Cobbler (Spiritual & Emotional Support Volunteer)

Grounded Boots Relief is seeking qualified clergy, licensed mental health professionals, and experienced crisis support personnel to serve as Cobblers, our spiritual and emotional support team during disaster response operations.

Disasters affect far more than infrastructure. Survivors and responders alike often face grief, exhaustion, trauma, uncertainty, and emotional fatigue. Cobblers provide compassionate support while helping maintain the well-being and resilience of both volunteers and the communities we serve.

This role is intended for individuals with professional qualifications or substantial experience in spiritual care, counseling, psychology, social work, crisis intervention, or related fields. Applicants should possess excellent interpersonal skills, exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and demonstrate the ability to support individuals from diverse religious, cultural, and personal backgrounds without imposing their own beliefs.

Responsibilities may include:

• Providing emotional and spiritual support to disaster survivors and volunteers.
• Offering one-on-one conversations, crisis support, and active listening.
• Helping maintain volunteer morale during deployments.
• Recognizing signs of acute stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, or mental health concerns and communicating safety concerns to leadership when appropriate.
• Working collaboratively with leadership and medical personnel while respecting professional and ethical boundaries.
• Delivering brief motivational messages or reflections during deployments when appropriate and welcomed.

Preferred Qualifications

Applicants should possess one or more of the following:

• Ordained or commissioned clergy, chaplain, or pastoral caregiver.
• Licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, therapist, clinical social worker, or comparable mental health professional.
• Certified peer support specialist with significant crisis response experience.
• Experience in disaster response, emergency services, healthcare, military, hospice, hospital chaplaincy, or crisis intervention is highly desirable.

Because Cobblers often interact with individuals during highly stressful circumstances, Grounded Boots Relief requires verification of professional credentials and demonstrated competency before serving in this role. Selected volunteers may also complete organization-specific onboarding and training prior to deployment.