Lead Counsellor Required: Across Dorset

WhereToTalk; England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

Waythrough is seeking a Lead Counsellor to oversee the counselling service across Dorset, ensuring high-quality, client-centred therapeutic support from assessment to intervention.

You will provide clinical leadership, support counsellors, and uphold safeguarding and quality standards within the HAGA/STAND partnership, delivering compassionate care across services.

Working across our Dorset sites, you will ensure safe pathways and continuous improvement of therapy provision for residents in need.

Qualifications

• PGDip (or equivalent) in counselling or psychotherapy.
• Direct, face-to-face client experience in substance use or mental health settings.
• Experience supervising other therapists.
• Registered with PSA-accredited body (e.g., BACP, UKCP).
• Strong safeguarding knowledge and confident clinical decision-making.
• Excellent communication, organisational and casemanagement skills.
• Commitment to high-quality, person-centred therapeutic services.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership for the counselling function and safe therapy delivery.
• Recruit, supervise and support counsellors and trainees.
• Offer expert guidance on high-risk cases and escalation.
• Oversee assessment and referral processes for timely pathways.
• Lead on quality assurance: monitoring, feedback and audits.
• Review and maintain clinical notes in line with policies.
• Update policies and safeguarding practices as needed.
• Collaborate with external agencies to coordinate client care.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Face-to-face counselling

Clinical supervision

PSA registration

Safeguarding knowledge

Communication & casemanagement

Education

PGDip in counselling/psychotherapy

Job description

As the Lead Counsellor within our alcohol and nonopiate support service, you will play a central role in ensuring the delivery of high quality, client centred therapeutic support. Working across our Dorset services, you will lead on the clinical integrity of our counselling provision, ensuring that residents receive safe, effective, and compassionate support.

You will oversee the full therapeutic pathway from assessment through to intervention ensuring best practice, safeguarding, and quality standards are upheld across the service.

Main duties of the job

Key Duties

• Provide clinical leadership for the counselling function, ensuring safe and effective therapeutic delivery
• Recruit, supervise, and support counsellors and trainees working within the service.
• Offer expert guidance on complex and high risk cases, supporting decision making and escalation.
• Oversee the assessment and referral process to ensure timely, robust, and client centred pathways.
• Lead on quality assurance for therapy provision, including monitoring, feedback, and auditing.

About us

About Waythrough

Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, weve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England.

Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services and its all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers.

Job responsibilities

About the Role

As the Lead Counsellor within our alcohol and nonopiate support service, you will play a central role in ensuring the delivery of highquality, clientcentred therapeutic support. Working within the HAGA/STAND partnership, you will lead on the clinical integrity of our counselling provision, ensuring that residents receive safe, effective, and compassionate support.

You will oversee the full therapeutic pathwayfrom assessment through to interventionensuring best practice, safeguarding, and quality standards are upheld across the service.

Key Duties

• Provide clinical leadership for the counselling function, ensuring safe and effective therapeutic delivery.
• Recruit, supervise, and support counsellors and trainees working within the service.
• Offer expert guidance on complex and highrisk cases, supporting decisionmaking and escalation.
• Oversee the assessment and referral process to ensure timely, robust, and clientcentred pathways.
• Lead on quality assurance for therapy provision, including monitoring, feedback, and auditing.
• Review and maintain clinical notes and ensure compliance with service policies and professional standards.
• Regularly review and update therapeutic policies, processes, and safeguarding practices.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with external agencies to support safe, coordinated client care.

Person Specification

Key Requirements

• You will have:
• A recognised PGDip (or equivalent) in counselling or psychotherapy.
• Substantial facetoface client experience within substance use, mental health, or related support settings.
• Experience providing clinical supervision or supporting the development of other therapists.
• Registration with a PSAaccredited professional body (e.g., BACP, UKCP).
• A strong understanding of safeguarding practices and the ability to make confident clinical decisions.
• Excellent communication, organisational, and casemanagement skills.
• A commitment to delivering highquality, personcentred therapeutic services.

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.