Counsellor Specialist

Job Title: Counsellor Specialist

Location: Dawn Centre, Colwyn Bay

Department: CT012 - Rhyl City Strategy

Salary: £15.30 per hour

To provide a specialist Counselling Service to Adferiad clients. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service.

• To have commitment to and demonstrate an undertaking of equality of opportunity and its relevance to different sectors within the community.
• Must demonstrate empathy towards Adferiad Recovery's beneficiaries.
• To carry out all other tasks commensurate with the role.

• To explain boundaries of confidentiality, exchange of information and informed consent to clients.
• To undertake assessments. To be able to recognize substance misuse issues and common mental health issues, draw out relevant information needed for an assessment using skilful and sensitive questioning.
• To make assessments based on a stepped care approach using relevant guidance such as the NICE Guidance for Commissioning Stepped Care for People with Common Mental Health Disorders
• To provide expertise in a specialist clinical area, undertaking specialist psychological interventions, formulating mutually agreed contracts for counselling and therapeutic interventions with clients, establishing, maintaining, and disengaging from relationships with the client group.
• To select and deliver evidence-based client centred psychological treatments to meet the needs of the client group, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical approaches.
• Counselling, ACT, DBT, EMDR and brief interventions to be delivered in accordance with relevant NICE Guidelines.
• To undertake and manage own client caseload.
• To be accountable for own clinical decisions and professional actions in consultation with clinical supervisor.
• To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
• To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information, taking into account sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
• To make provision for people with limited literacy skills.
• To adhere to BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
• To work in accordance with Adferiad Policies and Procedures, All Wales Child Protection Procedures and Wales Vulnerable Adults Protocol.
• To refer clients to other services within Adferiad and other external agencies as appropriate. When making referrals to other services and agencies, to do this in a manner consistent with the specific referral processes used by those agencies.
• To undertake clinical administrative tasks and reports relating to clients when necessary.

• To keep in regular contact with CAST Appointments Team, Associate Director for therapeutic services and Clinical Supervisor.
• Keep up- to- date records of current therapeutic and counselling work, case notes and other such pro forma as directed.
• To comply with the General Data Protection Regulation
• To make referrals to other services and agencies in accordance with guidelines.
• To attend meetings as required.
• To comply with information sharing protocols and procedures.

• To participate in the Adferiad continuous learning, development, and appraisal process.
• To operate within and observe Adferiad policies and procedures as amended and updated.
• To maintain membership of BACP
• To gain BACP Accreditation and maintain through Continuous Professional Development
• To make regular use of clinical supervision.
• To make regular use of management supervision.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies, with a particular emphasis around substance misuse and mental health issues.
• To be responsible for working within your level of competence. If you have concerns around this issue, to speak with your manager and supervisor.
• To undertake internal and external training as appropriate and as required as part of Continuous Professional Development.
• To develop and maintain professional working relationships with external agencies.

Qualifications:

• Diploma in Counselling (as a minimum).
• BACP membership.

Experience:

• Post qualification counselling experience
• Experience in addictions and mental health work
• Evidence of ongoing Professional Development
• Post graduate qualifying hours that have been clinically supervised. (desirable)

Skills:

• Effective communication skills with a particular emphasis on listening skills.
• Decision making skills (specifically within the assessment process).
• Ability to manage workload, meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Ability to work autonomously as well as being a member of the team.
• Ability to reflect on own practice.
• IT literate to a high standard (desirable)
• Ability to speak Welsh (desirable)

Knowledge:

• Knowledge and understanding of the impact of substance use on young persons' lives and the stigma and difficulties associated with this.
• Knowledge of other service provision within the sector.
• Knowledge of early warning signs, monitoring and relapse prevention for mental health and substance misuse problems.

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Full UK Driving License and use of a car or ability to attend work and move between clinics efficiently using public transport (If you are registered disabled, reasonable adjustments will be considered).