Alder Centre Counsellor

Detailed job description and main 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 e.g., 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 an 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, eg 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.