Bereavement Counsellor

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties And Responsibilities:

Professional

Be responsible for the delivery of a high standard of bereavement counselling without direct supervision;

Assess and interpret the impact of ill health, loss and grief on individuals, and facilitate the appropriate use of support and counselling for adults;

Ensure clients receive a safe, individualised and effective service by assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating their care;

To undertake effective caseload management including ending the episode of care and actively respecting client autonomy and promoting independence, and to guide others to do so;

Assess bereavement risk factors and directly or indirectly offer appropriate support and / or referral;

To make appropriate referrals to other professionals and work collaboratively with a wide range of local, regional and national services;

Provide accurate information tailored to individual need and understanding clients regarding the bereavement process;

To work as an expert practitioner and within the policies, procedures and guidelines of The Prince of Wales Hospice and the Ethical Framework for Counselling and Psychotherapy Professionals (for your association);

To recognise the importance of peoples rights and beliefs and act in accordance with legislation, policies and procedures;

To maintain accurate and comprehensive records for the service both computer and paper based;

To maintain a caseload of those with more complex bereavement needs;

Manage highly complex and/or sensitive information or situations using a high level of communication and negotiation skills and personal resource;

In conjunction with the Bereavement Lead develop, plan and deliver the service to further enhance provision in accordance with NICE Guidance and National Bereavement Care Standards;

To use reflective practice and counselling supervision to examine self in the work place, counsellor well-being and effective practice; and

Evaluate the effectiveness of the services, acknowledging and promoting best practice, whilst recognising and reporting appropriately unsafe practice.

Leadership

Access and utilise evidence-based practice in the day-to-day delivery of the service;

Support the Bereavement Lead to collect, collate and analyse statistical data as required by the Hospice for the Wakefield Bereavement Service;

Identify priorities, manage time and manage competing demands within a changing environment;

Participate in disseminating, implementing and applying to practice, evidence and outcomes of best practice, research, audit and other quality indicators;

Support the recruitment and induction of staff/volunteers and students;

Support the development of policies and procedures for the bereavement services.

Educational

Support the planning and implementation of training sessions.

To participate in the orientation, development and induction programmes of newly appointed staff and volunteers.

To maintain expert clinical knowledge and skills, using evidence based practice to promote professional and service development, to revise protocols and procedures accordingly.

To keep up to date with current practice and legislation.

To maintain and extend personal knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the role and to share information

General Duties and Responsibilities

All employees are required to abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act, attend annual mandatory training sessions and ensure they comply with Hospice policies and procedures at all times;

Employees must demonstrate commitment to their own personal development and are required to make a positive contribution to fundraising and raising the profile of the Hospice;

Strict confidentiality applying to all aspects of Hospice business must be observed at all times.

Report promptly to the Bereavement Lead any untoward incident, complaint, grievance etc or other aspect likely to affect the safe and efficient functioning of the service.

The tasks and responsibilities outlined in this job description is not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other tasks in agreement with their line manager

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• BACP Approved Counselling Diploma/Degree/Masters or relevant experience
• Accreditation to practice with regulatory authority (BACP/UKCP)
• Evidence of continuing professional developmen

Skills/Abilities

Essential

• Able to demonstrate excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Ability to make clinical decisions around highly complex and emotive issues
• IT literate including Word, Outlook and Powerpoint and System1
• Excellent Organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload effectively
• Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships
• Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of counselling/psychotherapy
• Experience of working with complex grief
• Experience of working with risk, including complex risk
• Experience of effective caseload and workload management
• Experience of networking and partnership working
• Experience of working in a hospice, and working with volunteers

Desirable

• Experience of supervising

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

The Prince Of Wales Hospice

Address

Prince Of Wales Hospice

Halfpenny Lane

Pontefract

West Yorkshire

WF8 4BG

Employer's website

https://www.pwh.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)