Student Counsellor & Mental Health Support Practitioner

The City of Liverpool College; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Scheme

Leave entitlement

Employee Benefit Platform

Health and Wellbeing

Travel

Flexible Working

Professional Development

College Benefits

Job summary

The City of Liverpool College is seeking a permanent Student Counsellor & Mental Health Support Practitioner in Liverpool. The role combines counselling and mental health support to help students access courses and raise attainment, with 3 days in MH and 2 days as a counsellor.

It requires a BACP diploma, accreditation progress, and a strong safeguarding background. The post is 35 hours per week, 38 weeks term-time, with a generous benefits package and ongoing professional development

Qualifications

• BACP-recognised Diploma in Counselling.
• Hold or be working towards BACP accreditation.
• Educated to Level 4 e.g. Degree or equivalent.
• A recognised Mental Health qualification.
• Minimum of Level 2 literacy and numeracy or willingness to complete.
• An ICT qualification.
• Excellent computer literacy.
• Recent experience of working with the 16+ age group.
• Recent experience of using brief and focused interventions.
• Experience of assessing clients’ mental health needs.
• Experience of developing support plans and strategies
• Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding requirements and legislation.
• Engaged in Continuing Professional Development
• Ability to liaise effectively with tutors and outside agencies.
• High level of communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to set high standards for students, colleagues and for themselves

Responsibilities

• To contribute fully to the mission and values statement of the College ensuring its effective implementation in all aspects of College life.
• To promote and improve the mental health of learners at the college, who are impacted by poor mental health.
• To manage and maintain a caseload of students accessing both counselling and mental health needs from mild/moderate to severe and /or enduring in
• To provide high quality confidential Counselling (within BACP guidelines) within the service offer
• To undertake mental health educational needs assessments, reviewing cases, and managing a high caseload of learners
• Deliver complex and specialised Counselling and Mental Health interventions with learners on a 1-2-1 as well as drop in (MH only) basis
• To develop support and safety plans where required
• Work closely with the wider teams to offer a step up and step down approach to mental health support.
• To advocate for reasonable adjustments to support the attainment of education
• To liaise with the Safeguarding team when necessary to ensure safety and wellbeing of learners
• To contribute to achieving excellence in supporting students through innovative and excellent practice
• To use outcome measures to assess, monitor and evaluate to demonstrate the impact of interventions
• To adhere to the GDPR compliance requirements in relation to safeguarding of personal data
• To record, file and enter data in accordance with systems and policies
• To advocate on behalf of students as and when appropriate
• To develop mechanisms whereby, learners have a voice in order to evaluate the service and take an active role in decision making.
• To comply with the policies and practice requirements in terms of health and safety, safeguarding, equality and diversity etc.
• To adhere to record keeping and recording systems.
• To actively participate in the evaluation and quality assurance of the service.
• To share knowledge and skills through training as and when required.
• Raise awareness of Mental Health issues and support with offering practical advice to college staff and stakeholders.
• To work within a multi-agency framework to ensure the needs of students are addressed holistically. Participate in any multiagency meetings when required
• To actively promote participation in all aspects of service delivery.
• To contribute to the College and service area strategic objectives and to actively engage in the annual review
• Evaluate and improve own communication skills to maximise effective communication and overcome barriers
• To review own professional development needs and to participate fully in future training and development

Skills

BACP Diploma

BACP accreditation

ICT literacy

16+ experience

Brief interventions

Communication skills

Education

Level 4 qualification / Degree

Job description

Student Counsellor & Mental Health Support Practitioner

Application Deadline: 12 October 2026

Department: Learning Support

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Liverpool

Reporting To: Student Engagement and Wellbeing Manager Position

Compensation: £32,932.85 - £35,075.44 / year

Description

Job Title: Student Counsellor & Mental Health Support Practitioner

Department: Learning Support

Salary: £32,932.85 - £35,075.44

FTE: £37,822 - £40,106

Job Type: Permanent, 35 hours per week, 38 weeks TTO

To work within the Counselling and Mental Health Team, providing high quality confidential Counselling (within BACP guidelines) or Mental Health support to students to ensure that students are able to access their course of choice and advocate on behalf of students to facilitate educational attainment.

To play a key role in raising awareness around mental health issues and to offer practical advice and guidance to staff around inclusion. This role Covers both Counselling and Mental Health Support. The successful candidate will be required to work 3 days within the mental Health team and 2 days as a Counsellor. These arrangements will be reviewed regularly to meet the demand on the service. To contribute to achieving excellence in supporting students through innovative and excellent practice.

