Gender Centre Volunteer telephone Support Service

by Craig

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

The Gender Centre after-hours telephone support service is currently staffed and available three nights a week - Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

We have four reliable volunteers with a considerable span of experience between them. Currently, the group is meeting every fortnight at the Gender Centre over lunch and a two-hour refresher lesson kindly provided by two friendly and professional Lifeline counselors. The group work together in role-plays and discussions on honing their skills as volunteer telephone support workers.

As our volunteers are a valuable peer-based resource to the transgender/transsexual community as a whole we take their contribution to the work of the Gender Centre seriously and with a great deal of appreciation. As the Coordinator of the after-hours line, I maintain regular contact with all volunteers to touch base and be aware of the issues they are dealing with. Immediate debriefing either with the After-Hours Coordinator or a Lifeline Counsellor is available should the volunteers require personal support. Frequent updating of resources and community-contact referrals are also available to our volunteers.

The expectation for this fledgling service is to foster a professional and supportive volunteer staff who provide support and education to transgender and transsexual people.

Currently with one volunteer in reserve and three volunteers maintaining a regular, night each, I would encourage anyone with counselling training to consider volunteering for this important contribution to the transgender/transsexual community.

The after-hours line needs to remain available from 6:00pm to 10:00pm one night a week and your private telephone number is never accessible to callers. You need not be transgender or transsexual to support another person needing care.

You can contact me 4:00pm - 5:30pm on 9569 2366 most days of the week to discuss your options.

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