Psychological Counselor - Volunteer at krisenchat Ukrainian (d/m/f)

krisenchat Ukrainian

Online psychosocial crisis support in Ukrainian and Russian

krisenchat Ukrainian provides free and confidential psychosocial counseling for individuals affected by war, displacement, migration, and other challenging life events that impact their emotional stability and mental health.

We support children, adolescents and adults who are experiencing acute emotional distress or psychological overwhelm and are seeking professional, compassionate, and structured support.

We offer short-term, crisis-focused counseling via chat in Ukrainian or Russian. Our trained counselors provide empathetic and solution-oriented conversations, helping individuals stabilize in difficult moments and identify possible next steps.

We work with clear protocols for high-risk situations, including suicidality and child protection. Counselors have access to practical tools for anxiety management, panic regulation, and stress stabilization through our online resource toolbox.

We maintain a growing network of referral resources to ensure further professional support when needed.

Our team communicates via Slack and is supported by experienced professionals who provide onboarding, supervision, intervision, and continuous training.

We are an engaged and appreciative community committed to high-quality crisis support and ongoing professional development.

krisenchat was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic and builds on experience from over 200,000 chat consultations.

Tasks

Your role will be to provide psychosocial crisis counseling and emotional support via online chat. Common topics include war-related distress, anxiety, loneliness, depressive symptoms, family conflicts, and work-related stress.

Each shift lasts 2 hours and can be scheduled at a time that suits you. As we operate 24/7, volunteers have a high degree of flexibility in organizing their shifts.

We ask volunteers to take at least two shifts per month.

You will receive detailed guidance during our onboarding process.

Throughout your work, you will never be left alone. A professional team is available for support during shifts, and you can exchange ideas with colleagues at any time.

Requirements

• Completed bachelor's degree in psychology or bachelor's student with additional qualification or intensive consulting experience (no mandatory internships)
• Psychotherapists in training or completed in the procedures recognized by the psychotherapy guidelines
• All counselors need a PC for the consultation. Our consulting work is exclusively digital and with the help of other digital tools. Basic computer skills are required. Advice from a mobile device (e.g. tablet or cell phone) is generally not possible.
• Knowledge of the Ukrainian and Russian language (in written form) at C2 level, English (understanding) at B1 level are also required for inner communication.
• Personal contact is crucial for us - we first get to know all interested parties personally in a video call.

Benefits

Volunteering with krisenchat Ukrainian offers meaningful professional development within a structured and supportive environment.

As a volunteer, you receive:

• Hands-on experience in digital crisis counseling and short-term intervention, working with a diverse range of psychological and crisis-related topics.
• Free group supervision, peer exchange, structured onboarding, access to e-learning, and workshops led by experts (some with certificates of participation).
• Formal documentation of your volunteering, which can support further education, employment applications, or other professional pathways.

You also become part of a committed and reflective professional community focused on quality and continuous development.

krisenchat hilft Kindern und Jugendlichen rund-um-die-Uhr mit professionellen Krisenberater:innen in persönlichen Krisen. Einfach. Schnell. Vertraulich. Du findest hier Ausschreibungen für unser Ehrenamt. Für Jobs & Praktika findest du alle Informationen auf unserer Website!