Counsellor

NHS Jobs; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Staff benefits information

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a substantive Band 6 Counsellor to support the new Maternal Mental Health Service in the Paediatric and Women’s Health Psychology service. The role is 0.7 WTE within a dynamic bereavement team, providing specialist counselling for pregnancy loss and bereavement support to families.

You will be registered with the BACP/UKCP/BICA and hold a postgraduate counselling qualification, with experience in healthcare settings and managing

Qualifications

• Diploma level qualification in counselling on a BACP/BICA accredited course.
• Eligible for membership of the BACP and/or BICA.
• Current professional registration to practice as a qualified counsellor (BACP/UKCP/BICA).
• Post graduate qualification in Counselling.
• BICA accreditation.

Responsibilities

• Provide counselling for women during or after pregnancy within the bereavement pathway.
• Work as part of the bereavement team in a busy tertiary unit.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date client records.
• Offer flexible counselling sessions (face-to-face/virtual/telephone).
• Support families through pregnancy loss and bereavement.

Skills

Communication skills

Caseload management

IT skills

Education

Diploma in counselling (BACP/BICA accredited)

Eligible for BACP/BICA membership

Postgraduate qualification in Counselling

BICA accreditation

Tools

Electronic patient records

Microsoft Excel

Email communications

Job description

Go back The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Counsellor

The closing date is 12 October 2026

An opportunity has arisen for a substantive band 6 Counsellor post working in the new Maternal Mental Health Service within the Paediatric and Women's Health Psychology service at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust. The post is available on a 0.7 wte basis.The paediatric and women's health psychology service is a thriving department, which is committed to child and family centred care. There are opportunities for professional development through regular CPD, involvement in service improvement projects, and supervision. The paediatric and women's health psychology service is part of the wider department of Psychology in Healthcare, enabling collaboration and support with colleagues.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a compassionate, creative and skilled individual to provide sessions around anticipatory grief and to those bereaved families following the loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth. The post holder will work independently but also be part of the bereavement team that provide care within a busy tertiary unit. The pregnancy loss might be unexpected or expected following confirmation of foetal anomalies. The post would suit someone who has some counselling experience following pregnancy loss. Counselling may be offered on a face-to-face/virtual meeting or over the telephone depending on the wishes of the family.

The successful applicant will become an integral member of the team. We offer flexible working arrangements, in return we ask for your flexibility in meeting service need. This role which will further enhance the bereavement care we provide to families. The post holder will have responsibility for maintaining accurate and relevant client records.

About us

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide counselling for women during or following pregnancy who have self-referred as part of a bereavement pathway or have been referred by healthcare professionals to the Maternal Mental Health Service. You will act as a mental health resource to women, birthing people and their families through difficult and emotional times. You will be part of the new NUTH Maternal Mental Health Service and work into the bereavement pathway. You will be working in a supportive team environment where you can benefit from flexible working whilst supporting families by providing specialist bereavement counselling support.

To be successful in this role you will be registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). You will need to hold current registration to practice as a qualified counsellor. Experience of providing a counselling service within a healthcare setting and managing your own caseload is essential. Working with people experiencing trauma and anxiety is also essential. Experience of working in a maternity setting with couples and families would be desirable. The post holder requires well developed communication and relationship skills.

Appropriate IT skills to enable smooth working within modern NHS environment including the use of electronic patient records is essential to the role. Knowledge of the Clinical Governance agenda this role requires will help strengthen the bereavement care pathway the families find themselves engaged with. The bereavement counsellor will a have a unique role in providing psychological and emotional support for women, birthing people and their families.

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals are a forward thinking and highly innovative organisation, the use of Third-Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual application or to the recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Education

• oDiploma level qualification in counselling on a BACP/BICA accredited course
• oEligible for membership of the BACP and/or BICA
• oCurrent professional registration to practice as a qualified counsellor (BACP/UKCP/BICA)
• oPost graduate qualification in Counselling
• oBICA accreditation

Knowledge & Experience

• oExperience of providing a counselling service within a healthcare setting
• oExperience of dealing with clients presenting multiple and complex issues
• oExperience of prioritising and managing own caseload
• oExperience of maintaining clear and up to date client records
• oEvidence of recent/relevant CPD
• oExperience of providing in house training
• oEvidence of contribution to service development
• oAwareness of and commitment to Clinical Governance agenda
• oExperience or working in a Maternity setting
• oAudit and/or change management/service development
• oExperience of working with groups
• oLocal healthcare/ mental health system, social and community networks
• oAcute hospital structures
• oSupervisor/mentor training relevant to professional practice

Skills & Abilities

• oWell-developed communication and relationship skills
• oAppropriate IT skills to enable smooth working within modern NHS environment including email and excel and patient information system
• oAbility to meet the travel requirements

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust