Peer Support Volunteers
Our services are provided primarily by trained volunteers who have experience in healing from their own personal loss. With the aid of professional staff and ongoing training, Kara's peer support volunteers provide crucial service to those grieving in our community. Please consider joining the team of over 200 volunteers who serve Kara’s mission annually.
Peer Support Model of Service
At the core of Kara’s identity is the belief that during times of grief even the most emotionally healthy people need the empathetic support of others who have similar experiences. Guided by empathy, our volunteers and staff uphold a passion for serving as a very personal healing force in the community. Key to the success of Kara’s mission is our peer support model (adopted from the Shanti Model), which advocates listening, speaking, and acting from the heart in service to others. Our peer support model is a philosophy and a set of tools that our trained volunteers use to support and serve those who are grieving.
I benefit immensely. To accompany a person, as they move through their grief process, is profound – giving us the experience of what is involved in truly being human.
Volunteer Training Program
All of our peer support volunteers complete a 21-hour training program which prepares them to support and accompany others along the grief process. Continued requisite training is provided throughout the year in small and large group formats. All candidates must attend an initial information session and submit an application to be considered for enrollment. Our annual training class is typically held in early March and information sessions are conducted in January. Information is published in late-autumn.
New! Spring 2023 Volunteer Training Information - Click Here to Learn More
For Spanish Speakers, click here to learn about how you can serve the grieving in our community through our Spanish Services Program.