Watch our video to find out from our volunteers why they give their time to support people who feel life is no longer worth living.
Why become a TLP volunteer?
Please be aware that we can only accept applications from people who can offer regular face-to-face appointments at one of our London sites.
Training and support
We require our volunteers to be resilient, but we take volunteer wellbeing seriously and offer top-quality support to those delivering our service.
Our training programme is very thorough, ensuring that both Listening and Helping Volunteers feel fully equipped for their roles when embarking on their first shift. Every shift is led by a Supervising Volunteer.
Our advisory team of mental health professionals offer a programme of supervisions and ongoing training to ensure that volunteers don’t feel alone in delivering support.
We also offer volunteer impact supervisions for any volunteers who are feeling distressed. This allows us to support our team while adhering to our strict confidentiality policy of keeping everything that visitors have told us within TLP.
Rewarding and enriching
A shift at TLP is made up of people of different ages, backgrounds and experiences, all united by their desire to help others. Volunteers support each other and share the challenges and rewards of working with people through suicidal crises.
The feedback we receive from our visitors is overwhelmingly positive. People generally feel more supported and less suicidal after their sessions with TLP, and many of them find the sustained relationship they form with their volunteer enormously valuable. Volunteers in turn come away with a real sense of having made a difference.
Joining TLP has been one of the best things I have ever done. Whilst it can be serious and difficult it is also amazingly rewarding, friendly and heart-warming. And the training is intensive but brilliant”. – A Listening Volunteer
“It means the world to me, knowing that this level of care exists and that I am a part of it. Seeing and being a part of a force for good, and making friends, has given me something worthwhile to do and reignited my faith in humanity.” – A Helping Volunteer
“It really feels like a privilege when visitors open up to you, sometimes sharing things they’ve never told anyone else. The sense of human connection on a shift can be extraordinary.” – A Listening Volunteer
“I pride myself on trying to deliver the most unpressurised, warm welcome anyone can give and show the level of care and attention a visitor will receive while with us.” – A Helping Volunteer
Ready to apply?
Please complete our volunteer application form.
