Counsellor

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Counsellor, Band 6 Greenwich Adult Mental Health Greenwich Time To Talk, NHS Talking Therapies - Eltham, South East London Permanent - Full-Time 37.5 hours per week

Greenwich Time To Talk, NHS Talking Therapies is a primary care psychological therapy service. CBT and counselling interventions are offered to clients within the Royal borough of Greenwich

We are seeking a highly motivated Counsellor who is accredited with the BACP to enhance our thriving NHS Talking Therapies service. The post-holder will have experience of working with people with anxiety and depression in a primary and/or secondary care setting. The post-holder will be part of a strong experienced counselling team and will be expected to provide individual and group counselling interventions.

Oxleas has a large, well-established and supportive psychology department which is part of the Psychological Therapies Directorate within the Trust. This provides strong leadership and professional management and supports staff by prioritising supervision and continuing professional development. The department contains clinical/ counselling psychologists with extensive training and experience in CBT, psycho-dynamic and systemic approaches.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities. Community languages would be an advantage. The post-holder will be expected to work one shifted day (till 8pm) a week and will also be required to work remotely under Agenda for Change terms and conditions.

If you would like further information about this post, please contact Clayton Thompson at clayton.thompson@nhs.net

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust operates a Probationary Period, further details are available on request.

About us

Oxleas - About Us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people living in South East London and Kent and to people in prison. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,000 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

  • We're Kind
  • We're Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Date posted

24 January 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,762 to £45,765 a year p.a. inc.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-4960165-CMH

Job locations

Greenwich Time to Talk NHS Talking Therapies

135/143 Eltham High street

Eltham London

SE9 1TJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Task and Responsibilities

Clinical:

  • Contribute to the provision of the Locality Psychological Therapies Service, a direct access service that is part of the Trusts Mental health services, by undertaking counselling with individual clients or, when appropriate, in groups.
  • Using communication and relationship skills to undertake assessment of clients referred to the service by themselves, GPs or other professionals including risk assessment and referral on to appropriate services.
  • To prioritise and manage own client caseload.
  • To exercise professional responsibility for the assessment, intervention and discharge of clients, using highest level of interpersonal and communication skills when presenting and receiving complex, sensitive and contentious information to clients, family, support workers and other professionals

  • To provide counselling, collaboratively with clients

including:

  1. Assessments: Psychometric assessments including the full range of NHS Talking Therapies data set requirements making use of Data management systems; behavioural assessment; observational assessment; assessment by interviewing; assessment by analysis of archive material, multi-disciplinary notes and discussions, reviews, and supervision.
  2. Interventions: Counselling and other psychological therapies as appropriate with a range of presenting problems primarily
  3. Anxiety, Depression, but including the full range of primary care mental health problems.
  • To provide advice to other professionals within and external to the multi-disciplinary team, and agencies that provide services to this client group
  • To keep adequate clinical records in accordance with Trust guidelines, the BABCP/UKCP/BACP or BPS Division of Counselling Psychology and DoH guidance
  • To frequently sit in a restricted position for substantial proportion of working time during clinical sessions and meetings, requiring long periods of concentration
  • Dealing with frequent highly distressing situations i.e. clients with severely distressing mental health experiences, past and current abuse. Dealing with unpleasant working conditions i.e. verbal aggression, physical threats from client, family or others.

Management responsibilities

  1. To provide information and guidance to other primary care staff on the issues of psychological therapy.
  2. To attend meetings when required, within the working times of your post.
  3. To maintain statistical data.
  4. To liaise, collaborate and communicate with GPs and others concerned with the care and treatment of clients. This may also include the communication of sensitive information requiring knowledge and skills of data protection issues.

Leadership

  • workshops/presentations relevant to counselling.
  • To sit on relevant working groups of the service as required.
Clinical Governance
  • To implement and maintain the principles of Clinical Governance, including risk management.
  • To implement and maintain good information governance in respect of British Psychological Societys (or other relevant professional bodies) and Department of Healths codes and guidances on the proper management of client information, the Caldicott principles and the Data Protection Act.
  • To maintain up to date clear client records and case notes in line with the policies and procedures and service standards of the Trust, using the electronic clinical record system.
  • To abide by the postholders appropriate Code of Professional Conduct and to follow guidance from NICE and the Department of Health.
  • To engage in ongoing personal professional development.
  • To maintain professional accreditation with relevant professional body eg the BACP, keep an updated CPD log and attend training to maintain therapy skills and competencies as appropriate.
  • To collect session by session outcome measures.

Research and service development

  • To use published research and information on good practice regularly to keep clinical practice up-to-date and evidence based
  • Participate in discussion and review regarding the development and evaluation of the locality counseling service, within the NSF directives.
  • To undertake clinically relevant evaluation within the locality psychological therapy service.
  • To provide information relating to the post-holders clinical and administrative activities as determined by the management of the Trust and the psychological therapy service.

Teaching, Training and Supervision.

