The Blackburn Center in Greensburg is offering training for those interested in volunteering for the organization’s hotline that receives calls from victims of domestic and sexual violence.

The 12-week training session, which begins March 8, teaches prospective volunteers skills needed to answer calls on the 24/7 hotline while also teaching them how to conduct crisis counseling, according to Kristin Malone-Bodai, education/outreach program manager for Blackburn Center.

At the end, trainees will be crisis intervention counselors, offering options, information and referrals to victims. Those who complete the course also will be mandated reporters, meaning they are required to report when abuse has occurred.

“A crisis intervention counselor listens and then gives options to whoever, whatever the scenario might be,” said Malone-Bodai.

The course discusses topics including historical overviews, attitudes and values, anti-oppression, dynamics of domestic violence and legal issues.

It also covers services offered by the Blackburn Center that could be offered to callers depending on their situation, including counseling and therapy, shelter, legal and medical accompaniment and a civil legal program where victims of intimate partner violence, sexual assault and other crimes are provided with legal support.

Those interested in completing the course, which will be held via Zoom from 5 to 8 p.m. two days a week, must submit an online application at blackburncenter.org/volunteer or call 724-837-9540 for more information.

Once an application is submitted, the prospective volunteer will interview with Malone-Bodai, when she discusses some things they may foresee in terms of interactions to ensure the volunteer is fully interested in participating.

“The hotline is 24 hours a day, so we do depend on our volunteers to help us talk to people who may need our services or just maybe somebody who wants to talk and may be having a bad day and may be a victim or survivor of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault or other crimes,” Malone-Bodai said.

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