Mental health volunteering is simply the voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and resources for community service often for a charity. It’s a great way to work with mental health charities and make a difference for those who are suffering from mental health problems or illness from low-income families to high-flying entrepreneurs, mental ill-health doesn’t discriminate.
Volunteering can be done either in-person or by telephone and text line, depending on the charity you volunteer at which could include supporting people through their mental health issues over the telephone or simply sitting alongside someone as they talk through what’s concerning them and how to make them feel better and hopefully solve their problems. Regardless of how much time you have available there will always be something that you can do to help support mental healthcare services across the UK.
It’s important to note that whilst you can certainly be qualified as a mental health practitioner to offer the type of mental health volunteering support required, you can also just be an ‘unqualified’ good person with or without experience who is a caring individual and would like to give someone hope and direct them to the relevant support services.