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Volunteer Work

What type of volunteer work can be done for mental health or to put on a resume?

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Raquel’s Answer

Mental health is very personal and has a lot of patient protections in place. This can make it very difficult to get experience helping in the mental health field for non-professionals. Even nursing and medical students are very limited on interactions with mental health patients because they don't have licenses. So you probably can't find volunteering directly with mental health. But there are volunteer opportunities that could put you around mental health, as mentioned above, assisted living facilities are an option, as are organizations that work with homeless populations, or organizations that work with kids such as Boys and Girls Club.
Thank you comment icon Hi Raquel: Your comments are very insightful. I agree that there are a lot of patient protections in place, which can make it difficult to get experience helping in the mental health field for non-professionals. Thanks for sharing. Sheila Jordan
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Nina’s Answer

You will find that nonprofit mental health agencies do use volunteers for all types of activities. A good place to start is on their website. Most will have a volunteer option and you can understand what is required to volunteer with that specific organization. There maybe training and age requirements. You will also find that medical organizations that are for profit require more training .
I'd research the type of mental health facilities that sound most interesting and research their volunteer opportunities. This will also greatly help you determine if this is a field that interests you as a career. Best of luck!

Nina recommends the following next steps:

Research nonprofit mental health agencies in your area to understand what may be required to volunteer.
Contact the government agency (typically county) and find out if they use volunteers.
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Sampath’s Answer

Also try to look for volunteer opportunities in nearby "Assisted Living Centers" .. It is a great opportunity to serve elderly people to take care of their day to day needs..
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Pratibha’s Answer

Hi Kennedy! You can look at volunteer opportunities within your local community or by reaching out to different mental health professionals on LinkedIn. If you're a university student, there'll be plenty of opportunities in different student clubs. CAMH and SickKids in Toronto do offer some part-time jobs in that field. Good luck!
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