Senior Staff Counsellor

Post: Senior Counsellor
Salary: £54,332 per annum
Grade: FRS F
Salary range: £54,332 – £70,549 per annum
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Application closing date: 4 PM on Thursday 06 March 2025

London Fire Brigade (LFB) is London’s Fire and Rescue Service – one of the largest firefighting and rescue organisations in the world. We are here to make London a safer city.

An exciting vacancy has arisen in the LFB for a second Senior Staff Counsellor to join our Counselling and Trauma Service on a permanent basis. We provide a comprehensive counselling service covering all areas of work-related and personal issues to the staff of a large emergency service.

Are you a qualified Counsellor or Psychotherapist with accredited or senior accredited status in the BACP or equivalent?

Do you have a qualification and/or proven experience in delivering clinical supervision?

Do you have experience of managing aspects of an established counselling service?

Do you possess the expertise, skills and enthusiasm to join a well-established team?

You will have the skills to develop effective counselling/supervisory relationships with a wide range of staff/staff counsellors from a variety of cultural backgrounds and possess an understanding of the role of counselling in an organisational setting.

Specialist skills in using CBT, expertise in working with trauma-related issues and experience in management of a counselling service would be an advantage.

Minimum Requirements:

Applicants must hold a minimum Diploma in Counselling and be currently accredited by the BACP or equivalent organisation.

Assessment Overview:

1. The post-holder must hold a minimum Diploma in Counselling and be currently accredited by the BACP or equivalent organisation.
2. Substantial experience of providing clinical supervision.
3. Experience of managing aspects of a busy counselling service.
4. Understanding of a range of therapeutic modalities and techniques as appropriate for workplace counselling in a large emergency service.
5. Maintaining information and record systems efficiently and developing improvements.
6. Organisational: be able to prioritise and plan own and other workloads to ensure that targets and service requirements are met and to cope with changing demands.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend stage 2.

Please ensure you give yourself enough time to complete and submit your application. Late or un-submitted applications cannot be accepted.

Additional Information:

Benefits of working for the London Fire Brigade:

• 26 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexi-time Scheme (which can result in an additional 12 days annual leave)
• Additional leave between Christmas Day and New Year
• Family (including maternity) leave and emergency support leave
• Flexible working including work from home 60%
• Free access to the Brigade gym
• Use of the Brigade’s Medical Adviser/physios/fitness advisers
• Free counselling
• Season ticket loans
• Join social networks including our Equality Support Groups
• Contributory pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff discount scheme including access to Blue Light Card retail and hospitality discounts
• Opportunity to access affordable accommodation

In line with the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) employment checks will be completed by successful candidates, which will include a criminal records check. Successful candidates will be required to declare any convictions for offences which are not spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and any offer of employment is subject to the LFC receiving a criminal records disclosure which it considers satisfactory. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced check will be undertaken on the successful person before an appointment is confirmed.