Counsellor or Psychotherapist - Bereavement

St Margaret's Hospice Care; Taunton; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 23,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance

Health plan

EAP with GP access

Free on-site parking

Learning & development

Volunteer opportunities

Job summary

St Margaret’s Hospice Care seeks an experienced counsellor or psychotherapist to assess and support bereaved individuals, including complex needs, with risk and safeguarding in mind. The role includes day-to-day management of referrals, caseloads and delivery of bereavement support, plus overseeing volunteers and students across Taunton and Yeovil sites with travel across Somerset.

The post is a part-time, permanent Band 5 role (22.5 hours weekly, Mon-Wed) with salary £19,225.38–£23,403.04 per

Qualifications

• Experience of providing therapeutic, counselling or specialist bereavement support.
• Ability to assess complex needs and manage risk.
• Strong understanding of professional boundaries and safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Assess complex bereavement needs and develop person-centred plans.
• Manage referrals and caseloads effectively.
• Support grief and loss with compassion and professional boundaries.
• Lead, supervise and develop Bereavement Support Volunteers and counselling students.

Skills

Bereavement support

Risk assessment

Safeguarding

Supervision

Communication

Multidisciplinary collaboration

CPD

Job description

We are seeking an experienced counsellor or psychotherapist to provide specialist assessment and support to bereaved individuals, including those with more complex needs, identifying and responding appropriately to risk and safeguarding concerns.

This role will have accountability for the day to day management of service referrals, caseloads and delivery of bereavement support.

An important part of the role will be managing and developing our bereavement support volunteer team, ensuring volunteers and counselling students are recruited, inducted, supported and supervised to provide high-quality, safe and compassionate support.

Role Details

• Salary: £19,225.38 - £23,403.04 per annum
• Agenda for Change equivalent: Band 5
• Working pattern: Part time 22.5 hours a week, worked Monday to Wednesday
• Contract: Permanent

This cross-county role will be based across our Taunton and Yeovil hospice sites, with regular travel across Somerset as part of the role.

What can you expect to be doing?

• Assessing complex bereavement needs and developing appropriate, person-centred plans of support.
• Managing and prioritising referrals and caseloads effectively.
• Supporting people experiencing grief and loss with compassion, sensitivity and appropriate professional boundaries.
• Leading, supporting and supervising Bereavement Support Volunteers and counselling students on placement.
• Supporting the recruitment, induction, development and retention of bereavement volunteers.
• Working collaboratively with hospice multidisciplinary teams and external health, social care and community services.
• Recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding and other areas of risk.
• Monitoring service quality and outcomes through data, audit and the experiences of people accessing support.
• Developing and reviewing bereavement policies, procedures and operational guidance.
• Providing training and education to staff, volunteers and other professionals.
• Contributing to service reports and the continued development of high-quality, equitable bereavement support across the county.
• Representing St Margaret’s Hospice within local and national bereavement networks.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience of providing therapeutic, counselling or specialist bereavement support.
• The ability to assess complex needs and identify and manage risk appropriately.
• A strong understanding of professional boundaries, safeguarding and confidentiality.
• Experience of supporting, supervising and developing others, ideally including volunteers or students.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• The confidence to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary and organisational boundaries.
• An evidence-based approach to practice and a commitment to continuing professional development.
• An interest in service improvement, evaluation and demonstrating outcomes.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and ensuring equitable access to support.
• The resilience, reflective practice and self-awareness required to work effectively within bereavement care.

Our Values

At St Margaret’s Hospice, our values guide everything we do. We are:

• Compassionate: Kindness and care for everyone, every day
• Collaborative: One team, working together for one goal
• Ambitious: Striving for better, now and into the future.

Inclusive recruitment

If you need adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail] or call 01823 774834.

Why join St Margaret’s Hospice?

You won’t just be joining a fantastic team -- you’ll become part of a welcoming, community-minded charity making a real difference every day.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment alongside a range of benefits including:

Holiday entitlement

• 33 days including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro-rata if part-time)
• For Band 5 clinical roles, annual leave entitlement may include reckonable service from previous clinical roles at Band 5 or above, where joining us directly from the NHS or another hospice.*
• Ability to buy and sell annual leave

Pension scheme

• NHS pension continuation where applicable*
• 6% employer / 5% employee contribution for non-NHS staff

Additional Benefits

• Life assurance cover (2x salary)*
• Health Cash Plans
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access, counselling, wellbeing support, and legal/financial advice
• Blue Light Discount Card
• Enhanced maternity leave*
• Excellent learning and development opportunities
• Free on-site parking in Yeovil and Taunton
• Opportunities to volunteer and support fundraising initiatives
• Eligibility criteria applies

Closing date:

16/11/2026

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Safer Recruitment

St Margaret's Hospice are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who use our services.

As part of our safer recruitment processes, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks relevant to the role. These may include verification of identity, right to work, references, qualifications, DBS, and other regulatory, fraud prevention, and compliance checks.

The Disclosure and Barring Service offers a confidential checking service for transgender applicants. This route gives applicants the choice not to have any gender or name information disclosed on their DBS certificate and is available for all levels of DBS check.