Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Band 7 Specialist Counsellor

The closing date is 03 July 2025

Job summary

We are excited to offer a part-time role (b7 0.5WTE) to join the Women's Health Counselling Service. You will join two other experienced part-time b7 counsellors who use a psychodynamic model complemented by strategy-based approaches as appropriate. The Women's Health Counselling Service offers brief counselling (up to 6 appointments) to RFL women and birth people under the care of Obstetrics and Gynaecology patients. The service supports women and birthing people around pregnancy, post-natal issues, miscarriage and stillbirth, termination, and gynaecological issues. The work can also include partners if appropriate.Referrals come from a variety of professionals and the service works closely with specialist midwifery teams and liaison with community services.

Your work will be based at Barnet Hospital and Royal Free Hospital. You will also have access to the Trust's psychological professions support structure including access to specialist supervision groups, regular training events and collaboration with colleagues.

The post holder would need to be able to work on Wednesdays (when the rest of the team overlap). It would also be helpful if one of the other working days was a Tuesday.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for providing psychological care working with both in-patient and out-patients, face-to-face and virtually. The focus of clinical work can be focused on enabling decision-making, addressing the emotional impact of of a long-term health condition, pregnancy and pregnancy loss. You will be expected to provide guidance to colleagues and engage in joint work as appropriate, facilitate groups as well as attend multi-disciplinary meetings. There are also opportunities for provision of training. You will have access to supervision and training, with a variety of different therapeutic modalities within the Trust to support your development.

About us

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17million tests.Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the topFor more information please follow link https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk

Details

Date posted

20 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£54,320 to £60,981 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS part time (pro rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

391-RFL-7166386

Job locations

Royal Free Hospital and Barnet Hospital

London

NW3 2QG


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for more information about this role and working at royal free London NHS foundation Trust

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for more information about this role and working at royal free London NHS foundation Trust

Person Specification

Education & Professional Qualifications

Essential

  • Postgraduate Diploma/Masters/Doctorate in counselling or psychotherapy which includes a psychodynamic element
  • BACP accreditation or with other recognized counselling/psychotherapy body

Desirable

  • Training in CBT, mindfulness or working with couples

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of post-qualification provision of short-term counselling
  • Experience of post-qualification supervised experience in assessment and psychotherapeutic intervention in the NHS, public or voluntary sector
  • Experience of post-qualification work within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary environments
  • Experience of the application of psychotherapeutic interventions in different cultural contexts and/or where there are moral or ethical issues involved
  • Experience managing risk and safeguarding issues

Desirable

  • Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including individuals and couples, with different presenting problems (e.g. anxiety, bereavement, psychosexual issues, trauma)
  • Experience in working with issues related to women's health
  • Experience of post-qualification work in a medical team
  • Experience of teaching and training of other disciplines in the psychological care of women and birthing people

Skills and aptitudes

Essential

  • Skills in the use of psychological assessment, psychotherapeutic intervention and management
  • Knowledge of the complex issues and sensitive needs of those under the care of gynaecology or maternity services, including pregnancy loss
  • Skilled in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
  • Understanding and completion of audit process and ability to present findings at senior management meetings
  • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group (e.g. NICE guidance, safeguarding)
  • Evidence of continuing professional development
  • Ability to work autonomously and appreciating the role of the clinical and professional supervisor
  • Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting
  • Ability to cope with difficult issues and distressed patients presenting with a range of complex and sensitive issues
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public and professional settings
  • Experience of providing psychotherapeutic interventions via different modalities (e.g. virtual and face-to-face)
  • IT skills, including managing online referrals, waiting lists, calendars, patient records, excel spreadsheets and databases

Desirable

  • Skills in group facilitation with professional and non-professional groups

Personal qualities and attributes

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Compassionate and empathic in their approach to their work with staff and those under the care of the respective services
  • Resourceful, innovative and flexible
  • Recognises their accountability for their work and those they supervise
Person Specification

Education & Professional Qualifications

Essential

  • Postgraduate Diploma/Masters/Doctorate in counselling or psychotherapy which includes a psychodynamic element
  • BACP accreditation or with other recognized counselling/psychotherapy body

Desirable

  • Training in CBT, mindfulness or working with couples

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of post-qualification provision of short-term counselling
  • Experience of post-qualification supervised experience in assessment and psychotherapeutic intervention in the NHS, public or voluntary sector
  • Experience of post-qualification work within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary environments
  • Experience of the application of psychotherapeutic interventions in different cultural contexts and/or where there are moral or ethical issues involved
  • Experience managing risk and safeguarding issues

Desirable

  • Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including individuals and couples, with different presenting problems (e.g. anxiety, bereavement, psychosexual issues, trauma)
  • Experience in working with issues related to women's health
  • Experience of post-qualification work in a medical team
  • Experience of teaching and training of other disciplines in the psychological care of women and birthing people

Skills and aptitudes

Essential

  • Skills in the use of psychological assessment, psychotherapeutic intervention and management
  • Knowledge of the complex issues and sensitive needs of those under the care of gynaecology or maternity services, including pregnancy loss
  • Skilled in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
  • Understanding and completion of audit process and ability to present findings at senior management meetings
  • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group (e.g. NICE guidance, safeguarding)
  • Evidence of continuing professional development
  • Ability to work autonomously and appreciating the role of the clinical and professional supervisor
  • Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting
  • Ability to cope with difficult issues and distressed patients presenting with a range of complex and sensitive issues
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public and professional settings
  • Experience of providing psychotherapeutic interventions via different modalities (e.g. virtual and face-to-face)
  • IT skills, including managing online referrals, waiting lists, calendars, patient records, excel spreadsheets and databases

Desirable

  • Skills in group facilitation with professional and non-professional groups

Personal qualities and attributes

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Compassionate and empathic in their approach to their work with staff and those under the care of the respective services
  • Resourceful, innovative and flexible
  • Recognises their accountability for their work and those they supervise

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).

Additional information

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Free Hospital and Barnet Hospital

London

NW3 2QG


Employer's website

https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Free Hospital and Barnet Hospital

London

NW3 2QG


Employer's website

https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Women's Health Counsellor

Judith Ellenbogen

rf-tr.whcs@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

20 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£54,320 to £60,981 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS part time (pro rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

391-RFL-7166386

Job locations

Royal Free Hospital and Barnet Hospital

London

NW3 2QG


Supporting documents

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