Volunteering

Interested in volunteering with FASS?

Every year FASS recruits volunteer alcohol practitioners. There are opportunities available for you if you are:

• beginning to develop your counselling skills
• academically trained and seeking vocational experience
• an experienced practitioner wishing to add psycho-social alcohol counselling to your skill mix

Applicants are asked to undertake alcohol counselling training provided in partnership with Alcohol Focus Scotland. Course work involves study of addictions and effective interventions, and their application in vocational practice. Training is free though subject to a selection process, and as places are limited, you must be able to give assurance of your commitment.

If you wish to volunteer, you will need to set aside one evening per week to counsel clients in either Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Dunfermline or St Andrews. Initial training also involves some weekend work.

All FASS practitioners have regular support & supervision. Volunteers are allocated a supervisor who provides a minimum of one and a half hours supervision each month. 

Practitioners are expected to attain accreditation with a recognised standards body such as:

• Alcohol Focus Scotland
• British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP)
• Confederation of Scottish Counselling Agencies (COSCA)
• British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

For further information

Telephone 01592 206200 or email enquires@fife-alcohol-support.org.uk

Volunteering Rewards

Claire planned ahead for retirement by training as a counsellor for FASS, while holding down a busy full-time job.

"The training days involved much interactive work, which made both intellectual and emotional demands." says Claire.  "I had to examine many of my values and reflect on life experiences, working closely with my fellows.  It is not surprising that we learned so much about ourselves and each other in this supportive setting."  With regular support and supervision sessions from her Supervisor at FASS, also a practicing alcohol counsellor, Claire gradually built up her experience.  Over two years, she completed the written requirements for her Portfolio.

Once she had amassed the 110 hours of counselling practice also required, she was ready to submit her Portfolio to Alcohol Focus Scotland and apply for accreditation which she achieved.

Claire says, "Volunteering has given me a route to fulfilling needs of my own: engaging in purposeful work, while learning new skills."