrated healthcare for all.

Community Engagement: We build partnerships in the community and across sectors to create a more inclusive and responsive mental health ecosystem and enhance greater accessibility to care and support.