Therapist

Look Ahead; Bromley; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK social care provider seeks a compassionate Therapist for its Young People's services in Bromley and Ealing. You will lead therapeutic groups and support staff in enhancing the psychological environment for young people. This role involves creative therapeutic approaches and collaboration with multiple agencies to improve emotional wellbeing.

Benefits

Annual leave increasing with length of service

Free DBS

Exclusive discounts and cashback

Fully paid induction programme and further training

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience working with young people or social care services.
• Knowledge of group therapy and crisis support.
• Specialist expertise (e.g., dual diagnosis, substance misuse).

Responsibilities

• Implement and support a Psychological Informed Environment.
• Lead therapeutic groups and activities including arts and movement therapy.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams for comprehensive information sharing.

Skills

Social interaction

Resilience

Organization

Adaptability

Empowerment

Education

Degree in counselling or psychotherapy

Job description

We’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Therapist to join our Young People's services in Bromley and Ealing.

Salary: £, per annum, working hours per week.

Want to feel in control of your career? You’ll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development, and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to days with length of service
• Free DBS (take this out if BSW advert)
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support
• A generous pension – we will contribute up to % and life assurance cover up to £, (T&Cs apply)
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff’s commitment and contribution

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

Anerley Station Road and Horn Lane are innovative young people semi-independent accommodation services. Anerley Station Road is based in Bromley and Horn Lane in Ealing, supporting a broad range of service users including Looked After Children, Care Leavers, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, and others with complex needs.
The services work closely with statutory services to provide wrap-around support within the service. Support is provided by a skilled workforce with specialist roles.
We are recruiting an experienced counsellor/psychotherapist to lead therapeutic groups and individual counselling/therapy across both locations, spending hours a week at each.

The post holder will support staff in developing psychological understanding, raising awareness of emotional impacts, and creating a therapeutically informed environment for the team.

The Therapist will work with young people to improve engagement and provide in-depth sessions to enhance their emotional wellbeing.

The role involves a creative approach, including group and individual therapy, tailored to each young person’s needs, possibly involving self-expression, mindfulness, art, or creative writing.

Key documentation will be maintained to professional standards, adhering to relevant legislation governing therapeutic relationships.

The post holder will work flexibly across services and use technology as appropriate to optimize time and resources.

What you’ll do:

• Implement and support a Psychological Informed Environment.
• Support holistic assessments and support plans with full risk assessments in collaboration with service-users and agencies.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to ensure comprehensive information sharing.
• Lead debriefs after serious incidents, develop stress management workshops, and advise on team wellbeing interventions.
• Lead reflective practice sessions and creative activities to promote insight and best practice.
• Review and adapt recovery-focused support plans to meet changing needs and promote positive risk-taking.
• Provide recovery-oriented support to help young people achieve personal goals.
• Support and guide front-line staff, building capacity within the team.
• Maintain relationships with mental health professionals and key community agencies.
• Demonstrate commitment to service-user empowerment and co-production.
• Use person-centered tools to support recovery and development.
• Lead therapeutic groups and activities, including art/dance/movement therapy.
• Maintain accurate service-user records and adhere to policies and ethical standards.
• Engage in supervision, training, and continuous professional development.
• Advocate for service-users’ needs with external agencies.
• Build and maintain community contacts and professional relationships.
• Participate in meetings, supervision, and research to stay updated.
• Ensure confidentiality and safety standards are met.
• Comply with health and safety legislation and organizational policies.
• Perform any other duties aligned with the role’s objectives.

This list is not exhaustive and may evolve according to service needs.

About you:

• Enjoys social interaction and encourages service-user involvement.
• Approachable, open, calm, and resilient.
• Organized, adaptable, and confident.
• Respectful, articulate, and service-user focused.
• Motivated for excellence and improvement.
• Capable of managing challenging behaviors positively.

What you’ll bring:

• Degree in counselling or psychotherapy.
• Years of experience working with young people or social care services.
• Experience in support work, individual therapy, and risk management.
• Experience engaging young people with complex needs.
• Knowledge of group therapy and crisis support.
• Specialist expertise (e.g., dual diagnosis, substance misuse, therapeutic interventions).

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading social care and housing provider committed to building better lives through innovative support in mental health, homelessness, and complex needs sectors. We value excellence, compassion, inclusion, and partnership, and are dedicated to safeguarding and promoting welfare. We encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and are committed to equality and inclusion.