Department
Counselling Team
Job Title
Counsellor (fully qualified)
Reports To
CEO
Base
Beechwood Cancer Care Centre
Salary Scale
£32,000 - £35,000 FTE (pro-rated for part-time hours) £19,200 - £21,000 actual
Hours Per Week
22.5 Hours
About The Charity
Beechwood is a Charity based in Stockport, established in 1990 to support people from across the Northwest affected by cancer.
Our team of professionals are available to help with the shock of diagnosis and the emotional effects of treatment, complemented by a wide variety of practical support – not only for the person directly affected but family and friends too.
The Charity’s services are free of charge at point of need, and we offer a package of support tailored to suit the individual, including one-to-one counselling, facilitated support groups, complementary therapies, guided relaxation, yoga, acupuncture – to name but a few.
We also provide support to:
- Help children come to terms with the illness or loss of a parent or family member
- Help carers cope with the difficulties and uncertainty that the illness of a loved one can bring
- Support clients who are ready to move on, exploring on-going support options
- Help those who are recently bereaved by cancer
Our Behaviours
Communicating with Impact
- Communicate clearly and checks others have understood
- Listen to others’ views, seeks clarification where needed
Delivering Outcomes
- Plan own work and prioritises to meet goals
- Communicate and collaborates with others
- Reliable and practical using own initiative
- Meet deadlines within agreed deadlines and standards
Honesty and Integrity
- Speak positively about Beechwood and the Charity’s work – both verbally, written and on social media platforms
- Treat all others fairly, consistently and with respect
- Promote and embraces equality and diversity
Resilience
- Respond positively to change and encourages others to do so
- Flexible and adaptable to changing needs and responsibilities within Beechwood
Empowerment, Engagement and Participation
- Support the Charity and colleagues to achieve its objectives
- Accept responsibility and accountability for own role and team
Purpose of Job
As a Beechwood Senior Counsellor, you will become part of our established and supportive Counselling Team. You will provide therapeutic support to clients affected by cancer, whether that be a diagnosis, caring responsibilities or bereavement (by cancer).
Ideally, you will be experienced in working with both adults and children.
You must possess a non-judgemental approach and unconditional positive regard to clients and respond to need according to emotional, psychological and intellectual development of each client. An ability to adapt and apply appropriate interventions and modalities to meet clients’ needs is essential; working integratively across a range of modalities where this may better suit a client is key to maximising our support (avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach).
You should be a self-starter who is comfortable working on a one-to-one basis with clients, whilst being equally comfortable facilitating or co-facilitating support groups and workshops.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
General
- Provide therapeutic one-to-one counselling utilising an integrative approach
- Monitor the effectiveness of the interventions applied and adapt your approach according to the client and their progress
- Always maintain professional boundaries
- Recognise when clients may need additional support from elsewhere – signposting internally or externally
- Identify when a client is not ready to engage in the counselling process and exiting them in an empathic and planned manner
- Maintain a caseload together with accurate and legible counselling notes, in line with recognised counselling note keeping guidelines
- A positive contributor to Beechwood’s Counselling function, actively promoting collaboration – internally and externally
Mentorship & Support
- Provide coaching, support & mentoring to Volunteer Counsellors and Students on placement
- Ensure all associated records are maintained for the above and in good order
- Be a supportive colleague, encouraging therapeutic dialogue within the team
Representation and Participation
- Facilitate in-house group work and workshops, as required
- Assist at information sharing workshops with other key partners e.g. CNSs, health professionals, GPs and other stakeholders from time-to-time
- Be aware of, and adhere to counselling good practice, ethics and governance
- Promote evidence-based practice, including reflective practice
- Provide support at the Charity’s fundraising events from time to time
Development and Training
- Evaluate client progress and provide ad hoc anonymised case studies for learning and development purposes
- Attend external clinical supervision, as appropriate
- Use reflective practice and clinical supervision to examine client ‘themes’, therapeutic work, self-development and wellbeing
- Apply a collaborative approach to sharing learning and being proactive in both team meand one-to-one meetings
- Demonstrate innovation and the ability to recognise and develop new initiatives
- Be responsible for own statutory updating and training in line with requirements of governing body and in conjunction with line manager
To be aware and confident to identify and act upon any safeguarding issues
To follow the Charity’s Safeguarding process and procedures
- Ensure that all professional codes of practice and regulations are upheld
- Record and submit statistical data in line with organisational requirements
- Ensure all incidents involving clients are recorded in line with Beechwood Policies and Procedures
- Ensure adherence to the requirements of policies and procedures including Health and Safety, Fire, COSHH and Risk Management
- Carry out other duties commensurate with the position / team as requested by line manager, other senior member of staff or the Board of Trustees
This is not an exhaustive list of the duties that may need to be undertaken. It may be necessary to undertake other duties to fulfil the objectives of the role and Charity.
