Giving Back to the Community: Pro Bono Work Opportunities

By Michelle Jurk, Winter 2009

At times a tension can arise for clinicians between financially supporting oneself and adhering to the ideals and values that initially encouraged one to enter the mental health field. One of the many ways to address this tension is to provide pro bono services. I joined A Home Within, which is a non-profit organization founded in San Francisco. In exchange for providing weekly pro bono therapy for a foster care child for “as long as it takes,” I receive professional support, weekly group consultation, training, and CEUs. It also is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my clinical work. If you’re interested in this opportunity, visit A Home Within.

Other ways for clinicians to give back to their communities are to offer pro bono supervision and consultation services, teach in training programs, or provide free workshops. Here are a few of these options:

Natural Disaster Relief

• Red Cross www.redcross.org mental health professionals are trained and provide services to those affected by disaster as well as the local responders. You do not have to be licensed.
• Doctors Without Borders www.doctorswithoutborders.org are in particular need of those who speak other languages such as French.

Services for veterans and their families

• The Returning Veterans Project mail@returningveterans.org
• Deep Streams http://deepstreams.org.

Low-income families and individuals

• Volunteer Legal Services Program (415) 782-9000 x8759. This is part of the Bar Association of San Francisco. It provides legal and related social services to low-income San Francisco families and individuals.

Training centers in the Bay Area

• The Pacific Center www.pacificcenter.org. They provide services and serve to connect the LGBT community in Berkeley. The center uses pro bono supervisors and workshop presenters and in return they offer much support in helping clinicians develop their supervisory and teaching skills.

There are also a variety of opportunities for non-licensed community members such as local camps, schools, hospitals, and non-profit agencies in which one can gain valuable experience.

• San Francisco Suicide Prevention, www.sfsp.org, is the oldest volunteer crisis line in the country. They also provide grief groups for survivors of suicide.
• Look for other opportunities at www.volunteercentersbayarea.org.