Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor

Integrated Care System; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Part time

Job summary

A community health organization is seeking a compassionate Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor to support students at Collective Acting Studio in London. This part-time role involves providing short-term counselling and wellbeing advice, tailored to young adults in the performing arts. The ideal candidate will have relevant qualifications and experience in therapeutic interventions, helping students manage mental health challenges. This position emphasizes collaboration and mental health awareness in a dynamic educational environment.

Qualifications

• Experience providing therapeutic support to young adults.
• Experience in conducting psychological assessments.
• Experience delivering brief, goal-focused therapeutic interventions.

Responsibilities

• Provide part-time mental health support to students.
• Deliver up to six counselling sessions per student.
• Promote mental health awareness within the student community.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to conduct risk assessment

Basic IT skills

Education

Relevant qualification in counselling/psychotherapy

Registration with a recognized professional body

Post-qualification training in evidence-based psychological therapy

Job description

Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor

Brandon Centre is seeking a compassionate, skilled and self motivated Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor to deliver a part time mental health and wellbeing service for students at Collective Acting Studio, a dynamic acting school in Islington. The role is suitable for Clinical/Counselling Psychologists, Psychotherapists, or Counsellors, interested in working in a creative higher education setting. The role provides early intervention, short term counselling, and signposting support tailored to young adults preparing for careers in the performing arts. You will offer direct wellbeing advice and up to six counselling sessions per student, helping individuals manage stress, performance pressure, and personal challenges while promoting a positive and resilient student culture. You will be part of the wider Wellbeing Team at Collective Acting Studio and will attend their team meetings.

Main duties of the job

The Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor will provide part-time mental health support to students at Collective Acting Studio. The role involves delivering short-term counselling (up to six sessions per student), offering wellbeing advice, and signposting students to internal and external support services. The Advisor will work closely with students to help them manage stress, performance pressures, and personal challenges, fostering a positive student culture. Regular collaboration with the wellbeing team at Collective Acting Studio will be key, including attendance at team meetings. The role also includes providing one-on-one consultations, conducting psychological assessments, and managing a caseload. The Advisor will promote mental health awareness and ensure that all work adheres to safeguarding, confidentiality, and data protection standards. They will also contribute to service monitoring and evaluation.

N.B.This is a term-time only part-time role.

About us

BRANDONCENTRE OVERVIEW

The principal objective of the Brandon Centre, since it was founded in 1969 by Dr Faith Spicer, has been to provide a professional, accessible, and flexible service which responds to the psychological and social needs of young people under the age of 25.

Services include:

• counselling and psychotherapy for young people
• systemic integrative treatment for families
• parenting programmes
• consultation and training for organisations working with young people

The Brandon Centre maintains excellent links with Clinical Psychology training courses (North London: UCL, UEL, and RHUL and Hertfordshire) and Psychotherapy training courses (Tavistock and Birkbeck), and regularly accepts trainees from those courses.

COLLECTIVEACTING STUDIO OVERVIEW

Collective Acting Studio is a London-based, industry-focusedactor training program that emphasises screen acting and creating originalwork. It offers a full-time BA (Hons) Acting degree, as well as part-time dramaschool options, a youth academy, and short courses for professional actors. Thestudio is known for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, particularly forunderrepresented groups in the performing arts.

Job responsibilities

A. OUTLINE OF POST AND PRINCIPAL CONTRACT TERMS

Job Title: Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor

Contract: Fixed-term/sessional (term-time only)

Hours: 1 day per week in-person (Fridays, 6 hours paid plus unpaid 30 minor 1-hour lunch break), term time only (5th of September 2025 to 15th of May2026, inclusive)

Reports to: Clinical Director

B. JOB SUMMARY

Brandon Centre is seeking a compassionate, skilled andself motivated Student Counsellor and Wellbeing Advisor to deliver a part timemental health and wellbeing service for students at Collective Acting Studio, adynamic acting school in Islington. The role is suitable forClinical/Counselling Psychologists, Psychotherapists, or Counsellors,interested in working in a creative higher education setting. The role providesearly intervention, short term counselling, and signposting support tailored toyoung adults preparing for careers in the performing arts. You will offerdirect wellbeing advice and up to six counselling sessions per student, helpingindividuals manage stress, performance pressure, and personal challenges whilepromoting a positive and resilient student culture. You will be part of thewider Wellbeing Team at Collective Acting Studio and will attend their teammeetings.

C. BRANDON CENTRE OVERVIEW

The principal objective of the Brandon Centre, since it wasfounded in 1969, has been to provide a professional, accessible, and flexibleservice which responds to the psychological and social needs of young peopleunder the age of 25.

Services include:

• counselling and psychotherapy for young people
• systemic integrative treatment for families
• parenting programmes
• consultation and training for organisationsworking with young people

The Brandon Centre maintains excellent links with ClinicalPsychology training courses (North London: UCL, UEL, and RHUL andHertfordshire) and Psychotherapy training courses (Tavistock and Birkbeck), andregularly accepts trainees from those courses.

D. COLLECTIVEACTING STUDIO OVERVIEW

Collective Acting Studio is a London-based, industry-focusedactor training program that emphasises screen acting and creating originalwork. It offers a full-time BA (Hons) Acting degree, as well as part-time dramaschool options, a youth academy, and short courses for professional actors. Thestudio is known for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, particularly forunderrepresented groups in the performing arts.

E. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in regular clinical supervision andcontribute to service monitoring and evaluation.
• Manage and prioritise own caseload and timetablein relation to service needs.
• Promote mental health awareness and wellbeingpractices within the student community.
• Offer timely signposting and referrals tointernal and external support services (NHS, voluntary sector, etc.).
• Liaise with Collective Acting Studio staff(e.g., tutors, pastoral team) where appropriate and with consent.
• Maintain clear, confidential clinical recordsand adhere to safeguarding and GDPR requirements.
• Deliver up to six counselling sessions perstudent, using evidenceinformed therapeutic approaches.
• Provide onetoone wellbeing consultations,offering emotional support, advice, and practical coping strategies.
• Attend weekly Student Support meetings with thewider Collective Acting Studio Wellbeing Team.
• Proactively reaching out to identified studentsof concern.

General Responsibilities for all Brandon Centre Staff

All employees of the Brandon Centre are required to observelegislation, Brandon Centre Policies, standards and guidelines relating toconfidentiality, information governance, risk management, safeguardingchildren, safeguarding adults, equal opportunities, data protection, freedom ofinformation, health and safety, infection control, and the Health and SocialCare Act 2008.

Confidentiality and data protection

All Brandon Centre employees are requiredto ensure that personal data and personal information concerning service usersand staff is protected at all times, to maintain confidentiality in accordancewith the Brandon Centres policy on confidentiality and information governance,and data protection legislation.

Staff are required to obtain, process anduse personal information in a fair and lawful way, to hold personal informationonly for the specific registered purpose, and to only share or disclose data toauthorised persons or organisations following the strict guidelines andprinciples as outlined in Brandon Centre policies as instructed.

All Brandon Centre employees are expectedto sign a confidentiality agreement on taking up their post at the Centre.

The post holder will be expected to liaisewith staff at Collective Acting Studio regarding student wellbeing and supportneeds. This will be done with the students informed consent, unless there is asignificant safeguarding concern where sharing information without consent isnecessary to protect the student or others from harm, in line with BrandonCentres safeguarding and information governance policies.

Safeguarding of children and adults

All staff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote thewelfare of all children and adults that they come into contact with during thecourse of their work at the Brandon Centre. The post holder will receive theappropriate level of training, both at induction and on an ongoing basis. Theyare responsible for ensuring that they are familiar with, understand and alwayswork within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

Health records, record keeping and record management

All staff have an obligation to ensure that patient records(both paper and electronic) are maintained in accordance with Brandon Centrepolicies, to facilitate clinical care and effective administration, and toensure that confidentiality is protected at all times. All staff are advised tocompile records on the assumption that they are accessible to patients in linewith the Access to Health Records Act 1990.

Equality and Diversity

The Brandon Centre is committed to equality in employmentand service delivery. Its Equal Opportunities Policy aims to ensure that no jobapplicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex,race, colour, religion, marital status, sexuality, age or disability and is notplaced at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown tobe justified. All those working for Brandon Centre are expected to activelypromote equality and diversity in all aspects of their work.

Health and Safety

Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed onthem under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), and to ensure that agreedsafety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees,patients and visitors.

Infection Control

The post holder will ensure compliance with the BrandonCentres Infection Prevention and Control policies and procedures, and theHealth and Social Care Act 2008, ensuring that the risk of healthcareassociated infection to service users and staff is minimised.

All staff must ensure that waste produced within the Centreis disposed of in such ways that control risk to health or safety of staff andthe public alike in accordance with relevant legislation and procedurescontained within the policy.

Smoke free environment

There is a no smoking policy in operation in the BrandonCentre. In accordance with this policy smoking is positively discouraged and isnot permitted on the premises.

To be noted:This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and thepostholder may be required to undertake other duties in discussion with themanager.This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changingservice requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the postholder.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience providing therapeutic support to young adults.
• Experience in conducting psychological assessments, taking a holistic biopsychosocial approach.
• Experience delivering brief, goalfocused therapeutic interventions.
• Experience working in education or artsbased environments.
• Experience in service monitoring and evaluation.

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to administer and interpret psychometric outcome measures and to use this information alongside other clinical information to inform formulation and intervention.
• Ability to conduct risk assessment with young people and develop risk management plans.
• Understanding of challenges faced by students in higher education and creative disciplines.
• Understanding and sensitivity to working in a multicultural community.
• Ability to work independently, manage time, and maintain professional boundaries.
• An awareness of relevant guidance and legislation (e.g. safeguarding) and its implications for clinical practice.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills.
• Basic IT skills (e.g. MS Office and Video Calling Software)
• Ability to be reliable, cooperative and consistent both as an independent clinician and in team settings.
• Ability to work well under pressure and/or in times of crisis.
• Knowledge of referral pathways and local mental health services in North London.
• Group facilitation or psychoeducation experience.
• Skills in providing consultation/training to other professional and non-professional groups.

Qualifications

• Relevant qualification in counselling, psychotherapy, clinical or counselling psychology.
• Registration with a recognised professional body (e.g., BACP, UKCP, BPC, BABCP, HCPC).
• Post-qualification training in an evidence-based psychological therapy (e.g. IPT, MBT, CBT).

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.