You do not need to have prior counseling experience or any particular licenses or degrees. Thorough preparation is provided during the training. Our volunteer community includes people from all walks of life and personal backgrounds, who share a deep commitment to supporting survivors and working to end sexual violence. We welcome people of all genders in the volunteer training. All participants must be 21 years old before the first day of training. We welcome survivors of sexual violence in our volunteer program and ask that applicants are in a place to take care of themselves while they support others. If you have been or are currently  receiving services at BRAVE Bay Area, or are the survivor of sexual violence you may apply for our Sexual Assault Counselor training once you have been discharged from our programs for at least 12 months.

The training occurs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 pm-9 pm via Zoom, and 10-4  on Saturdays in or near our San Leandro office. Training covers a wide variety of topics, including myths and realities of sexual violence, oppression, trauma and trauma response, counseling skills, advocacy, intersections of gender/race/class/orientation/ability/documentation, hospital accompaniment procedures, and role-plays. Graduates of the BRAVE Bay Area training receive a Certificate of Completion for the California Sexual Assault Counselor Training.

Training program graduates with qualities and skills that align with BRAVE Bay Area’s mission, vision, and values will be invited to participate after passing their final exam. Earning your training certificate is not a guarantee of a volunteer position and many working professionals and community partners take the training for professional development. 

We require a commitment of four 4-hour shifts a month,  including one weekend shift a month, for 9 months for all volunteer counselors. Your commitment begins the first day of the month after your volunteer training is completed. Our 24/7 services allow for the flexibility to sign up for shifts that fit into your schedule.

We require that anyone who would like to become a volunteer hotline counselor take our 66 hour volunteer training. Our admin and outreach volunteers are not required to complete the SAC training but they may find it beneficial. BRAVE Bay Area runs multiple advocate and volunteer trainings throughout the year, with a mixture being run in Spanish and English.