Become a Certified Listener
Do you want to give back to your community in a meaningful and enriching way? Here is your opportunity! Volunteers are a vital part of Certified Listeners Society; every year, our volunteers will contribute more than 150,000 hours to our 24-hour online emotional support chats, providing help and immediate access to people who need emotional support.
Under the supervision of professional staff, all volunteers are carefully screened before selection and fully trained before taking emotional support chats. Throughout their volunteering experience, volunteers receive ongoing professional support and in-service education sessions. Experienced volunteers gain many life and communication skills that translate into other aspects of their daily lives.
What would you be doing?
You will be an online chat responder providing emotional support on our online chat platform.
- Providing immediate and confidential support (chat, etc.) using agency procedures and policies
- Providing information and referrals when appropriate
- Understanding what to do if you are concerned about a person’s safety
- Work with callers/chatters, volunteers, and staff in a respectful and professional manner
- Letting callers know you’re listening and someone cares
- Letting the person know there is someone here to provide individual support
What would you not be doing?
- Certified Listeners are not therapists or hold themselves out to be
- Telling people what to do or how they should live their lives
- You are not providing crisis intervention
- You are not a providing addiction counselling
What qualities are we looking for?
- Keyboarding skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to build a relationship and convey empathy and emotion through an online platform
- Capacity to remain calm and effective in challenging situations
- Non-judgmental and accepting of diverse values and beliefs
- Reliability and punctuality
- Ability to work independently
- Good self-awareness and common sense
- Emotional resilience, stability and maturity
- Proficiency in the English language – both written and spoken
- Open to feedback and continuous development
- Access to a computer with reliable internet connectivity
- Access to a private space at home for the duration of your volunteering shift
- Adherence to Certified Listeners Society policies, procedures and online chat guidelines
- Ability to support Certified Listeners Society’s philosophy of empowering individuals
Our responsibility to you
We at the Certified Listeners Society provide training, protocols, policies, support, and supervision to help volunteers fulfill their roles at every stage of the way. You will never be alone. We supervise all chats and activities. We are beside you 24 hours a day seven days a week.
What we ask for you in return
Also, we ask you to work one 4-hour shift per week until you have provided 50 hours of volunteer time after successfully completing training. There is flexibility in scheduling, and you will be able to choose weekly shifts that best suit you from four designated times:
- 8am to 12pm
- 12pm to 4pm
- 4pm to 8pm
- 8pm to 12am
If you are not trained by a crisis and/or distress call centre, you can still become a certified listener volunteer. To find out how, please go HERE.
What will be expected of you
- You are at least 18 years old.
- 2 pieces of photo ID. ( Your OHIP is not acceptable as a Photo ID ).
- 2 volunteer, work, or school-related references. You can download the reference form HERE.
- 1 Non-Disclosure Agreement. You can download the agreement HERE
- 1 Police Record Check. You can find out more and download the Police Record Check Letter HERE.
- You have been trained by a recognized crisis and/or distress call centre.
- PLEASE NOTE: If you do not have this training, you can still become a certified listener volunteer. To find out how, please go HERE.
- Successful completion of all comprehensive Core Competencies training programs, quizzes and screening process.
- Reliability in fulfilling weekly shift commitments.
- Comply with Certified Listeners Society policies and procedures and our Code of Ethics.
- Maintain a confidential workplace as well as confidentiality about your work.
- Sign and comply with our Volunteer Non-Disclosure Agreement
- Participation in ongoing training and work-related development opportunities.
What is in it for you
- Receive training and insights into your own self that will stay with you for your lifetime. This training will change your life and the lives of the people around you. You will also develop and enhance your communication skills valuable in everyday personal and professional life.
- Helping people in need in your very own community is tremendously rewarding. Online emotional support is a unique opportunity to help others and help them when they need you.
Other benefits include
- Make tangible differences in others’ lives and feel connected to the community.
- Gain experience and confidence in supporting others
- Develop your communication and social skills and gain perspectives, or self-awareness
- Be a part of a supportive team
- Feeling good about yourself
- Training in emotional support
- Enhanced self-growth
- Staying informed on current social issues
- Volunteering experience in an organization where diversity is welcomed and encouraged
- Experience toward a career in social work, psychology, community outreach, etc.
- Upon finishing the Certified Listeners e-training course, you will obtain a Certificate of Completion in recognition of your new interpersonal skills.
- Confirmation of Volunteer Work upon fulfillment of your 50 Hours of volunteering commitment to our clients.
