Counsellor on Placement North London

Place2be; London; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An established charity is seeking passionate Counsellors to provide vital emotional and therapeutic support in schools. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and young people, helping them navigate their mental health challenges. As a Counsellor on Placement, you will work closely with children, offering one-to-one counselling and participating in professional development workshops. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the organization encourages applications from all backgrounds, particularly from male candidates to reflect the communities served. This role is a stepping stone into a rewarding career in mental health support.

Benefits

Regular supervision

Tailored training workshops

Clinical supervision

Continuing professional development

Qualifications

• Fully qualified Counsellor or studying towards a relevant qualification.
• Experience with children is essential for applicants.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional and therapeutic support to children aged 4-18.
• Attend up to six optional workshops for professional development.

Skills

Counselling

Therapeutic Support

Emotional Support

Education

Diploma in Counselling (Level 4 or above)

Degree, MSc, or MA in Counselling or Psychotherapy

Job description

Thank you for your interest in a Counselling Placement at a Place2Be partner school!

Click this link to view a map of our placement schools: Placement Map

• Please note that not all schools will have placements available, but we will try our best to match you to a convenient placement.
• We recruit for Counsellors to start in school in January, April or September in line with school term time. Please note the recruitment and onboarding process can take 2-3 months.
• Please only apply for one vacancy as multiple applications are rejected on the system. If successful upon interview, you will have the opportunity to discuss your location preference.
• All successful applicants would need a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check that is enhanced, checked for children’s and adult’s barred list, and is registered on the Update Service.

Counsellors on Placement provide emotional and therapeutic support to children and young people aged 4-18 in Place2Be partner schools. As an organisation that has adopted the BACP ethical framework of good practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, counsellors working within the organisation are dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of the children they work with.

• Place2Be provides a high level of support to counsellors on placement through regular supervision, tailored training workshops, and offers a well-recognised clinical placement*.
• We provide a comprehensive induction programme and clinical supervision is undertaken at the end of each day.
• We need you to be available for a minimum of one day per week to work in a therapeutic capacity with up to 3 children offering one-to-one counselling.
• Placements are term time only and run for one academic year. There are opportunities for you to stay with us beyond one year.
• You will have the opportunity to attend up to six optional workshops throughout the year which are recognised as continuing professional development time.
• Sessions spent with children are accepted as clinical hours towards professional accreditation, and are recognised by the BACP and UKCP.
• A placement is an excellent stepping stone into a job opportunity and career with Place2Be, over two-thirds of our clinical staff were once Counsellors on Placement.
• We have places available in our projects in both primary and secondary schools nationwide.

*Counting your hours

All clinical hours gained on placement can be used towards accreditation with a body such as BACP and UKCP. However, if you need to gain clinical hours for your course, we strongly advise checking with your course tutor whether child hours are accepted before applying. If your course does not accept child hours but you would like to gain counselling experience working with children and young people, you can still apply for a Place2Be placement as a second placement.

Diversity and Inclusion

Place2Be is committed to equal opportunities and anti-discrimination practices, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. We are particularly interested in attracting applications from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Additionally, for our clinical roles, we are especially keen to attract male candidates to reflect the diversity of the partner schools and communities we serve.

About You

You will be a fully qualified Counsellor, Therapist, or studying towards one of these professions at the following levels:

• Diploma in Counselling (Level 4 or above). If you are in your first year, you will have completed a full academic year Certificate Course in Counselling or the equivalent of 9-12 months.
• Degree, MSc, or MA in Counselling or Psychotherapy - if you are in your first year, you will have relevant experience of direct work with children.

We are always looking for suitable counsellors on placement. If you believe you have what it takes to thrive in this challenging, rewarding environment, please apply. View/download the full Job Description and Person Specification on our website for further details.

About Us

Place2Be is the leading children's mental health charity providing in-school support and professional development to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, families, teachers, and school staff. The charity currently provides an embedded mental health service in 500 UK primary and secondary schools supporting a community of around 243,000 children and young people.

Our teams offer a range of services in partner schools to build resilience early in life through counselling, creative work, and play, supporting children's engagement in school life. Our work, focused on early intervention, is part of the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) system. We train approximately 1,200 Counsellors on Placement each year, building their mental health and counselling skills through practice in our partner schools. We also provide professional development on mental health and wellbeing for school staff and professionals, aiming to foster 'mentally healthy' schools and communities.

We continue to innovate and share learning, expertise, and findings from our ongoing research. HRH The Princess of Wales is our Royal Patron, and Place2Be is a founding partner of Heads Together. We collaborate with various charities and organizations to enhance outcomes for children and families. Our staff embody our core values of perseverance, integrity, compassion, and creativity, supporting some of the UK's most vulnerable children and families.

Our values:

We believe that our approach is as important as our work. Our four key values guide us:

Compassion – We bring empathy and kindness to better understand and meet the needs of children, young people, colleagues, and stakeholders.

Integrity – We act ethically, honestly, transparently, courageously, and authentically.

Perseverance – We persist in the face of adversity, determined to find effective solutions.

Creativity – We think openly and flexibly, encouraging others to do the same.