People power for the community’s vulnerable

With many of the community’s leading organisations fighting for funding opportunities and pleading with governments, two of the most beloved are doing just fine with another resource: volunteers.
The Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service and Twenty10 have been working together increasingly as the GLBT people they serve are more likely to be located in rural areas.

Terence Humphreys took over the role of volunteer coordinator and community education officer for the two organisations last month, and already his first training workshop for new counsellors has proved popular.

It’s already looking pretty full at this stage, so we’re not looking for lots more volunteers at this point. But very early next year we’ll be running another one, he told Sydney Star Observer.
It’s always good to have people who are fired, excited and ready to go.

Humphreys first worked with GLCS last year as a field placement for his postgraduate studies, redeveloping the organisation’s training for new telephone counsellors.
The opportunity I had in re-writing the training package was very rewarding. It also drew on my background as a workplace trainer. So I was able to utilise the skills I had, the passion for counselling issues, and also something for the GLBT community. It was a unique situation in that I got to have my cake and eat it.

The training on offer is a Certificate III, suitable for volunteers. Humphreys said it offered people the practical skills they’ll need while handling the service’s calls, as well as brushing up on the issues specific to a gay and lesbian phone line.

They do have to do a series of listening and speaking shifts, so they’re very familiar with the types of calls, so when they’re on the phone as a certificate counsellor for us they’re not in shock or surprised, he said.

Obviously you can’t cover everything, but it’s about supporting people so they feel confident they’re prepared for the issues. We also offer people follow-up training. So it’s not like that’s the end of their development and skills.

The service isn’t about offering advice, Humphreys emphasises, but they offer specific information if people ask about venues and contacts.

We listen to people and encourage them to share what’s going on for them. But we don’t tell them what to do. We don’t tell them to come out, or leave their partner, or get a new job. It’s really up to them. It’s a much more respectful and gentle approach to counselling than just advice-giving.

So many of the callers are regional so issues of isolation and depression are common.
Summer and Christmas are the busiest times, usually on weekends when people have more free time and don’t have day-to-day contact with people through work or school.

During those times people are isolated not just geographically but emotionally. It can be a tough time for people.

info: The Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service phone line operates 7 days a week, 5.30pm to 10.30pm, on (02) 8594 9596 or 1800 184 527 for people from rural NSW areas.