Senior Counsellor

**Working pattern**: Flexible. Monday - Friday, (Monday-Thursday 8-8pm and Friday 9-5:30pm). Applicants interested in flexible working may work part time or as a job share (totalling 1 FTE per service needs)

**Location**: Remote working, but able to travel to Kent and Medway as required

**About the role**

**An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced clinician to join our Kent and Medway Senior Leadership team as a Senior Counsellor.**

As a key member of our leadership team, you will work closely with your colleagues to ensure we deliver the best service possible to our clients. Drawing on your strong clinical and operational skills, you will be responsible for providing operational leadership to the counselling team, working in partnership with our local leadership team, counsellors, and other colleagues to maintain a safe and effective service.

You will be fully supported in your role by our Counselling Team Lead, Service Director and Clinical Leads and benefit from close working relationships with our Seniors embedded in our local and national Insight IAPT services, giving you the opportunity to continuingly develop your operational and clinical skills and expertise.

You will ensure our service is delivered and maintained in a way that is consistent with our values: compassion, accountability, respect, excellence, and innovation. We are looking for someone who embodies our values and is passionate about really making a difference to people’s lives.

We are a fun and really enthusiastic team and very dedicated to our colleagues and patients. We will ensure you are fully supported in your role, have the opportunity to learn and develop your own skills as well as support your own career development. You will be invited to make this role your own and bring a fresh pair of eyes to our team to support us in ensuring we continue to work towards our Shaping our Future Strategy and achieve excellence in all that we do.

**About** you**

We would love to hear from you if you possess the following:

- A Diploma in Counselling from a recognised course which would meet the requirements for BACP (or equivalent) accreditation.
- Accredited by at least one of the following bodies: BACP (must be accredited, membership is not sufficient), NCS (Accredited Professional Registrant status is required), UKCP or IPT UK.
- Possess at least one of the following NICE compliant qualifications: Counselling for Depression, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (must also be registered with IPT UK), or Couple Therapy for Depression.
- Experience of leading and managing a team, providing constructive feedback and encouragement to others, supporting others through change.
- An experienced clinician who can provide expertise and specialist advice, guidance and consultation to all clinical staff and other professionals.
- Have a strong track record of working with clinical colleagues to ensure they have the skills, expertise, and confidence to diagnose, formulate and implement plans for all psychological interventions, in accordance with evidence-based practice and the requirements of IAPT
- An effective time manager with the ability to prioritize urgent and important tasks, and respond to urgent situations appropriately
- A confident innovator, ready for the challenge to work differently to ensure that clients, regardless of need, remain at the heart of the service
- Committed to improving access to psychological therapies.
- Adaptable to change, and able to drive and implement change to help drive the service forward

**What we offer in return**
- 30 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays (rising to 32 days at 5 years’ service) and with the option to purchase or sell days.
- Enhanced Pension
- Refer a Friend payment, Cycle to Work & Enhanced Car schemes
- Vitality Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistant Programme, GP & priority Physiotherapy access and shopping discounts.
- Fully funded flu vaccines
- Technology salary sacrifice scheme for home appliances, tablets, mobiles, TV’s, fitness trackers and more.
- Family friendly policies including Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption pay
- Volunteer Programme
- Enhanced Life Assurance Scheme