Rachel Saffer (she/her/hers) earned her Masters of Social Work from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Starting as an office volunteer at Austin Grief, Rachel quickly grew to be an integral part of our team.
Rachel has experience in providing counseling to adults, teenagers and children who have experienced significant trauma in both group and individual settings. Rachel utilizes various interventions in her practice including therapeutic yoga, EMDR, and traditional play therapy. She believes in providing every client with a welcoming and safe environment so that they can work towards healing on their own terms.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteers are essential to the mission of The Austin Center for Grief & Loss, which is to assist adults and children as they move from loss to life. If you feel called to help others on their journey of hope, healing and transformation, we have a variety of rewarding opportunities to match your unique skills and talents. We are currently looking for school group facilitators for the Fall '24 and Spring '25 school year as well as adult support group facilitators.
SUPPORT GROUP FACILITATORS
Volunteer-facilitated support groups are ongoing and meet twice a month. Each group is facilitated by two trained volunteers and supervised by a licensed clinician. There is a pre-group meeting and post-group debriefing with the licensed clinician. Groups run for 75 minutes. We ask our facilitators to make a one-year commitment to their group.
Before becoming a group facilitator, volunteers participate in clinician–led facilitator training, which is typically offered twice a year based on need and interest. This training prepares our volunteers to support and accompany others on their grief journey. No experience is necessary, nor do you need a professional background in counseling or therapy. We encourage all community members over the age of 18 to apply.
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SUPPORT GROUP FACILITATOR TRAINING
SCHOOL GRIEF GROUP VOLUNTEERS
ACGL, in partnership with Communities in the Schools (CIS), offers in school grief support groups for children during the school year. The groups of 4-8 children meet 6 times per semester. Volunteers commit to facilitating at least 2 groups. All supplies are provided and social workers, counselors, teachers, principals, and educators from the school are available for support. All volunteers are trained by ACGL. Background checks are required and are submitted by ACGL and the school districts. Contact info@austingrief.org for more info.
OFFICE VOLUNTEERS
We are always grateful for your time and presence in the office to help with light administrative or clerical tasks. We also have creative opportunities with social media and marketing. The typical time commitment is 2-4 hours per week, at your convenience, during business hours.
ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
We have numerous other ways you can support hope, healing, and transformation. These include event coordination, fundraising, and other special projects. We have a current need for volunteers to help set up our support group nights by arranging chairs, putting out snacks, and to greet support group members. There are also opportunities to engage as a Board of Directors and board community committees.
If any of these opportunities appeal to you, please complete a volunteer application so that we can follow up and schedule a brief interview. If you are interested in becoming a support group facilitator or have any questions, please contact our Clinical Director, Nanci Boice, at nboice@austingrief.org.