Hotline Training Scheduled
NORTH ADAMS - The Elizabeth Freeman Center has scheduled a series of trainings for volunteers interested in working on its hotline, in its office, or in its shelter. Because the issues faced by women in crisis are complex, the training totals 52 hours conducted on Wednesday evenings from 5-8 pm and Saturdays from 9 am–4 pm throughout the month of October. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month across the United States.The trainings will cover many topics including: active listening, confidentiality, care of the survivor in the medical setting, roles of the hotline volunteer, profile of a batterer, counseling significant others, male survivors, and survivors with disabilities to name a few.
It is only during the past 35 years that domestic violence has come out of the closet in this country and that we have developed services specifically for survivors. In Berkshire County, the Elizabeth Freeman Center is the agency dedicated to developing and providing services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, most, but not all of whom are women and their children. The services include: a 24-hour toll-free hotline, safe shelter, supervised visitation, counseling, support groups, advocacy, on-site legal aid appointments, educational programming, and pet foster care. All of these services are free and confidential and several rely heavily on volunteers.
“It isn’t easy being a battered woman trying to find safety and therefore it requires a serious commitment from those who want to volunteer to help them in the process,” says Elizabeth Freeman Center board member and MCLA professor Susan Birns. “Many people want to work in the shelter or staff hotline shifts, but don’t realize the wide scope of information they need in order to do it safely and effectively. Twelve years ago I was working on a thesis about battered women and teaching a college class on family violence, and I still went through the training before working as a volunteer in the shelter. And the training was not only necessary for my volunteer work, but proved very useful in other areas of life.”
People interested in being trained should call one of these three numbers from 9-5 on weekdays: in north county – 663-7459; in central county – 499-2425; and in south county – 243-3641.
