Donate to Lifeline

Donate to your local Lifeline Centre

Your local Lifeline Centre is staffed by local volunteers. By donating to your local Lifeline Centre, or by volunteering to be trained either as a counsellor or in a support role, you are directly helping your community.

You can donate by phoning 02 9891 6212 or send to:

Lifeline Western Sydney
Locked Bag 5360
Parramatta
2124 NSW

Lifeline Services

Telephone Counselling Service

Lifeline Western Sydney provides a 24 hour 7 day telephone counselling, support and referral service to people in crisis at the actual time of their need. People in need can phone 13 11 14 and connect to a telephone counsellor who can listen non-judgementally and provide appropriate referrals.

For further information about becoming a volunteer telephone counsellor, call 02 9689 2860.

Financial Counselling Service

Lifeline Western Sydney Financial Counselling Service assists clients who are experiencing difficulties through debts incurred. This can include financial literacy, budgeting assistance and negotiations with debtors. Services are provided from our Parramatta centre, with outreach services provided at Castle Hill, Rouse Hill, Penrith, Mt Druitt and Fairfield.

 For further information or to make an appointment please call 9891 6212.

Problem Gambling Service

Lifeline Western Sydney Problem Gambling Counselling Service provides help for anyone affected by problem gambling, including the partners and families of gamblers. It is a free and confidential service funded by the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund. Interpreters can be arranged for other languages if needed. Business hours and after hours appointments are available. Services are provided from our Parramatta centre, with outreach counselling services also available at Castle Hill and Fairfield.

 For further information or to make an appointment please call 9891 6212.

Face to Face Counselling

The general counselling service is available to anyone over the age of sixteen who has a need for face to face planned counselling. People may seek assistance with relationship issues, anxiety and depression, and many other issues. Clients can be individuals with or without a disagnosed mental illness, or families or couples who are experiencing difficulties. The service operates with a sliding scale of payment, making it afordable to all.

 A free general counselling service is also available to women experiencing per natal depression. A referral from your GP is required for this service.

A free general counselling service is also available for carers. A referral from Carers NSW is required for this service.

For further information or to make an apointment please call 9891 6212.

Training

As well as the volunteer telephone counselor training courses, Lifeline Western Sydney also provides customised courses in Certificate IV in Telephone Counselling, Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training, Suicide Prevention , the Accidental Counsellor and many others. Many community and government agencies now provide telephone support services, and out training programs are ideal for staff development and training. Courses can be tailor made for the particular needs of the organization. Contact the Lifeline Western Sydney training team on 02 9689 2860 for further information.

Recruitment

Life as a Telephone Counsellor

LIFELINE WESTERN SYDNEY AGREES TO PROVIDE THE TRAINEE TELEPHONE COUNSELLOR:

1. A comprehensive basic training course in telephone counselling based on recognised competencies for telephone counselling.
2. Training notes to cover all aspects of the training provided.
3. Regular feedback on their progress throughout the basic telephone training course.
4. An assessment process as outlined in this Course Guide
5. A certificate of completion at the end of the basic training course.
6. Opportunity to observe and participate in live telephone calls before the completion of the basic training course.
7. Ongoing in-service training program after the Basic Training Course to meet the requirements of accreditation.
8. Access to supervision through the Lifeline Western Sydney supervision process as well the rostered Supervisor on Call.
9. Access to debriefing by a Lifeline Western Sydney staff member or the rostered supervisor on call.
10. Training and telephone counselling experience to meet the requirements of the Certificate IV in Telephone Counselling should the trainee decide to enroll in the certificate course.

WHAT LIFELINE WESTERN SYDNEY EXPECTS OF YOU:

As a Trainee Telephone counsellor you are expected:

1. To pay the training course fee according to the agreed upon payment plan.
2. To attend and participate in the sessions, in particular the compulsory sessions of the basic training course.
3. To complete all written assignments set as part of the basic training course.
4. To complete all assessment tasks as outlined in the Course Guide
5. To meet the requirements of the 4 week Telephone Room Induction.
6. To have an understanding of the role, duties, responsibilities and entitlements of volunteer in Lifeline Western Sydney
7. To comply with all Lifeline Western Sydney’s policies and procedures while on Lifeline Western Sydney premises.
8. To comply with the confidentiality policy of Lifeline Western Sydney.
9. To comply with all Occupational Health and Safety requirements of Lifeline Western Sydney.
10. To at all times comply with the NSW Child Protection legislation and undergo a Criminal Record check

Lifeline Western Sydney Telecounsellor Training next course is on Monday 18th July 2011.

