Walk-in Counselling FAQ
What are the roles and tasks for a volunteer of walk-in counselling (WIC) at The Support Network?
What personal qualities are needed for WIC volunteers?
How much experience do I need to have to volunteer as a WIC counsellor?
What training will I receive?
How are shifts scheduled and what is the time commitment for WIC?
What are some ways WIC provides different opportunities for a counsellor?
How much supervision is provided when working with clients?
Why the single session model?
Why Solution-Focused counselling?
What is the research evidence for Solution-Focused Brief Therapy?
How effective is walk-in counselling?
Do the volunteer counsellors only use Solution-Focused techniques?
The Support Network has a strong focus on Crisis Management; how is that incorporated in walk-in counselling?
Who are the funders of this program?
How long has walk-in counselling been operating?
As a volunteer, is it necessary to have professional practice liability insurance?
As a volunteer, can I receive formal supervision for the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) or the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) provisional requirements?
What does the team approach offer?
What's in it for me again?
What are the roles and tasks for a volunteer of walk-in counselling at The Support Network?
- Observing counselling sessions
- Consulting with WIC team members (professionals in a variety of disciplines)
- Providing a Single Session of counselling to individuals, couples, or families
- Providing brief documentation of sessions
- Completing risk assessments and creating safety plans
- Giving information (articles and handouts) and referrals
- Providing psychoeducation and suggestions for clients
- Attending professional development (in-services)
- Reflecting team opportunities
What personal qualities are needed for WIC volunteers?
- Punctuality and reliability as a WIC team member
- Interest in receiving supportive supervision and feedback
- Open, non-judgmental, empowering style with clients and team members
- Comfort working with a variety of clients and situations
- Flexibility: prepared for the unexpected
- Ability to learn: new resources, skills, personal growth
- Ability to work with a team of professionals
- Awareness of ethical guidelines within own profession
- Interest in working with a one-way mirror
How much experience do I need to have to volunteer as a WIC counsellor?
There are academic requirements for WIC but the knowledge that each volunteer brings does vary. Volunteer experience may include group work, interviewing skills, crisis line experience, and individual/family counselling.
The actual counselling training is mostly experiential (volunteers observe the sessions) and individually paced. We do require volunteers to complete formal training offered by The Support Network on the topics of suicide intervention and understanding and responding to family violence.
Each volunteer decides when s/he is ready to start working with clients and will be well supervised and supported by the WIC staff and co-volunteers.
Free monthly in-services provided by The Support Network provide information in a variety of topics such as, hope, loss, or diversity. Every month a different topic is covered so volunteers can learn about a variety of issues that may impact the clients they see. Each in-service also adds a component of self-care, since many volunteers are interested in new ideas.
How are shifts scheduled and what is the time commitment for WIC?
Shifts are usually four hours. Most volunteers schedule two shifts a month so they can meet a variety of team members and clients.
Volunteers can choose whether they work morning, afternoon, or evening shifts. WIC asks for a commitment of eight hours per month for 12 months (96 hours). There is flexibility for volunteers who want to discuss different options.
What are some ways WIC provides different opportunities for a counsellor?
Working with clients at the WIC offers different opportunities to counsellors by exposing them to numerous different client needs.
Clients that attend WIC present with a variety of circumstances (family violence issues, addictions, self-esteem issues, suicidal ideation, poverty, and mental health concerns) and ask for many different types of assistance (making changes, dealing with loss, or creating a support system).
How much supervision is provided when working with clients?
Each WIC shift has a designated team coordinator responsible for addressing any concerns by volunteers. Team Coordinators are experienced WIC counsellors who follow established WIC policies and procedures so that volunteers and clients are provided with a safe and ethical counselling environment.
With our no-fee counselling, clients do not book appointments and are seen on a "first-come, first-served" basis. The goal is to assist the client in a way that addresses what is happening for them now.
Our sessions are not meant to be on-going counselling. Each session stands alone.
There may be specific situations in which clients return for subsequent sessions, but this is not the intent of the service. Some clients will ask to return, but are always reminded that they may not work with the same counsellor or team the next time.
The benefit of this model is that clients are provided with a complete session that includes personal strengths, intervention strategies, and feedback so they can begin to make immediate changes in their lives. Because our clients walk-in when they are ready for counselling, they often only want and need one session to begin to address their concerns.
Why Solution-Focused counselling?
Instead of only focusing on the clients’ problems, our counsellors also focus on their resources and ideas for solutions. This shift in thinking allows clients to focus on the strengths and solutions that they believe may assist them.
Solution-Focused techniques also promote hope, motivation, and a belief that all situations and environments contain resources to draw from. Ultimately the client, counselor, and team members will strategize for strengths and suggestions that the client can use to address his or her concerns.
What is the research evidence for Solution-Focused Brief Therapy?
There are now over 32 published research studies in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy that have suggested successful outcomes in 65-83% of cases. Follow-up studies have asked the clients their opinions, and their responses have seemed quite positive about the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy services they received.
Furthermore, clients from our WIC program tell us they appreciate the solution-oriented style of our counselling service.
How effective is walk-in counselling?
Clients evaluate their session before they leave and the results suggest that they are satisfied with the immediacy, team suggestions, and fee scale of this program.
We assess the quality of the walk-in counselling program through phone evaluations of clients who consent to being contacted. 90+% report they would refer others to counselling at walk-in counselling as a result of their experience, and that they are better able to cope as a result of their session.
Do the volunteer counsellors only use Solution-Focused techniques?
Although the emphasis in counselling is Solution-Focused, some counselors are eclectic in their theoretical orientation and incorporate other strategies. For example, a client may benefit from Cognitive-Behavioral techniques or using Narrative therapy (externalizing).
Walk-in counselling wants to respond to the needs of the client, and so a responsive clinical style is often used. This allows for a diverse learning environment for the volunteers.
What is consistent is that clients are always presented with personal strengths at the end of their sessions.
While the emphasis of walk-in counselling is on using Solution-Focused Therapy to address the concerns of clients, it is done in a way that incorporates crisis counselling techniques to directly acknowledge and assess risks as they present.
The Support Network offers considerable training opportunities in developing crisis management skills. The team approach is also instrumental in recognizing and responding to clues.
Who are the funders of this program?
Current supporters include: FCSS (Family & Community Support Services, City of Edmonton), the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region.
How long has WIC been operating?
The Support Network celebrated its tenth year in 2003, but its origins date back to 1960. In 1997, after a feasibility study was completed, The Support Network received funding for walk-in counselling. The program began operations on October 28, 1997 to provide the no-fee counselling services.
As a volunteer, is it necessary to have professional practice liability insurance?
The Support Network carries liability insurance coverage for its volunteers. An individual volunteer is covered under this policy while acting under the direction of The Support Network and the activity falls within the scope of their duties to The Support Network.
The Support Network has assisted many provisional psychologists and provisional registered social workers to meet the necessary requirements from their professional college. If you meet the criteria for becoming a WIC volunteer, your requirements will be addressed on an individual, case-by-case basis.
What does the team approach offer?
Working with a variety of professionals from social work, psychology, and other disciplines can lead to new ideas about working with clients. Often, the volunteers have attended different educational institutions that promote the sharing of counselling theory and practice.
- Counselling experience
- Crisis management experience
- Working with a diverse range of clients and situations
- Making professional connections
- Viewing different counselling styles
- Getting supportive feedback on your counselling
- Working as a team member
- Gaining knowledge on a variety of community resources and referrals
- Recognition for becoming a volunteer
- Knowing you are contributing to your community!
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