Frequently Asked Questions

Organization Overview

  • Arizona Crisis Team, also known as ACT (pronounced like the word “act”), is a non-profit organization headquartered in and serving Yavapai County, Arizona. ACT dispatches trained volunteer advocates to local scenes of trauma or emergency to provide immediate, short-term emotional and practical support to victims, survivors, and witnesses.

    ACT volunteers are not counselors or therapists and do not provide mental health crisis intervention. First Responders will contact the appropriate agencies if this type of assistance is required.

  • ACT was established in 2017. Prior to that, the organization was a franchise of TIP, or Trauma Intervention Programs. ACT does not have any affiliation with TIP.

  • Nope. ACT is a 501c(3) nonprofit tax-exempt organization made up of board members, a handful of employees, and mostly our amazing volunteers. ACT is completely secular and not affiliated with any political party, alignment, or private company.

Volunteering

  • When a 911 call comes in, first responder agencies - fire, police, and emergency medical services - arrive to the scene, providing emergency assistance and securing the area. Once the area is secure, they may identify the need for an ACT volunteer to be at the scene as well, such as providing emotional support to a witness of an accident or to a survivor with a recently-deceased loved one. ACT Team Dispatchers then coordinate an on-call ACT volunteer to go to the secured scene of the emergency.

    ACT volunteers act as client advocates, providing immediate, short term psychological (emotional) care and support to those coping with their immediate reactions after a crisis event.

    This may look like:

    • Reducing the intensity of our client’s emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral reactions to the crisis using specific communication techniques learned in training

    • Facilitating access to further support

    • Stabilizing and supporting clients as they begin to cope with their situation and their reaction to it

    • Enhancing the client’s innate resilience for recovery and well-being

    • Assisting the client in preparing for the future with community resources, including our Resource Guide booklet which may be provided on-scene for the client to keep

    Each call is different, so we prepare our volunteers to enter scenes safely and confidently to support those experiencing a crisis.

  • Volunteers must choose three 12-hour on-call shifts each month. Shifts are either 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am. During a shift, a volunteer may be called once, multiple times, or not at all. It depends on what is happening - or not happening - and first responders determine if an ACT volunteer would be beneficial on-scene.

  • Depending on the nature of the crisis, on-call volunteers may be requested to a private home, a nursing home, a public place like a park or school, a hospital, or a police department.

    Volunteers living closer to Prescott respond to calls in the quad-cities area. Volunteers living closer to Cottonwood/Sedona respond to calls in the Verde Valley area.

    Volunteers usually go to calls individually, but always have their Team Dispatcher available by phone to assist in getting directions, advice for next steps, and ensuring the safety of the volunteer.

  • Please read through our Requirements on the Become a Volunteer page.

  • Many ACT Volunteers have described their experiences here as life-changing.

    What is there to gain?

    • Satisfaction of making a difference

    • New skills and continual learning opportunities

    • Stretching yourself to meet new challenges

    • Enhanced confidence

    • Pride in community teamwork

  • The bulk of ACT’s volunteers serve as client advocates, as described above. In addition, we have our Team Dispatchers, a handful of experienced volunteers who have received additional training. Team Dispatchers communicate between Agency dispatchers (fire, police, medical) and on-call volunteers.

Common Concerns

  • Yes! We have several volunteers who work full-time and raise families. The flexibility of being able to pick which shifts work for you makes it easy to volunteer with ACT.

  • Teaching children about ACT and the lasting impact it has on our clients and first responders is a valuable life lesson for them. Balancing their activities and volunteer time with ACT can be accomplished and helps demonstrate to the entire family the importance of volunteerism in the community.

  • If you have a calling to help others during a difficult time, you will be successful as an ACT volunteer. Our comprehensive training will prepare you to be of service to people in crisis. As we frequently remind volunteers: It’s not about us.

  • ACT Volunteer Training prepares you for that. You will learn what words help and what words are better left unsaid.

  • The safety of our volunteers is ACT’s #1 concern! First responders are very protective, supportive, and appreciative of ACT volunteers. You will never be called to a scene until it has been deemed safe. First responders do everything within their power to protect volunteers from viewing traumatic sights.

  • There may be times when another volunteer will respond with you, but most of the time you will be alone. However, you will always have the support of an ACT dispatcher who is available by phone the entire time you are on the call. Your dispatcher is there for any support you may need, to answer any questions you have, to talk about any concerns while on the call, and to talk about the call after it’s over if you feel the need to do so. You are never truly “alone” even though you are responding by yourself.

  • It is perfectly acceptable to cry on a scene at times. You wouldn’t be human if you were not affected by what is happening. In training, we tell the new volunteers, “You just can’t cry louder or longer than your client.” We remind ourselves: it’s not about us.

  • It’s easy to trade shifts. We have many volunteers who have flexible schedules and are happy to trade if they can. In training you will learn how to do this.

  • Many of our volunteers take vacations throughout the year. We will work with you to arrange your shifts to meet minimum requirements and still have a life!

Ready to become a volunteer?

Arizona Crisis Team Volunteers do not need to be mental health professionals. Our comprehensive training and monthly check-ins ensure all volunteers feel supported, confident, and prepared when responding to on-the-scene crises, regardless of background or experience.

Learn more

Want to help in other ways?

We understand that not everyone can fit the commitments of being an ACT volunteer into their busy lives. The good news is that you can still support the mission of Arizona Crisis Team. Please Donate via the “Donate to ACT” button below, share our website on social media, or refer someone you know who would make a great ACT volunteer.

Donate to ACT