Reachout - Information for Volunteer Applicants

This page contains some important information about Reachout, including the basic requirements of applicants. Once you've read it, you can move on to filling out the actual application. Thanks!

A word from our Hotline Coordinator:

Hi there!

Hollis Easter, Hotline Coordinator

I'm Hollis, and it's my pleasure to welcome you into the Reachout community. I'm in charge of training here at Reachout, so I'll make sure that we teach you everything you'll need to know about being a crisis hotline volunteer. Although our staff is small, we've been recognized nationally and internationally as experts in our field. We look forward to sharing our knowledge with you!

Reachout volunteers are amazing, diverse, wonderful people. We come from many different backgrounds and bring a wealth of experience to the mission of helping people. Although many of our volunteers are college students, we have many community members as well; people of all ages are welcome here. We work hard, and we love what we do. Reachout is a tightly-knit community of people who care passionately about making a difference in St. Lawrence County.

You may be wondering: can you do this? Absolutely! If you respect and care about other people, we can teach you everything else. We understand that many of our volunteers are learning about crisis work for the first time, so we give everyone a very comprehensive training program that ensures our volunteers are among the best-trained crisis specialists in the world. We expect you to work hard, and we expect you to shine!

We're grateful for your interest in what we do. We give our time, day in and day out, because we believe that nobody should have to suffer in silence. We hope you'll join us in our mission: where there is despair, let us sow hope.

Yours in service,
Hollis Easter
Hotline Coordinator

We are:

Reachout is a 24-hour, 7-day a week, crisis intervention and information and referral hotline. We handle over 28,000 calls a year, and help people experiencing many problems, such as loneliness, substance abuse, mental illness, poverty, rape, domestic violence, suicide, and family problems. Our volunteers receive over 75 hours of training in crisis intervention, listening skills, problem solving, and information and referral prior to answering phones alone.

To be a volunteer:

Reachout is a confidential service dedicated to treating all callers, regardless of their situation, as human beings worthy of dignity and respect. We need caring, patient, intelligent people who can accept others without judgment. We need good listeners who can stay calm in a crisis.

We need people who are stable in their own lives, ready to take on an emotional and intellectual challenge. This doesn't mean we want all volunteers to be the same, or to hold exactly the same beliefs and opinions; we encourage our volunteers to have varied backgrounds, religions, lifestyles, and interests.

As a Reachout volunteer:

People volunteer for a variety of purposes. Being able to help others draws many people to this work. You can also make a difference in the community, learn creative problem solving techniques, enhance your communication abilities, and develop crisis intervention skills. Even for those who don't want to pursue a counseling-related career, it is an extremely valuable experience in working with people, handling difficult situations, and thinking on your feet. You'll meet interesting, like-minded people. Many lifelong friendships began at Reachout.

Training entails:

At the bottom of this page are some basic requirements for all Reachout applicants. However, these are not the only criteria used to select applicants. We are very selective about who we choose for training. It's emotionally and intellectually demanding work, and not right for everyone. If you apply and you're not chosen, it probably means this work isn't right for you at this time.

If you complete the first three steps of the application process (application, interview, and reference checks), you will be invited to attend our Training Weekend. Local professionals and Reachout staff will present workshops on a variety of specific topics. Please note: attendance is mandatory at all sessions.

If you are accepted for further training after the Training Weekend, you will train for one 5-hour training shift each week. This will be a regular weekly shift, assigned according to your schedule. Training is self-paced, lasts approximately a semester, and includes reading and worksheets as well as hands-on experience on the phones about halfway through the training. You will be trained by current Reachout volunteers.

Thank you for applying! Please feel free to call or stop by any time to talk with us. If you have any questions about Reachout, the application process, or training, please ask!

Basic Requirements for Reachout Applicants:

• At least 18 years old.
• Plan to volunteer for a length of time equivalent to at least two college semesters. It takes approximately one semester to train each volunteer, so it is important that you work at least one semester after completely your volunteer training, so we can recoup our investment in training you.
• If you have been in treatment for serious mental illness, depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, or similar problems, you must have been out of the inpatient program and outpatient follow-up program for at least one year before applying. If you have overcome serious personal problems, you could be a strong asset to Reachout. However, you must be at a stable point in your life and be able to handle the emotional and intellectual challenge of volunteering at Reachout. If you are recently out of treatment, you need your time and energy to readjust to the world and be fairly certain your problem won't recur. (Please note: here we are referring to long-term treatment and/or hospitalization.)
• If you are a student, you must be in good academic standing with your college at the time of application. Reachout training is very demanding, and students on academic probation cannot afford to take so much time away from their studies.
• If you do not live within walking distance of Reachout (in Potsdam), you must have access to reliable transportation.

Tools Used to Screen Applicants:

We use several tools to screen applicants, starting with the application, the interview, and your references. Acceptable references come from adults who know you well in a professional or academic context (examples: employer, co-worker, professor or teachers, pastor).

Please do not include very close friends, relatives, significant others, or current Reachout volunteers or staff, as references. We're looking for people whose main relationship to you is professional, not personal.

The Applicant Review Committee meets after the application deadline to review these three sources and decide whom to accept for Training Weekend. After Training Weekend, the Applicant Review Committee meets again to decide who is accepted for further Reachout training.

Schedule for the upcoming Reachout Training Class:

Now that you've read all the information, you can move on to the application form. Thanks for taking the time! If you'd prefer a paper application, please call us (265-2422), and we'll put one in the mail for you right away.

Thanks again!

Click here to fill out the application form