Job Title: Counselling Manager for Stop.Breathe.Think.
Location: HQ office in Hove, 3 days per week Tuesday -Thursday Mon and Fri WFH
Hours: Full time 37.5 hours a week (part time considered)
Salary: £30,250 pro rata FTE (this includes a 10% bonus paid annually in July)
Annual leave: 25 days plus bank holidays
Duration: 24-month fixed term contract (with extension pending funding)
Benefits: Vitality Healthcare and pension scheme available (once 6-month probation has passed)
To apply: please send your CV and a covering letter to louise@stopbreathethink.org.uk telling us why you want to work for Stop.Breathe.Think. and how you meet the requirements of the job role below. Please feel free to contact Louise Donegan via the email above to arrange a phone call if you have any questions about the role.
Closing Date: 17th May 2024 (early applications encouraged)
Interviews: TBC at our Hove office, BN3 5LP
About Stop.Breathe.Think.
Stop.Breathe.Think. is a game changing mental health service, launched during COVID, that gives eligible young people aged 8 – 21 years access to free 1 to 1 online counselling sessions. First and foremost, we want to provide counselling support for young people who would not otherwise be able to afford it. With no wait times and available nationally.
Our counsellors all work remotely and online, and we aim to provide a timely and effective short-term service, using a recognised solution-focused 6 session therapy model. (Guided by the THRIVE framework for child mental health care, originally written to guide practice within the NHS and now used nationwide, across a variety of services and organisations.)
We are looking to recruit a fantastic Counselling Manager to join our small, motivated and friendly team – based in our Hove office. The SBT service is growing and has a big vision – and we are excited to be expanding the team with this key role, which will support our growing number of online counsellors and bring new skills and experience to the team, ensuring the SBT service is being delivered effectively and safely.
Key duties and responsibilities:
Management
- You will work closely with the Head of Stop.Breathe.Think to co-ordinate regular counsellor meetings to create a positive culture amongst our remote counselling team, and ensure the effective delivery and standardisation of SBT services
- You will be a key point of contact for our counselling team, helping build their understanding of the SBT service and the systems used, supporting their development within SBT and ensuring they are receiving regular support from their own supervisors and completing additional training as required.
- Using your experience and qualifications, you will help ensure best practice across the SBT service, looking at all elements of the young persons counselling journey with us, and supporting our counsellors to deliver this journey effectively.
- SBT is still a relatively new service. You will bring your skills, experience and problem-solving ability to be a key part of the team as we monitor, review and improve the service going forward.
- Liaising with our Safeguarding and Clinical Lead, you will the main be the main point of contact for SBT staff and counsellors around day-to-day clinical advice or guidance. You will also support our Safeguarding and Clinical Lead with any safeguarding issues that are raised by counsellors and help ensure any issues or complaints are dealt with appropriately.
- You will manage the counsellor allocations for our young people; matching young people needing support to the counsellors who best suit their needs.
- You will support the training of the counselling team to increase effectiveness at individual and team level, helping them deliver the best possible outcomes. This will involve goal and task setting, managing, monitoring and reporting on progress.
- As a trained counsellor, you will have the opportunity to deliver online counselling and intake sessions to a small caseload of young people using the SBT service. This is dependent on wider workload and will be managed accordingly – but is seen as a really positive way to fully understand the SBT service first hand and increase your effectiveness in supporting our wider team of counsellors.
- SBT is a growing service, you will work closely with the Head of Service to manage recruitment, onboarding and induction of appropriately qualified and experienced counsellors as needed.
- You will also support the Head of Service to ensure effective policies and procedures are in place and adhered to throughout the organisation. This will include ensuring case notes are logged appropriately and all standards required are being met.
- You will use our client management systems, IT systems and general administrative systems to ensure effective preservation of client confidentiality, adhering to GDPR requirements and to ensure the SBT service runs effectively.
Other potential tasks (workload dependent):
- Prepare narrative examples of best practice and successful case studies to support our funding bids as required
- Attending meetings with partners and funders as required to represent the SBT service
- Contribute content for the SBT website in monthly internal and external newsletters.
- Any other duties as required within the spirit of the role and as part of a small team.
Essential Criteria
- Passionate about the cause – you have a demonstrated interest in mental health and a motivation to support young people.
- Experience of providing counselling for a minimum of 3 years.
- Proven experience and skills around staff management.
- Psychotherapy/Counselling qualification minimum Level 5 (or Level 4 with meeting the equivalent experience and criteria of Level 5)
- Accreditation/registration with BACP/UKCP/BPS or equivalent.
- Strong understanding of evidence-based therapeutic interventions and coaching methodologies.
- Clinical experience of working with clients with a range of difficulties including complex mental health issues.
- Knowledge of key issues involved in therapeutic work.
- Understanding of issues regarding confidentiality and management of risk within a counselling service.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills.
- Knowledge of and committed to equalities provision.
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft office suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and competent IT skills.
- Being friendly and a team player!
Desirable Criteria
- Knowledge of IAPTUS clinical software.
- Knowledge of THRIVE framework and Brief Solution Focused Therapy.
- Experience of mentoring individual counsellors/psychotherapists from a range of training backgrounds.
- Training in risk assessments.
- Training in delivering counselling interventions remotely, over the telephone and via video platforms.
Conditions of Service
Stop.Breathe.Think is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This post is subject to an enhanced criminal record check under the arrangements established by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and two satisfactory references.
