Counsellor on Placement Waltham Forest

Place2be; Essex; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Place2Be seeks Counsellors on Placement to provide emotional support to children aged 4-18 in partner schools. This role offers unique clinical hours towards professional accreditation, alongside tailored training and supervision to enhance counselling skills in a supportive environment. Ideal for those looking to make a positive impact on children's mental health.

Benefits

Regular supervision

Tailored training workshops

Recognition of clinical hours for accreditation

Optional workshops throughout the year

Qualifications

• Fully qualified Counsellor or studying towards relevant qualifications.
• Relevant experience of direct work with children is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional and therapeutic support to children and young people.
• Work in a therapeutic capacity with up to 3 children offering one-to-one counselling.
• Participate in regular supervision and training workshops.

Skills

Emotional support

Therapeutic skills

Communication

Education

Diploma in Counselling (Level 4 or above)

Degree, MSc, or MA in Counselling or Psychotherapy

Job description

Place2Be is seeking Counsellors on Placement to provide emotional support to children aged 4-18 in partner schools. This role offers a unique opportunity to gain clinical hours towards professional accreditation while making a positive impact on children's mental health. Successful applicants will benefit from tailored training, supervision, and the chance to develop their counselling skills in a supportive environment.

Regular supervision

Tailored training workshops

Recognition of clinical hours for accreditation

Optional workshops throughout the year

Qualifications

• Fully qualified Counsellor or studying towards relevant qualifications.
• Relevant experience of direct work with children is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional and therapeutic support to children and young people.
• Work in a therapeutic capacity with up to 3 children offering one-to-one counselling.
• Participate in regular supervision and training workshops.

Skills

Emotional support

Therapeutic skills

Communication

Education

Diploma in Counselling (Level 4 or above)

Degree, MSc, or MA in Counselling or Psychotherapy

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 you to check 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. 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 particularly keen on attracting male candidates to reflect the diversity of the partner schools and communities we work in.

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 and young people, families, teachers, and school staff. The charity currently provides an embedded mental health service in 500 UK primary and secondary schools supporting around 243,000 children and young people.

Our teams provide services in partner schools to build resilience early in life through counselling, creative work, and play, supporting children’s engagement in school. Our work, focused on early intervention, is part of the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) system.

Through our professional development programme, we train approximately 1,200 Counsellors on Placement each year, building their mental health and counselling skills through practice in partner schools. We also offer professional development on mental health and wellbeing for school staff to help create 'mentally healthy' schools and communities.

We pilot and explore new ways to develop our practice, sharing learning and expertise based on robust evidence and evaluation. 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 improve outcomes for children, families, and schools.

Our core values are perseverance, integrity, compassion, and creativity, guiding our work and interactions with vulnerable children and families.

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