New volunteer training is the entry point for all those interested in volunteering at White Bird and is a prerequisite for other training courses offered by the Clinic. Our 8-week course designed to orient participants to White Bird Services, to services available in Lane County, and to the basic skills necessary to be a volunteer at the Bird.

Participants will be trained as Front Desk Receptionist, where they will learn to operate a multi-line business phone, make appointments for White Bird services, provide information and referrals to the public, and triage other calls and walk-ins as needed (including crisis situations).

The training includes: general history of White Bird, presentations from each of the programs that make up the Clinic, a communication workshop, how to access other community resources, developing skills that are helpful for human services providers, and integration into this collective. In addition to the classes, participants will do 3-½ hours/week on-the-job training with a trained receptionist (a total of 6-7 hours/week). Learn more…

White Bird’s Basic Crisis class offers volunteers the opportunity to explore issues of mental and emotional health by responding to residents of Lane County through the 24-hour crisis hotline. In addition to making a valuable contribution to our community, volunteers can gain professional experience through direct service practice, clinical supervision, and ongoing mentorship.

The initial Crisis course runs for approximately ten weeks and is offered during each Spring and Fall. Building on the experience of the New Volunteer Training, it pairs a weekly three-hour educational component with six hours of service practice.

Topics include:

• persistent mental illness,
• substance abuse,
• ethical dilemmas,
• crisis intervention strategies, and
• humanistic counseling theory.