Foundation Carelink
Stiftung Carelink
© Carelink
Care gives depth and meaning.
Carelink can call upon as many as 350 specialist helpers if need be: emergency psychologists, caregivers, team leaders, logistics officers and
call centre staff. They’ve all been specifically trained for their duties and tasks. Every care deployment is rewarding – to the recipients and the helpers alike. Interested? If we feel you’re suited to the job, we’ll be happy to train you!
As a caregiver, you’re there for those who need you
In your role as a caregiver, you’ll be helping people who have been affected – directly or indirectly – by an extraordinary incident or event.
To help you do so, you’ll be specially trained by Carelink in giving emergency psychological support. If you’re deployed, you’ll work within a clear and organized structure looking after people who have just had a potentially traumatizing experience. You’ll also be providing emotional support and practical assistance to their families and others affected, and setting them up with any further help they may need within the broader care structure.
In your role as a caregiver, you’ll be helping people who have been affected – directly or indirectly – by an extraordinary incident or event.
To help you do so, you’ll be specially trained by Carelink in giving emergency psychological support. If you’re deployed, you’ll work within a clear and organized structure looking after people who have just had a potentially traumatizing experience. You’ll also be providing emotional support and practical assistance to their families and others affected, and setting them up with any further help they may need within the broader care structure.
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to process new applications. Please apply again in or after November 2022.
- be between 20 and 58 years old
- have substantial work and life experience, and feel physically, mentally and emotionally fit
- possess strong social skills
- have a job or an activity that would allow you to take time off if you needed to be deployed (and for training exercises, too)
- be easy to reach by mobile phone or email, at work or at home
- be well able to express yourself in spoken and written form, and have a good spoken command of a Swiss national language
- obtain the consent of your employer (if you have one).
Emergency psychologist? We’d love to hear from you!
Carelink works exclusively with recognized emergency psychologists, all of whom will have completed further training in emergency psychology that is approved by the FSP or the SBAP professional associations.
If such services are required, Carelink will provide a single specialist who is certified in emergency psychology or several emergency psychologists, depending on the scale and impact of the incident or event.
Interested? We’d be pleased to hear from you!
Carelink works exclusively with recognized emergency psychologists, all of whom will have completed further training in emergency psychology that is approved by the FSP or the SBAP professional associations.
If such services are required, Carelink will provide a single specialist who is certified in emergency psychology or several emergency psychologists, depending on the scale and impact of the incident or event.
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to process new applications. Please apply again in or after November 2022.
On the psychology front, Carelink works with the following network partners:
Emergency Psychology Association
Federation of Swiss Psychologists FSP
Swiss Applied Psychology Association SBAP
Emergency counselling
Carelink can also provide emergency counsellors if these are required. Our network partner here is Care Teams / Notfallseelsorge Schweiz (CNS):
Constant further training keeps you always ready
As a member of our volunteer team, you’ll first complete our Carelink Introductory Course. But you’ll soon find that further training is also a regular component of your Carelink activities. You’ll take part in exercises, too. All to keep you constantly ready and equipped to help when and where you’re needed.
How we keep our caregivers on the ball
As a Carelink caregiver, you’ll receive thorough training to prepare you for your deployments. First you’ll undergo a multi-step process to attend a four-day Introductory Course. And provided both sides are happy with the results, you’ll then formally join our volunteer caregiver team.
Regular further training is vital, too, to keep you always on the ball. Roughly once a year, for instance, you’ll take part in a one-day further training session or a practical exercise. As a first step here, your further training will consist of four basic modules. Once you’ve completed these, you can attend more advanced modules and/or more specialized courses, depending on your own interests and inclinations.
How we further train our emergency psychologists
If you’re one of our emergency psychologists, you’ll already have completed a recognized further training course of the FSP or the SBAP in addition to your psychology studies. So once you’ve completed your Carelink Introductory Course, you’ll have access to all our further training opportunities. And you can attend these one-day courses in any order you wish, based on your personal interests and inclinations.
In addition to this, you are also invited to attend a Carelink further training course each year that is specifically designed for our emergency psychologists.
The next step: becoming a Team Leader
Our Team Leaders are emergency psychologists or experienced caregivers who also have strong leadership abilities that enable them to head a team of emergency psychologists and caregivers in their performance of their work.
If you’re interested in becoming one of our Team Leaders, we’ll put you through an assessment. And if we’re both happy with the outcome, you’ll then attend several more levels of specific basic and further training.
How to further refine your specialist Carelink expertise
Are you already a member of our volunteer team but would now like to specialize in a particular area? Do you enjoy administrative and logistics work? Or are you interested in serving on a hotline that can be called by family and friends?
Carelink offers dedicated courses to further develop your skills and expertise in these and other areas. After all, every function within a care team is essential in helping everyone to cope with an event.