Support Group Facilitator - Whitley Bay

This opportunity is for volunteer facilitators at our lovely group in Whitley Bay.
Peer Talk supports people (18 plus) who are living through anxiety, depression and associated feelings. We look for a minimum commitment of 12-18 months and you would expect to facilitate on our rota system for 4 or 5 meetings in a 13 week period. Our meetings last for 90 minutes.

You really don't need experience as such. Experience of life is more important. You will actively listen and be able to signpost our peers to possible additional help/support. Our peers come from a cross section of our local community and many will return week after week. We have no waiting lists-our peers can simply turn up.

Facilitator duties at the meeting

• To arrive 20 minutes prior to the Support Group meeting time.
• To prepare the room for the meeting
• To engage in pre brief with co facilitator
• To meet and greet new and regular attendees
• To check that new people are at the right meeting and to introduce them to the rest of the group
• To begin and close the meeting punctually
• To facilitate the meeting according to the training given
• To debrief with the other Facilitator after closing the meeting
• To complete attendance statistics on a weekly basis
• To keep a record and receipts of expenses incurred in your role as a Support Group Facilitator and to send your completed expenses form to the PeerTalk office
• To ensure the meeting room is left as you found it

Skills

The volunteers are not mental health counsellors, but great listeners. Qualities we are looking for:

Empathy, enthusiasm, compassion, good communication/ personal skills, patience & mutual respect

Commitment

The minimum suggested volunteer time commitment with the support group is 18 months, following the initial training. Additionally, we invite our volunteers to attend a meeting every 8 weeks for mutual support and to receive ongoing training. We may offer other training opportunities, which will be optional.

Person description

The sustainability of a PeerTalk Support Group depends on the commitment, personal qualities and enthusiasm of the people who volunteer as Facilitators.

These personal qualities include:

• Being a good listener.
• Being able to show compassion and empathy.
• Being non judgemental.
• Having common sense.
• Having a strong sense of commitment.
• Being able to present balanced viewpoints.
• Having a willingness to learn.
• Having a sense of humour.
• Being able to keep a confidence.
• Having good communication skills.
• Being respectful of others.
• Having enthusiasm for this area of mental health and for the work of PeerTalk.
• Being a good team player.
• Being a person of integrity.

All Support Group Facilitators will undertake a DBS check and have an appropriate awareness of safeguarding issues related to fulfilling the role.

Creating a space where people feel accepted and valued is one of the core tasks of the PeerTalk Support Group Facilitator.