Alder Centre Counsellor

An opportunity has arisen for a qualified counsellor to join The Alder Centre team to deliver counselling to Alder Hey staff clients. You will hold a minimum of a Diploma in Counselling; newly qualified counsellors are welcome. Registration with a statutory body is a requirement.

The vacancy is part-time over 2 days per week and for maternity leave cover only.

Main duties of the job

The focus of the post will be to provide counselling and associated support to Alder Hey Staff clients.

About us

Our values:

We pride ourselves on the quality of our care, going the extra mile to make Alder Hey a safe and special place for children and their families.
We are committed to continually improving for the benefit of our patients.
We are open and honest and engage everyone we meet with a smile.
We show that we value every individual for who they are and their contribution.
We work across the Alder Hey community in teams that are built on friendship, dedication, care and reassurance.

Values Based Behaviours

• Respect: We show that we value every individual for who they are and their contribution.
• Excellence: We pride ourselves on the quality of our care, going the extra mile to make Alder Hey a safe and special place for children and their families.
• Innovation: We are committed to continually improving for the benefit of our patients.
• Together: We work across the Alder Hey community in teams that are built on friendship, dedication, care and reassurance.
• Openness: We are open and honest and engage everyone we meet with a smile.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Communication

To provide one-to-one counselling for Trust staff. This will take place within The Alder Centre and from home in the form of face-to-face, online or phone support.

• Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive atmosphere.
• Elicit highly sensitive information relating to behaviour, state of mind, attitude from clients during assessments where there is a need to reassure and empathise with the client and a need to gain an understanding from the client of an agreement of the direction and aims of therapy.

• Close communication with recently bereaved individuals, requiring emotional robustness and sensitivity.
• Communicate with other professionals internally within the Trust and externally.
• Awareness of the effects of bereavement.
• An ability to work with traumatic grief.

Analytical skills

• Initial assessment of clients and continued assessment over an agreed period of counselling.
• Ability to analyse information from individuals who are under immense distress.
• To participate in regular caseload and performance management review.
• To participate in regular clinical supervision (provided by the Alder Centre).

Planning and organising skills

• Manage ongoing caseload of clients.
• Plan and manage own time and maintain awareness of daily team commitments.

Physical skills

• Listening skills
• Keyboard skills.

Responsibility for patient/client care

• Deliver therapy to meet the needs of individual clients.
• Contribute towards an appropriate therapeutic environment within the Alder Centre. This requires individual counsellors to support and assist colleagues and participate as a committed team member.

Responsibility for policy/service development

• Follow national and organisational policies applicable to their role including those implemented as a result of legislative changes.
• To comment on changes in administration procedures.
• Adhere to the Trust's Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Responsibility for financial and physical resources

• Careful use of counselling facilities and equipment.

Responsibility for human resources

• Demonstrates own duties.
• To be flexible in working hours, practices and attitude. This may include some evening and weekend working according to the pattern of the Centre's activities and service user needs.
• To assist in facilitating group support and delivery of training in relation to Child-bereavement.

Responsibility for information resources

To keep appropriate client records and observe associated Trust and Alder Centre administrative and clerical systems and procedures.

• Write up client notes following therapy sessions.
• Microsoft packages...
• Basic IT skills.
• Ability to keep confidential written documentation in line with GDPR.

Responsibility for research and development

• Keep up to date with new developments by reading, attending professional meetings and conferences on matters related to loss and bereavement and other areas of counselling applicable to development as a member of the Counselling Team and observance to professional status as per professional body's requirements.
• Complete regular waiting list audits and caseload statistics.
• Attendance at team events.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

Freedom to act

• Work with clients independently within policies and codes of conduct.

Physical efforts

• Accompany clients to and from reception area.
• Ability to sit for the duration of counselling sessions.

Mental effort

• In-depth proactive mental attention in client assessment and during therapy sessions.

Emotional effort

• Counselling child-bereaved individuals.
• Self-awareness: an understanding of own grief reactions and how they might impact on the therapeutic relationship.
• Providing therapy to individuals who are dealing with challenging family situations.
• Providing therapy for individuals with multiple presenting problems, e.g., bereavement, depression and anxiety.

Management and Leadership

• To be able to work as an effective, integrated team member.
• Able to work under own initiative and under difficult situations.
• Management of own caseload is essential.

Person Specification

Education & Training

Essential

• Recognised diploma in counselling or psychotherapy.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Have registered status with the BACP or equivalent professional body.

Desirable

• Degree / MA in counselling / psychotherapy.
• The Alder Centre course in Understanding Child Bereavement and Loss.

Experience

Essential

• Bereavement Counselling.
• Team working.
• Short-term and long-term counselling.
• Working in a support role.
• Working with clients face to face and telephone and video support work.

Desirable

• Occupational Health Counselling
• Specialist Child bereavement counselling
• Multidisciplinary working.
• Voluntary or NHS Health Sector experience.
• Home-based working
• Supporting Training programmes.

Knowledge

Essential

• Bereavement Counselling.
• Microsoft 365.

Desirable

• NHS structures and policy within a primary care context.

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed interpersonal skills and communication skills both oral and written.
• Evidence of ability to organise own workload.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• IT skills and basic data input.

Desirable

• Previous experience with data input on IT systems.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Flexible with regards to working methods, hours and attitude.
• Ability to sustain intense levels of concentration responding and participating as required.
• Ability to self-reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
• Ability to cope and deal with highly distressing emotional circumstances.
• Commitment to continuing professional development and to reflexive clinical practice.

Employer details

Employer name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Alder Centre

Eaton Road

Liverpool

L12 2AP

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

411-COR-24-6817788