Counsellor

Job description

Job responsibilities

2. Job Purpose

To provide a counselling and wellbeing service as part of Your Wellbeing to individual clients and couples and businesses.

To work autonomously within professional guidelines and organisational policies to provide emotional support and wellbeing guidance to clients and couples.

To be able to respond quickly and flexibly to the demands and pressures created by the work.

To contribute to the development of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the Counselling and Wellbeing Lead.

To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in counselling across the organisation, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments within counselling and organisational wellbeing.

To maintain the highest standard of record keeping and recording, development of promotional, training and consultation materials.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both counselling and emotional wellbeing within healthcare organisations

3. Dimensions

The role of the counsellor is to:

Provide individual counselling sessions for clients approaching the Your wellbeing Service.

To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about options for counselling, considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and historical developmental processes that have shaped the individual, group or system.

To actively promote the wellbeing of all individuals accessing the service.

To develop wellbeing training and information briefings for the service.

To develop a relationship with other local providers of mental health support to extend and develop the service offered.

Facilitation of research and audit/evaluation projects leading to further development and advancements in counselling and wellbeing.

4. Key Result Areas

Therapeutic

To be responsible for the development and provision of counselling services to individuals and couples.

To exercise responsibility and autonomy for assessment, intervention and ending of counselling as well as successful onward referral and liaison regarding those with the most complex presentations as required.

To provide expertise and specialist counselling advice, guidance and consultation to others.

To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the wellbeing of others.

To be responsible for decision making regarding the counselling sessions, training, consultation and guidance offered.

Teaching, training and supervision

To continue to develop expertise in the area of professional training and supervision.

To receive regular professional supervision from the Frontline Service Lead (consultant clinical psychologist) as part of continuing professional development.

Management and recruitment

To manage own workload.

To be involved in the short listing, interviewing and selection of other team members as required.

Policy and Service development

To participate in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service.

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the counselling and wellbeing service through the deployment of professional skills in service evaluation and audit.

Research and service evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in all aspects of counselling and organisational wellbeing support.

With support, to undertake research, audit and evaluation projects with colleagues to improve services.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Formally recognised qualification in counselling leading to registration with the BACP.

Desirable

• Training in one or more additional specialised areas of adult counselling/psychological practice.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with a wide variety of adult client groups, presenting with the full range of emotional difficulties.
• Experience of exercising full responsibility for individuals psychological care.

Desirable

• Experience of service review and development.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision.

Skills and abilities & Knowledge

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of counselling/psychological assessment, intervention and management.
• A high-level ability to communicate effectively both in writing and orally, complex and clinically sensitive information to staff members in a range of roles and services.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to confidentiality and risk management.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BACP.

Desirable

• Previous experience of working with adults with emotional needs, trauma and abuse.
• Training in the supervision of others.
• Training in health promotion.
• Knowledge of the impact of collective societal trauma on individuals.
• Skills in providing training and consultation to organisations, teams, services and groups on psychological wellbeing.

Personal qualities

Essential

• An open, warm, supportive and approachable manner.
• A creative approach to the wellbeing of others.

Desirable

• A commitment to the audit and evaluation of services and an interest in continuing to develop expertise in this service area.

Other factors

Essential

• Ability to identify and employ counselling skills in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material.
• Ability to articulate and interpret clearly the role of counselling based upon a good understanding of the framework of government and national professional policy.

Desirable

• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Your Healthcare CIC

Address

Hollyfield House, 22 Hollyfield Road

Surbiton

KT5 9AL

Employer's website

http://www.yourhealthcare.org (Opens in a new tab)