Volunteer Programs in Mental Healthcare

More than half of volunteers grew more confident in their skills through the experiential learning generated by programme challenges. Volunteer training that emphasises role expectations and appropriate time commitments allows volunteers to feel competent and confident. Befriending has been shown to match BCT for expectancy, acceptability, enjoyment, and engagement while delivering no specific therapeutic benefit on most outcomes. Befriending and similar volunteering programmes have shown benefits for mental health outcomes, but evidence on physical health impacts remains limited. An umbrella review confirmed volunteering can positively impact patients' physical health, though evidence in SMI populations is rarely reported and often inconsistent. Peer-delivered interventions can be effective catalysts for physical health outcomes even when volunteers do not share a mental health diagnosis with patients. Befriending is delivered by the same physiotherapists as BCT, for the same duration and frequency, in a supportive, non-directive manner. Befriending is a manualised, formally evaluated control condition designed for clinical trials of psychological and talking therapies. After the…