  • To provide when appropriate, induction, line management and clinical supervision to counsellors on trainee clinical placement.
  • Attend for regular supervision as agreed within the locality counseling service and professional ethical framework.
  • To keep abreast of current developments in the professional field of psychological therapy through reading and attendance at appropriate training courses and CPD in accordance with the requirements of your own professional accrediting body.
Communication
  • Clinicians within Greenwich Time To Talk service and clinicians within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
  • Senior Trust Officials, when indicated or appropriate i.e. service development
  • General Practitioners and GPs with special interest.
  • Service providers from both statutory and voluntary organisations e.g. Adult Mental Health Services, CAMHS, Social Services, Greenwich Mind and WDP.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Task and Responsibilities

Clinical:

  • Contribute to the provision of the Locality Psychological Therapies Service, a direct access service that is part of the Trusts Mental health services, by undertaking counselling with individual clients or, when appropriate, in groups.
  • Using communication and relationship skills to undertake assessment of clients referred to the service by themselves, GPs or other professionals including risk assessment and referral on to appropriate services.
  • To prioritise and manage own client caseload.
  • To exercise professional responsibility for the assessment, intervention and discharge of clients, using highest level of interpersonal and communication skills when presenting and receiving complex, sensitive and contentious information to clients, family, support workers and other professionals

  • To provide counselling, collaboratively with clients

including:

  1. Assessments: Psychometric assessments including the full range of NHS Talking Therapies data set requirements making use of Data management systems; behavioural assessment; observational assessment; assessment by interviewing; assessment by analysis of archive material, multi-disciplinary notes and discussions, reviews, and supervision.
  2. Interventions: Counselling and other psychological therapies as appropriate with a range of presenting problems primarily
  3. Anxiety, Depression, but including the full range of primary care mental health problems.
  • To provide advice to other professionals within and external to the multi-disciplinary team, and agencies that provide services to this client group
  • To keep adequate clinical records in accordance with Trust guidelines, the BABCP/UKCP/BACP or BPS Division of Counselling Psychology and DoH guidance
  • To frequently sit in a restricted position for substantial proportion of working time during clinical sessions and meetings, requiring long periods of concentration
  • Dealing with frequent highly distressing situations i.e. clients with severely distressing mental health experiences, past and current abuse. Dealing with unpleasant working conditions i.e. verbal aggression, physical threats from client, family or others.

Management responsibilities

  1. To provide information and guidance to other primary care staff on the issues of psychological therapy.
  2. To attend meetings when required, within the working times of your post.
  3. To maintain statistical data.
  4. To liaise, collaborate and communicate with GPs and others concerned with the care and treatment of clients. This may also include the communication of sensitive information requiring knowledge and skills of data protection issues.

Leadership

  • workshops/presentations relevant to counselling.
  • To sit on relevant working groups of the service as required.
Clinical Governance
  • To implement and maintain the principles of Clinical Governance, including risk management.
  • To implement and maintain good information governance in respect of British Psychological Societys (or other relevant professional bodies) and Department of Healths codes and guidances on the proper management of client information, the Caldicott principles and the Data Protection Act.
  • To maintain up to date clear client records and case notes in line with the policies and procedures and service standards of the Trust, using the electronic clinical record system.
  • To abide by the postholders appropriate Code of Professional Conduct and to follow guidance from NICE and the Department of Health.
  • To engage in ongoing personal professional development.
  • To maintain professional accreditation with relevant professional body eg the BACP, keep an updated CPD log and attend training to maintain therapy skills and competencies as appropriate.
  • To collect session by session outcome measures.

Research and service development

  • To use published research and information on good practice regularly to keep clinical practice up-to-date and evidence based
  • Participate in discussion and review regarding the development and evaluation of the locality counseling service, within the NSF directives.
  • To undertake clinically relevant evaluation within the locality psychological therapy service.
  • To provide information relating to the post-holders clinical and administrative activities as determined by the management of the Trust and the psychological therapy service.

Teaching, Training and Supervision.

  • To provide when appropriate, induction, line management and clinical supervision to counsellors on trainee clinical placement.
  • Attend for regular supervision as agreed within the locality counseling service and professional ethical framework.
  • To keep abreast of current developments in the professional field of psychological therapy through reading and attendance at appropriate training courses and CPD in accordance with the requirements of your own professional accrediting body.
Communication
  • Clinicians within Greenwich Time To Talk service and clinicians within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
  • Senior Trust Officials, when indicated or appropriate i.e. service development
  • General Practitioners and GPs with special interest.
  • Service providers from both statutory and voluntary organisations e.g. Adult Mental Health Services, CAMHS, Social Services, Greenwich Mind and WDP.

Person Specification

Professional Registration

Essential

  • BACP/UKCP Accredited

Desirable

  • Primary Care Adult Mental health working experience

Approved counselling qualification

Essential

  • Recognised professional counselling qualification at Diploma level or above

Desirable

  • Qualification in a specialist treatment modality (i.e. counselling for depression etc)

Relevant Counselling Experience

Essential

  • Experience using counselling interventions with Depression and Anxiety

Desirable

  • Experience working as a counsellor in NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT)
Person Specification

Professional Registration

Essential

  • BACP/UKCP Accredited

Desirable

  • Primary Care Adult Mental health working experience

Approved counselling qualification

Essential

  • Recognised professional counselling qualification at Diploma level or above

Desirable

  • Qualification in a specialist treatment modality (i.e. counselling for depression etc)

Relevant Counselling Experience

Essential

  • Experience using counselling interventions with Depression and Anxiety

Desirable

  • Experience working as a counsellor in NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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

Additional information

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Greenwich Time to Talk NHS Talking Therapies

135/143 Eltham High street

Eltham London

SE9 1TJ


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Greenwich Time to Talk NHS Talking Therapies

135/143 Eltham High street

Eltham London

SE9 1TJ


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Senior Psychologist/Counselling Lead

Clayton Thompson

clayton.thompson@nhs.net

07741235018

Date posted

24 January 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,762 to £45,765 a year p.a. inc.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-4960165-CMH

Job locations

Greenwich Time to Talk NHS Talking Therapies

135/143 Eltham High street

Eltham London

SE9 1TJ


Supporting documents

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