Free, Confidential, 24/7 Sexual Violence Support Services 908-233-7273
Volunteer With Us
Help ensure every survivor is met with understanding, dignity, and care
Becoming a volunteer sexual violence advocate is one of the most direct ways to help someone in Union County right now. You don’t need a counseling degree. You don’t need a background in this work. We train you.
What we’re looking for is someone who can stay steady with a person on a very hard day, listen without rushing to fix it, and show up when they said they would.
Karolina’s Place is the designated sexual violence services program for Union County, and our advocates are a real part of how survivors here get help.
What a volunteer sexual violence advocate actually does
People tend to picture this work as dramatic. Most of it isn’t. It’s answering a hotline call at 2am and staying on the line. It’s sitting in an emergency room hallway so somebody isn’t alone in it. It’s explaining what happens next when nobody has explained anything yet.
Some volunteers take hotline shifts. Some do hospital and court accompaniment. Some help at prevention events, tabling, and outreach, or take on administrative work that frees our staff to sit with survivors. Not everyone wants to be on the hotline, and that is completely fine. Tell us what you can give and we will find the right fit.
Who we especially need right now
Spanish-speaking volunteers. A survivor should not have to find their own interpreter. If you are bilingual, you are badly needed here.
People with daytime availability. Evenings and weekends fill up first. Weekday coverage is where we are thinnest.
People who have never done this before. Some of our steadiest advocates walked in with no background in this field at all.
What we ask of you
You need to be 18 or older, and a background check is part of the process. Beyond that, we do not hold volunteers to a fixed number of hours. Tell us what your life actually allows and we will build around it. People burn out when they overpromise, and a volunteer who quietly disappears is harder on survivors than one who was honest about having four hours a month.
Volunteering in Union County, NJ
We are based in Berkeley Heights and serve all of Union County, New Jersey. Hospital and court accompaniment happens across the county, so our volunteers come from Elizabeth, Plainfield, Westfield, Linden, Rahway, Summit, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Union, New Providence, and everywhere in between. If you live or work in Union County, there is a place for you here.
Free 40-hour CSVA training, no experience required
New Jersey requires anyone offering confidential support to survivors to complete the 40-hour Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate (CSVA) training. We provide it at no cost to you. When you finish, you are a certified CSVA, and that certification stays with you. It carries real weight if you are heading toward social work, counseling, nursing, criminal justice, or public health.
A volunteer sexual violence advocate works alongside our staff across our sexual violence support services, from the 24/7 hotline to hospital accompaniment and community prevention work.
Questions people ask before they apply
Do I need a degree or prior experience? No. The training is built for people starting from zero.
What does the training cost? Nothing. Forty hours of your time, and that is it.
Do I have to take hotline calls? No. There is outreach, prevention education, event support, and administrative work as well.
I am a student. Should I apply here or for an internship? If you want academic credit or a supervised placement, look at our internships. If you want to train and serve as a volunteer sexual violence advocate, apply here.
What are the other ways to help? Donating, interning, and partnering with us are all on our Get Involved page.
How do I start? Use the Apply to Volunteer button on this page, or call us at 908-233-7273 if you have questions first.
Compassion grows when we share it.
Why Volunteers Matter
Volunteers are the heart of our work. With training and support, you help ensure every survivor who reaches out is met with understanding, dignity, and care.
Provide emotional support to survivors
Help with resource navigation and referrals
Offer accompaniment when appropriate
Support community education and prevention
Strengthen awareness and advocacy
Through their presence and care, volunteers help ensure that survivors feel heard, believed, and supported.
Training and Preparation
All volunteers receive training to support survivors in a thoughtful, trauma-informed way.
Training includes:
Trauma-informed care
Confidentiality and ethical advocacy
Active listening skills
Survivor-centered support
Cultural humility and sensitivity
No prior experience is required. We welcome anyone who brings compassion, reliability, and respect for each survivor’s journey.
A Meaningful Way to Serve
Volunteering with Peace of Mind Foundation means becoming part of a mission-driven community that:
Believes and validates survivors
Promotes safety, empowerment, and choice
Connects people with counseling and wellness
Works to reduce stigma and prevent violence
This work requires sensitivity and professionalism, but it is also deeply meaningful. Many volunteers share that the experience deepens their understanding of resilience and reinforces the importance of compassionate community support.
Join Us
If you are passionate about creating a safer and more supportive community in Berkeley Heights and across Union County, we invite you to join us.
Before you apply, it may help to read what the training and time commitment actually involve, and why I still answer the hotline.