Person Specification
| Essential | Desirable | |
|---|---|---|
| Person Specification | ||
| Experienced, qualified counsellor with confidence to deliver a range of therapeutic approaches | ||
| Experience of working therapeutically with adults | ||
| Experience of working with therapeutically with children | ||
| Experienced in Safeguarding (adults and children) &/or be willing to undertake relevant training and adhere to the Charity’s policy | ||
| Experience of managing complex emotional issues in response to trauma, illness, or bereavement (in a counselling situation) | ||
| Experience and knowledge of people’s emotions and responses to high anxiety, trauma, serious illness and death | ||
| Awareness of mental health issues and thresholds (for relevant support) | ||
| Ability to adapt therapeutic approach in response to need, barriers, resistance, or progress | ||
| Experience of client assessments (pre counselling sessions) | ||
| Experience of delivering group work - therapeutic, support, educational or workshops | ||
| Knowledge and/or experience of other counselling modalities e.g., CBT, creative therapies | ||
| Holds a minimum Level 4 Counselling qualification recognised by a UK professional body. | ||
| Certification in Solution Focused Brief Therapy | ||
| Coaching experience and/or qualification | ||
| 5 years’ post qualification experience | ||
| Good level of general education | ||
| Experience or ability to mentor student counsellors on placement, and qualified volunteer counsellors – nurturing and supportive approach | ||
| Able to keep accurate records for the above, to ensure good administrative practice and to withstand scrutiny | ||
| Able to communicate with colleagues who may also have a role in supporting / recruiting students or volunteers, or in capturing client data | ||
| Demonstrate initiative and creativity, relative to role | ||
| Adaptable to clients’ needs and can apply a range of therapeutic interventions | ||
| Emotionally resilient to work with clients are experiencing illness, facing end-of-life, grief and bereavement | ||
| Able to assess ongoing needs of clients, signposting where required | ||
| Implements reflective practice to ensure quality and performance | ||
| Supportive and collaborative approach to achieving, individual, team and Charity objectives | ||
| Demonstrates support to the Charity and its efforts to be sustainable and financially prudent | ||
| Prioritises work to maximise effective use of resources and effort | ||
| Flexible and adaptable, well organised and able to manage time and workload effectively in line with the needs of the service | ||
| Able to use own initiative, whilst also working as part of a team | ||
| Familiar with outcome measures, such as GAD7, ORS, CORS | ||
| A clean UK driving licence and own transport | ||
| Experience or willingness to work off-site e.g., outreach counselling, if required | ||
| Ability to work flexibly and support the Charity’s cause |
Equal Opportunities Statement
We acknowledge the unique contribution that all Beechwood employees and clients can bring to our organisation in terms of their culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, age, religion or belief, disability, or history of mental health.
Safeguarding
Beechwood is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of vulnerable adults, children and young people; as such, all staff and volunteers must share this commitment and undertake safeguarding training relative to the role.
Disclosure & Barring
A satisfactory check will need to be received prior to commencement of employment and for some roles, an enhanced check.
Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)
The post-holder must have awareness of LPS (previously known as MCA and DoLS) regarding any young people over the age of 16 being supported in the course of the role.
General
All employees are expected to be competent with the use of technology and information systems and understand their duties and responsibilities regarding the appropriate use of personal data including sensitive personal data (relative to role).
All appointments and promotions are based on merit and no job applicant or employee will be treated unfairly or discriminated against.
This role description is a guide and is not exhaustive. As such, it will be reviewed periodically to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the organisation.