Student Information Booklet

Application Form

For all course and training enquiries, contact Lifeline Western Sydney on 02 9689 2860, or contact training@ucmh.org.au

How Can I Help?

Links

Lifeline's services related websites

Resources for individuals, professionals, families and communities.

Lifeline International
Lifeline provides a mantle of compassion, linking people with people and country with country.

Lifeline Service Finder
A comprehensive database of low cost or free health and community services offered throughout Australia.

Living Works / Suicide Prevention
A suicide prevention scheme, auspiced by Lifeline Australia.

Other Useful Websites

Attention Deficit Disorder, Parenting South Australia
Helping parents be their best.

Auseinet
Australian network for promotion, prevention and early intervention for mental health.

Beyond Blue
An Australia site with information on depression.

BluePages Information on Depression
Information about depression for consumers, produced by the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University, CSIRO Mathematical & Information Sciences with the assistance of an advisory board.

Carers Australia
Supporting information for carers including parents, families, teachers, friends, and professional carers of people with disacility and mental illness.

Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression
A group of researchers and clinicians concerned with anxiety and depression. The website provides self help information and facts about mental illness such as depression, panic attacks and anxiety.

Headroom
Formerly known as Partnership with Young People Project (PYPP), a South Australian mental health promotion project managed by the Division of Mental Health, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide. This website aims to inform young people, their caregivers and service providers about positive mental health.

Health Insite
A portal to mental health issues.

Kids Helpline
A national telephone counselling service for young people aged between 5-18 years. Free call - 1800 55 1800.

LivingWorks Education, Inc (Canada)

MoodGYM
Training programs about cognitive behaviour therapy for preventing depression.

Multicultural Mental Health Australia
Multicultural Mental Health Australia provides national leadership in mental health and suicide prevention for Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and works to promotr better mental health and well-being for a diverse community.

Reach Out!
An initiative of the Inspire Foundation for young people to help themselves and get involved in their community through difficult times

SANE Australia
A national charity helping people affected by mental illness. SANE Australia Helpline Free call - 1800 18 SANE (7263).

The Australian Governmment Department of Health and Aging

The Mental Health Council of Australia
An independent, non-government sector peak body established under the National Mental Health Strategy to represent and promote the interests of the mental health sector and advise on mental health in Australia.

The World Federal of Mental Health
Founded in 1948 to advance, among all people and nationa, the prevention of mental and emotional disorders, the proper treatment and care of thos with such disorders, and the promotion of mental health.

About Lifeline Western Sydney NSW

Lifeline Western Sydney is an activity of the Parramatta Mission and began as a 24 hour service on August 3rd, 1974, with Dr. Gloster Udy training volunteers in “Ellengowen”, a Georgian house which was the premises of the original Tara school in Parramatta.

Lifeline Western Sydney is funded largely by the Parramatta Mission, operating a 24hour 7 day a week crisis counselling service which covers the local government areas of: Holroyd, Parramatta, Blacktown, Hills, Auburn, Penrith, Fairfield and Blue Mountains. This services a population of between 650,000 to 750,000 people.

Other services provided by the centre include:

• Financial counselling
• Problem gambling counselling
• General face to face counselling  
• Tailored education and training programs for indivdiuals and organisations
• “Living Works” Suicide prevention training

Lifeline Western Sydney has approximately 120 trained volunteer telephone counsellors, answering over 30,000 crisis calls per annum, from people of all ages presenting with a variety of issues including: relationship difficulties, mental illness, suicidality, domestic violence, addictive behaviour, sexual abuse and loneliness, social isolation and disabilities.

Lifeline telephone counsellors provide a service for people at the very moment of crisis, offering counselling and support as well as additional resource information.

To train as a volunteer telephone counseller, please see the information under recruitment, or call 02 9689 2860.

Volunteer with us

Friends of Lifeline Western Sydney

Over the years, members of the community have donated thousands of dollars to support the ongoing work of Lifeline Western Sydney. The Friends of Lifeline Western Sydney are a committed group of volunteers who raise much needed donations for the centre. The community of Western Sydney benefits from their generous support, through access to telephone counselling, individual , gambling and financial counselling. You too can become a friend, and help us to continue to support the community through difficult times.

To register as a friend, call 02 9891 6212 during business hours.