Counselling

Volunteer Counselling Program

The purpose of the Volunteer Counselling Program is to provide affordable counselling services that support and enhance the coping abilities of individuals and families.

For many of the people we serve, the Volunteer Counselling Program is one of only a few affordable counselling service in the community to which they have open access. It has been available for more years than any other service, and was founded in 1967.

It has been our experience, through client affirmations, that the Volunteer Counselling Program has been instrumental in assisting individuals to make impacting change in their lives and families.

Training for Counsellors

Each year, Nanaimo Family Life recruits up to twelve individuals who have completed level one and level two of the Counsellor Training Program offered through Vancouver Island University. We also receive participants for our training who have completed academic training in the counselling field.

Training Requirements

Volunteer Counsellors must complete the following:
Level 1 Counselling Training: Vancouver Island University
Level II Counselling Training: Vancouver Island University

Training Information

Interested individuals are invited to apply for our Counsellor Training Program after completing Counselling Skills Level I and II at Vancouver Island University.

Skilled Helpers are trained by professionals to provide volunteer counselling services and receive ongoing professional supervision of their counselling. This training does not give them formal credentials of a professional counsellor; however, it does give them the skills to provide a high quality of service to our clients and to be highly valued within the Nanaimo community.

You will meet as a group of about 12 trainees with the training staff every week from the beginning of January to the end of March. In addition to Saturday classes, there will be several evening workshops and opportunities to practice skills with peers. The training will be comprised of a personal growth and a skill development component. The skills training will be from a client-centered, solution-focused, and family systems perspective.

We select a diverse group of individuals of different ages, occupations, and backgrounds. We look for your ability to commit to attending and completing the training program, and returning the 100 hours of service to the community.

The training is valued at $750 per person. We ask for $150 to be paid in advance of the training. The remaining amount ($600) is worked off in service hours. In exchange for approximately 120 hours of quality training you agree to return 100 hours of direct client contact and formal supervision after graduation. Formal supervision includes attendance at the monthly support circles, monthly learning opportunities and scheduled evaluations. There will be a 16 session probationary period (with video evaluations after 8 and 16 counselling sessions) following completion of the training and then once per year as long as you continue to volunteer.