Senior Counsello

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For information about the main duties and responsibilities of the role of senior counsellor , please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Qualified and Accredited Counsellor / Psychotherapist, current Registrant on the Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register of Counsellors (BACP, BPC, UKCP, NCS [Accredited Professional], COSCA, UKAHPP) OR Qualified Counselling Psychologist, current registrant with the HCPC
• Substantial post-qualification experience of generic counselling (minimum of 450hrs client contact), demonstrable through an additional supervisory reference
• Continued professional development that includes learning/knowledge of other clinical modalities and theoretical models
• Formal post-qualification supervision training on an accredited course of at least one year's duration.

Desirable criteria

• Post-qualification training in one or more additional specialized areas related to primary care mental health eg. DIT, IPT, CfD, Couples Counselling for Depression, mental illness, clinical risk assessment, CBT principles
• Specialist Supervisor training in an IAPT modality including DIT, IPT, CfD, Couples Counselling for Depression
• Attended a management or High Intensity Supervisor's training

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working as a qualified counsellor with specialist post-qualification experience in the NHS, including substantial post-qualification experience within primary care
• Specialist level of experience of brief focused counselling, including undertaking assessments, including risk assessment.
• Experience of professional management and supervision of qualified and pre-qualified counsellors in the NHS in a primary care setting.
• Experience of working with a wide range of clients over the age of 16 years and including older adults presenting with mild to moderate degrees of severity of mental illness.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' emotional care and treatment including maintaining confidentiality and client records.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural context.
• Experience of supervising the clinical work of at least two counsellors working in a primary care setting, tested through written verification by at least one referee.
• Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of managing a specialist and independent caseload

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working as a qualified counsellor with specialist post-qualification experience in the NHS
• Experience in consulting with General Practitioners to provide specialist expertise in the field of mental health and counselling in primary care.
• Experience of collaborative work with other mental health professionals working in secondary mental health services
• Experience of teaching and training in professional and clinical areas to other counsellors or similar.
• Experience in service planning, development and management within the NHS.
• Experience of working within an IAPT service
• Experience of working within an IAPT service

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Specialised post-qualification knowledge of a range of specialist therapeutic techniques underpinned by theory, acquired through further substantial training or experience and specialist supervision to Master's degree or equivalent level
• A high level of skill in assessment for short-term counselling, including risk assessment, and application of evidence-based interventions and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Skills in providing professional and clinical supervision, management and training to qualified and pre-qualified counsellors.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BACP or other relevant professional bodies including fulfilling professional clinical supervision requirements.
• Ability to work independently and manage a caseload, with freedom to act and take decisions about patient care, under supervision.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and clinically sensitive information to clients and professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to propose changes to service and service delivery and implement policies relating to service provision, including the ability to contribute to policy discussions at a wider organizational level
• Ability to co-ordinate the recruitment, training and supervision of counsellors on placement
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach which considers the needs of the whole person.
• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.

Desirable criteria

• Competency in providing brief focused counseling using an evidence based approach eg focal psychodynamic, client centred, solution focused, humanistic etc
• Knowledge of more than one model of intervention and the evidence base for choosing different interventions.
• Familiarity with mental health policies in relation to primary care counselling
• Familiarity with issues around clinical governance.

Other

Essential criteria

• Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.
• Commitment to the evaluation of services especially within own specialist area, an enthusiasm for service improvement and a wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.
• To demonstrate emotional resilience and stability. Ability to establish and maintain working relationships under pressure.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of personal psychotherapy.
• Personal experience of mental health difficulties as a user or carer

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description & Person Spec (PDF, 182.6KB)
• CNWL Staff Networks (PDF, 320.0KB)
• CNWL Values (PDF, 182.9KB)
• CNWL Reward and Wellbeing Handbook 2020 (PDF, 1.1MB)