NOTE: As part of our commitment to volunteers, reference letters and confirmations of volunteering experience are provided upon request to individuals who have fulfilled the specified requirements previously stated. Certified Listeners Society can only attest to a volunteer’s skills, experience, and personal qualities. Reference letters and confirmation will state that Certified Listeners Society volunteers are engaged in emotional support, not any type of psychotherapy during the course of their volunteer work.
For your consideration
Due to the nature of the work and the various stressful situations that our clients will require support with, this position may not be a good fit for everyone, especially during this time. Timing is everything; if you are experiencing or have experienced, in the past, your own personal trauma or emotional difficulties, it is crucial to address potential triggers before considering this opportunity.
DIVERSITY: Certified Listeners Society embraces diversity and values the lived experience of those who may have been discriminated against based on race, creed, color, nationality, political or religious affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family relationship, or disability.
Learn more about our Application Process and FAQ
Review By
Tanvir Chakkal
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2,397
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4.6/5
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4.1/5
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Angela Castillo
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Alexandra MIreya Franco Granda
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2,397
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4.5/5
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4.1/5
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I believe that becoming a Certified Listener is a great opportunity to help others, however, during the training the videos are not updated and I struggle to understand it. You should change it in order to be the same as how it looks now. I am ready for this new commitment!
Review By
Emily Trotti
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2,397
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4.4/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Hyun Suk Kim
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2,397
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3.8/5
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4.1/5
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-pdf or powerpoint of the slides of each of the lessons may be helpful especially with the links -lesson 18 is outdated in terms where different things to click are located, a disclaimer would be helpful -mp3 version of the lessons so to be able to listen on the go could be helpful -maybe having some examples for interpreting emotions behind text messages may be helpful or some multiple choice questions that train the volunteer to gain more sensitivity with it. -how community profile is different in usage from tawk.to being more specified may have been better -some description of the likert scale below such as effectiveness, comprehension and engagement might be better
Review By
Kyla Guerriero
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2,397
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4.8/5
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4.1/5
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Erielle Ocampo
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2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Amazing. Training supervisor was very helpful. Videos and content were very intersting.
Review By
Zeel Ladhani
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2,397
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3.9/5
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4.1/5
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Sydney Thib
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2,397
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3.9/5
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Candace Ramlall
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2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Isabella Patat
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2,397
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3.3/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Paula Garcia
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2,397
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3.8/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Margaret Duckworth
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2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Sydney Cohen
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2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Karan Bhalla
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2,397
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4.8/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
hayley mainville
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2,397
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4.8/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Nathaniel Tang
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2,397
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4.8/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Daniel Mueller
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2,397
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4.8/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Madeleine Gordon
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2,397
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4.6/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Karen Godson
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2,397
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4.3/5
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4.1/5
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I entered Certified Listeners as a volunteer who was forced into early retirement for medical reasons. I know what a toll losing a job, and the resulting adjustments can take on a person’s Mental Health. I wanted to assist others who are in a similar position of uncertainty.
Review By
NIma Orang
Total Reviews
2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Avjeet Dhaliwal
Total Reviews
2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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It was an amazing training session. I really enjoyed it.
Review By
Kirstie Bois
Total Reviews
2,397
Effectiveness
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4.9/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Neelima Anil
Total Reviews
2,397
Effectiveness
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5/5
Review Score
4.1/5
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the training gave me more knowledge about the volunteer program that run by cls and what all are they doing to help the people who are in need of emotional support.
Review By
Jasmine Garland
Total Reviews
2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Priyajeet Kaur Kaleka
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2,397
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Janna Estrada
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2,397
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3.5/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Mark Dasios
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2,397
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4/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Claire Zhang
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2,397
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3.9/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
RADHIKA BAITARI
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2,397
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4.9/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Francheska Raymundo
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2,397
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3.9/5
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4.1/5
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Review By
Nataliya Bovey
Total Reviews
2,397
Effectiveness
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5/5
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4.1/5
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Summary … read summary
The training course is very well organized and informative.
Review By
Kevin Lau
Total Reviews
2,397
Effectiveness
Comprehension
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4.8/5
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4.1/5
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The practical training especially I found was very effective as it really gave me almost first hand experience in what this position holds. I feel like I know what to expect now to a much greater degree.
Review By
Cassie Chapman
Total Reviews
2,397
Effectiveness
Comprehension
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Engagements
4.6/5
Review Score
4.1/5
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I enjoyed this training and this will be useful for my student placement assignments. The stuff I learned will not only go towards helping people but also my education.
