Lead Counsellor (37.5 hours)

St Peter & St James Hospice; Piddinghoe; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

St Peter & St James Hospice seeks an experienced Lead Counsellor to direct and develop the counselling service for patients, families and the bereaved. You will provide clinical leadership, supervise counsellors and volunteers, and shape bereavement services across the hospice.

The role requires an accredited counsellor with leadership experience and a commitment to person-centred care. You will manage referrals, triage processes, and drive service improvement in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Accredited counsellor with leadership experience.
• Experience supervising staff and volunteers.
• Strong ability to manage referrals and triage efficiently.
• Familiarity with client record systems and audits.

Responsibilities

• Provide counselling and psychosocial support to patients, families and the bereaved.
• Lead, supervise and develop counsellors and volunteers.
• Oversee referrals, assessments and service delivery.
• Develop training for staff and external stakeholders.
• Monitor service performance and contribute to guideline reviews.

Skills

Counselling leadership

Supervision

Volunteer management

People skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Counselling qualification (Dip/MA/BA in Counselling)

Job description

Are you an experienced and compassionate counsellor with a passion for supporting people facing life-limiting illness, loss and bereavement?As our Lead Counsellor, you will lead and develop our counselling service, ensuring patients, families, friends and the bereaved receive timely, responsive and high-quality psychosocial support. You will provide clinical leadership to our counselling team, supervise staff and volunteers, and play a key role in shaping and developing counselling and bereavement services across the hospice. If you are an accredited counsellor with leadership experience and a commitment to person-centred care, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

Provide counselling and psychosocial support to patients, families, friends and those who are bereaved.Manage counselling referrals and assessment processes, ensuring a timely and effective response in line with organisational standards and key performance indicators.Triage incoming referrals and allocate support appropriately across the counselling team.Lead, supervise and support qualified counsellors and volunteer counsellors.Recruit, train and develop volunteer counsellors to meet service needs.Provide counselling supervision and professional guidance to members of the counselling team.Oversee the coordination and ongoing development of bereavement support groups and identify opportunities for additional group services.Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and contribute to holistic patient care planning.Deliver psychosocial and counselling-related training to colleagues and external stakeholders as required.Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records using designated electronic systems.Ensure counselling practice adheres to professional standards, codes of conduct, policies and procedures.Lead on service development initiatives and contribute to the review of clinical guidelines and working practices.Work closely with the Head of Supportive Care to monitor service performance and development.Support audit, evaluation and research activities to promote evidence-based practice.

About us

We are a highly regarded hospice team dedicated to delivering outstanding specialist palliative care. We offer a supportive working environment, opportunities for professional development, involvement in education and service improvement projects, and the chance to make a meaningful difference to patients and families when they need it most.

Job responsibilities

Lead and manage the counselling and bereavement support service, providing psychosocial support to patients, families and those who are bereaved. Oversee referrals, assessments and service delivery, while supervising and developing counsellors and volunteers. Contribute to multidisciplinary care, deliver training, maintain professional and clinical standards, and support service development, audit and evaluation to ensure a high-quality, evidence-based service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Counselling qualification (Dip/MA/BA in Counselling).
• BACP/UKCP accreditation (or working towards this).

Experience

• Excellent counselling, supervision and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to work both independently and in a multi-
• professional team/framework.
• Understanding of bereavement, grief and loss and their impact
• on individuals, families and their social networks.
• Evidence of on-going CPD and proactive approach to own
• Confident in the use of working with technology and IT system.
• Experience of working with loss, grief, attachment, life-limiting
• Experience of working with/managing volunteers.
• Experience of working in a health/social care setting.
• Experience of working in a palliative care setting.
• Working knowledge of multi-cultural needs.
• Experience of delivering counselling related training to others.
• Experience of using client record systems.
• Experience of undertaking audits/research.

Additional Criteria

• Integrity and discretion.
• Flexible and willing to adapt to changing hospice needs.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Current driving licence and access to own vehicle for community.

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.