Volunteering opportunities

Counselling / Talking Therapies Volunteers and Placements

Our Counselling Service offers 10 or 20 weekly sessions. Sessions take place in one of Islington Mind buildings.

Volunteer/placement counsellors need to be in the final year of their training. They are required to commit to a minimum of one year of volunteering, offering a minimum of one day a week and building up to seeing three clients at a time.

If you would like to join Islington Mind’s small team of volunteer counsellors, please email your CV to ossi.ron@islingtonmind.org.uk

Welfare Benefits Clinic volunteers

We currently have volunteering placements available with the Islington Mind Welfare Benefits Clinic. The Clinic runs from our head office on Fridays and provides vital support to our service users in accessing welfare benefits.

The role will involve supporting Islington Mind service users with applying for Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, and Universal Credit. This includes the completing of benefit forms, corresponding with the Department of Work and Pensions, and accompanying service users to health assessments. The role therefore requires a familiarity with Microsoft Word and a good level of written English. An insight and understanding of mental distress is also needed as you will be engaging in difficult conversations. This is intense but rewarding and vital work as you will be supporting people to access essential income. It would be an advantage to have interest and understanding of the benefits system.

Please note this is not a clinical or therapeutic role and involves providing practical support.

We ask for a commitment of at least 1 full year one day a week on Fridays (+ about 2-3 months for DBS check and induction), although there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer more than one day a week should you wish to do so. Induction and training to this role will be provided as well as regular support and supervision. Travel and lunch expenses will be reimbursed. And work references provided after completion of one year volunteering.

If this sounds interesting and suitable to you, please complete the application form and return with your CV and a letter of interest, indicating why are you interested in the role. Send these to rosa.morris@islingtonmind.org.uk

Hand in Hand Peer Buddy Service volunteers

We’re recruiting volunteers for Hand in Hand Islington – a Volunteer Peer Buddy scheme that recruits, trains and supports volunteers with lived experience of mental ill-health to accompany residents with mental health problems to other locations in the borough for appointments, courses and training, services, green spaces, activities and events.  Peer support can also include assisting in making phone calls, form filling, and signposting for further support.

To read more about the Peer Buddy’s role, download FAQs for Peer Buddies. If you require any further information, email handinhand@islingtonmind.org.uk.

To register your interest in volunteering as a Peer Buddy, click here.

Outcome LGBTIQ+ project volunteers

Outcome is the LGBTIQ+ specialist service of Islington Mind, offering support to LGBTIQ+ people who experience mental distress within Islington and across London.

We are open every Tuesday online and in-person at our day centre in Crouch Hill. We offer a safe and supportive therapeutic drop-in, as well as activities including art, yoga, walking group, running group, inclusive gender-specific groups, and creative writing.

We are also open on Wednesdays for a specific project supporting LGTBIQ+ people seeking asylum or who are already refugees. In this space, we offer a drop-in as well as more intensive mental health and practical support.

We are looking to offer two types of volunteering placements

(1) Mental Health Support volunteer; and
(2) Communications and Campaigns Volunteer

(1) ​Mental Health support volunteer
We are looking to offer volunteering placements on either Tuesday or Wednesday (or both) to candidates who identify as members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Candidates need to be able to commit to at least 12 months volunteering one full day a week with us (in addition to around 1-2 months for DBS check and induction). Candidates should have an interest in supporting a mental health-focused project, working within a client-led setting to deliver activities, and helping clients who experience mental distress in group settings.

Outcome is a hybrid service (in-person and online) for the foreseeable future and volunteers will be expected to support the online service on Zoom and attend the day centre in-person.

Regular supervision as well as training opportunities will be provided.

For an application form please contact Lizzie Hughes lizzie.hughes@islingtonmind.org.uk

(2) Communications and Campaigns volunteer
We are looking to offer volunteering placements on Tuesday to candidates who identify as members of the LGBTQI+ community. Candidates need to commit to at least 6 months volunteering one full day a week on Tuesdays.

Candidates should have an interest in developing campaigns, outreach, and influence programmes. Candidates would be expected to: work closely with the team leader to develop the project’s external profile, develop Outcome’s campaigning programme, maintain Outcome’s social media presence (X/Twitter, etc.), develop Outcome’s outreach programme, and other relevant tasks.

To apply please contact Lizzie Hughes: lizzie.hughes@islingtonmind.org.uk

Mother to Mother Project volunteers

The Mother to Mother project provides day service opportunities for mothers whose children experience mental health problems and who act as their carers. We are currently looking to offer volunteer placements.

You will be supporting the mothers in a group setting.

The project runs on Mondays 9:30am-5:00pm and we ask for a commitment of at least one year.

If this sounds interesting and suitable for you, please complete the application form and return with a copy of your CV to ossi.ron@islingtonmind.org.uk

Music volunteers wanted

Volunteering placements are available for musicians with Islington Mind. Ideally, you’d have some tutoring experience.

We have guitars (Spanish, acoustic, electric, electric bass) keyboards, piano, drum kit, percussion and recording facilities.

A warm and empathetic approach is needed. A commitment of a minimum of 1 year, 1 day a week is required. 

For further information please email michele@islingtonmind.org.uk

Mental Health Recovery Pathway (MHRP) volunteers

The Mental Health Recovery Pathway (MHRP) service provides day service opportunities for people with low and medium Preventative Care Needs.

We are currently looking to offer volunteering placements with our Mental Health Recovery Pathway (MHRP) – a mental health provision based across three sites in Islington responding to the mental health needs of Islington residents.

You will be assisting service users who experience mental distress in group settings.

We ask for a commitment of at least 1 day a week 10:15am – 4:00pm for a full year (+ about 2-3 months for DBS check and induction), though there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer more than one day a week.

If this sounds interesting and suitable to you, please complete the MHRP volunteer application form and return with your CV, indicating why are you interested in volunteering for Islington Mind, if there is anything specific that you would like to do in your volunteering placement – e.g. facilitate activities, support our open access drop-in sessions, support service users with completing forms, accompany service users to appointments etc, and your availability – e.g. one or more days a week and which days of the week you are available.

Please email all the above application material to:

ossi.ron@islingtonmind.org.uk

Structured Intervention Support (SIS) volunteers

The Structured Intervention Support (SIS) service offers support for people with high and complex needs.

You will be assisting service users who experience mental distress in one-to-one settings:
-help to resettle in the community on discharge from hospital
-help to develop strategies to improve their quality of life and reduce their dependence on statutory services
-provide personalised key work support to enable people with complex mental health needs progress and maintain independent living.

We are looking for volunteers who can support people with activities for a minimum of 1 day per week. Activities such as:

-Escorting people to appointments/outings/activities or events
-Organisational and administrative tasks – help with budgeting; understanding/applying for welfare benefits; letter writing and form filling; arranging activities/appointments; planning the use of other services such as shopping.
-Supporting people to maintain their homes – reporting/organising repairs; organising a move; signposting and referring to services and activities.
-Ad-hoc support

We ask for a commitment of at least 1 day a week 9:30 – 5:00 for a full year (+ about 2-3 months for DBS check and induction), though there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer more than one day a week.

Staff benefits include volunteers receiving 3 days of training and a fortnightly group supervision.

What you will gain from this role:

-On the job training and supervision
-Support with professional development
-Work references provided after completion of one year volunteering
-Travel expenses reimbursed (within London)

Please return the completed SIS volunteer application form, along with a copy of your CV. Email to the service manager, Ossi Ron, at ossi.ron@islingtonmind.org.uk