Responsible to: Student Engagement and Wellbeing Manager Position

Key Responsibilities

1. To contribute fully to the mission and values statement of the College ensuring its effective implementation in all aspects of College life
2. To promote and improve the mental health of learners at the college, who are impacted by poor mental health.
3. To manage and maintain a caseload of students accessing both counselling and mental health needs from mild/moderate to severe and /or enduring in
4. To provide high quality confidential Counselling (within BACP guidelines) within the service offer
5. To undertake mental health educational needs assessments, reviewing cases, and managing a high caseload of learners
6. Deliver complex and specialised Counselling and Mental Health interventions with learners on a 1-2-1 as well as drop in (MH only) basis
7. To develop support and safety plans where required
8. Work closely with the wider teams to offer a step up and step down approach to mental health support.
9. To advocate for reasonable adjustments to support the attainment of education
10. To liaise with the Safeguarding team when necessary to ensure safety and wellbeing of learners
11. To contribute to achieving excellence in supporting students through innovative and excellent practice
12. To use outcome measures to assess, monitor and evaluate to demonstrate the impact of interventions
13. To adhere to the GDPR compliance requirements in relation to safeguarding of personal data
14. To record, file and enter data in accordance with systems and policies
15. To advocate on behalf of students as and when appropriate
16. To develop mechanisms whereby, learners have a voice in order to evaluate the service and take an active role in decision making.
17. To comply with the policies and practice requirements in terms of health and safety, safeguarding, equality and diversity etc.
18. To adhere to record keeping and recording systems.
19. To actively participate in the evaluation and quality assurance of the service.
20. To share knowledge and skills through training as and when required.
21. Raise awareness of Mental Health issues and support with offering practical advice to college staff and stakeholders.
22. To work within a multi-agency framework to ensure the needs of students are addressed holistically. Participate in any multiagency meetings when required
23. To actively promote participation in all aspects of service delivery.
24. To contribute to the College and service area strategic objectives and to actively engage in the annual review
25. Evaluate and improve own communication skills to maximise effective communication and overcome barriers
26. To review own professional development needs and to participate fully in future training and development

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Essential Criteria

1. BACP-recognised Diploma in Counselling
2. Hold or be working towards BACP accreditation
3. Educated to Level 4 e.g. Degree or equivalent
4. A recognised Mental Health qualification
5. Minimum of Level 2 literacy and numeracy or willingness to complete
6. An ICT qualification
7. Excellent computer literacy
8. Recent experience of working with the 16+ age group
9. Recent experience of using brief and focused interventions
10. Experience of assessing clients’ mental health needs
11. Experience of developing support plans and strategies
12. Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding requirements and legislation.
13. Engaged in Continuing Professional Development
14. Ability to liaise effectively with tutors and outside agencies.
15. High level of communication and interpersonal skills
16. Ability to set high standards for students, colleagues and for themselves

Please Note

This role may close earlier than the advertised deadline if we receive sufficient applications. Early submission is strongly encouraged.

Benefits

Benefits of working at the College

As a valued member of our College community, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits, dedicated wellbeing support, and meaningful opportunities for professional growth and development.

Pension Scheme

You’ll be part of the Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions of up to 20.20%, one of the best pension packages in the sector.

Leave entitlement

Up to 30 days annual holiday allowance, plus 1 wellbeing day. You’ll also benefit from 5 to 7 days statutory closure and 2 further days closure at Easter.

Employee Benefit Platform

As part of your role, you’ll have access to the COLC Employee Benefits Platform, a one-stop hub for a wide range of perks designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and everyday savings. You’ll be able to access discounts at major supermarkets, fashion and lifestyle retailers, tech stores, travel providers, and more. You’ll also benefit from the Cycle to Work Scheme, cinema and leisure discounts and tech and home appliance discounts, with the option of spreading the cost through salary sacrifice. The platform is part of our commitment to supporting you in every aspect of your working life – and beyond.

Health and Wellbeing

As part of our commitment to supporting your health and wellbeing, all employees have access to the Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – a completely confidential support service available 24/7, 365 days a year. Whether you’re facing personal challenges, looking for advice, or simply need someone to talk to, Health Assured is here to help. Through Health Assured, you can access a 24/7 confidential helpline, face to face, online or telephone counselling, as well as structured support for a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationships, bereavement, legal and financial concerns.

You’ll also have access to the online wellbeing portal, a secure, user-friendly platform offering a wide range of self-help resources, health assessments, articles, and guidance covering emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing, and to the Wisdom App, which offers mood trackers and wellbeing tools, meditation guides, fitness videos, and self-help modules as well as daily wellbeing tips.

You’ll also be entitled to a free eye test through our voucher scheme with Specsavers, which covers a full eye exam (worth up to £25) and even includes £45 towards a pair of glasses. We also offer free flu vaccinations to help keep you feeling your best all year round.

Travel

We offer interest‑free loans to help you buy annual travel passes from Merseytravel and Merseyrail. That means you can enjoy the savings of up to two months' free travel—without having to cover the full cost upfront. It’s all about making your commute more affordable and less stressful.

Flexible Working

We offer flexible working options depending on business need to support our employee's work-life balance.

Professional Development

We’re passionate about helping you thrive, offering a mix of formal and informal professional development opportunities—designed to sharpen your skills, expand your knowledge, and accelerate your career.

College Benefits

Our excellent sports and fitness facilities can be used free of charge by staff. You can also access a range of discounted hair and beauty treatments at our Academy and Graduate Hair & Beauty Salons, and a staff discount at our Academy Restaurant.