Senior Counsellor

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Job description

Seeking experienced Senior Counsellor to manage a clincial team for Ashina Network - Mat Cover

Primary Task

To work within the counselling team, delivering age and culturally appropriate counselling to women and girls (16+) who are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual violence, who present with mental health, depression, emotional distress and trauma
To make counselling accessible to isolated/hard to reach women and girls
To work with women with insecure immigration status
To work with women affected by homelessness
To work with women with multiple disadvantages & complex needs
To provide counselling to women and girls in satellites across specific London Boroughs
To provide and set up therapeutic support groups in specific boroughs
Ashiana Network aims to work in partnership with health, mental health, social services, other counselling organisations and specialist agencies, to ensure we are offering clients the most effective and appropriate form of support
Counsellor and client relationship will be a direct relationship, with all matters of confidentiality resting with the Counsellor; however Ashiana Network will require appropriate and anonymous evaluations and monitoring information from counsellors for statistics and reporting information requested by funders and other interested parties
The post holder will be expected to be sensitive and aware of Black and marginalised cultural and community needs in all aspects of their duties and responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES

Line Management Duties:

Line manage all Counsellors within the service/clinical placement
Motivating staff and provide peer support on a day-to-day basis
Taking part in recruitment for Counsellors/volunteers
Planning a programme of induction for new staff
To ensure the organisation and staff follow the BACP ethical framework
To ensure effective & positive communication with all teams within Ashiana
To be the first point of contact for all Safeguarding concerns and high risk cases
To allocate cases to the Counselling team and ensure clients are contacted within an agreed timeframe
Liaise with administrator where needed in regard to referrals and counselling client queries
Monitor referral & assessments of prospective service users with the Operations Manager
Answer any counselling client queries
To ensure staff adhere to organisational & ethical policy & procedures
To regularly review the counselling standards of care and support in line with the Ethical framework and Good practice.
To hold regular team meetings ensuring effective communications, adherence to service standards and development

Clinical Responsibilities:

To hold a caseload of clients
To provide support to women and girls experiencing or have experienced all forms of Violence against women and girls (VAWG) including harmful practices and those that present with mental health, depression, emotional distress and trauma including Post Traumatic Stress/Disorder (PTSD)
To have the ability to provide counselling in at least one South Asian, Turkish or Middle Eastern language
To offer counselling with an emphasis on trauma model, including developmental trauma, PTSD and complex traumatic stress
To provide therapy from a strength and resilience based approach aimed at empowering women and girls
To provide and conduct comprehensive clinical assessments to support the therapeutic journey, with a focus on therapeutic goals with the client
To provide age and gender appropriate counselling to young women who are 16 plus
When working with young women under the age of 18 to explore counselling through creative approaches and interventions
To be able to set up and provide therapeutic support within groups/outreach setting if required
To provide therapeutic support to clients in venues accessible to them when appropriate /required
To be responsible for maintaining up to date knowledge on all Ashiana Network Services available for clients to access
To liaise with other voluntary and statutory agencies to develop referral pathways and protocols for joint working e.g., primary care services, community mental health teams, social services, schools, youth centres, women's organisations, hospitals etc.
To be responsible for maintaining an awareness of current counselling issues, new developments, and service providers
To maintain up to date information and knowledge on local resources and services helping to ensure that clients are supported to make informed choices and decisions according to their needs and where appropriate provide support to access these
To implement crisis counselling interventions when necessary, in order to provide emotional support, guidance & assistance to clients
To consult with the Line Manager to arrange and receive appropriate external clinical supervision arranged by Ashiana Network
To be committed to ongoing personal and professional development
To maintain confidentiality with regards to all work undertaken in accordance with Ashiana Network policies and procedures

Monitoring & Evaluation:

To ensure smooth running of the Counselling Service and ensure targets are being monitored and met by the Counselling Team
To be responsible for the collation and dissemination of information required by funders
To ensure appropriate case records are maintained to agreed standards
To ensure all data is inputted into Ashiana's datebase accurately
To maintain written clinical records in line with Ashiana Network policies and procedures, ensuring security of records at all times
To ensure client data is inputted using the clinical outcome routine evaluation (CORE) for clients at required sessions and to maintain all administrative tasks involved in completing this task
To ensure that referrals are processed effectively and efficiently and are in line with set referral criteria
To maintain waiting lists and patterns of attendance in consultation with line manager
To ensure that there are adequate provisions for feedback, monitoring and evaluation for clients to measure the progress made through counselling process
To be responsible for own administration tasks relevant to client caseloads and post undertaken. Including providing information, statistics and reports for Ashiana Network's Management team/committee and funders
To be involved in Ashiana Network's policy and service development in relation to the counselling service

Legal, Ethical & procedural Framework:

To provide therapy/counselling in accordance with one of the three bodies recognised by the Health Professional Body (HPC) BACP Code of ethics and practice The British Association for Counselling (BACP), The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and The British Association of Psychotherapy (BAP)
To always act within the ethos, policies and procedures of Ashiana Network. This includes the Confidentiality Policy, Child Protection Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Equal Opportunity Policy and Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
To always work in the best interest of Ashiana Network and to avoid any action that may cast Ashiana Network and or its activities into disrepute

General Duties:

To maintain confidentiality in all matters relating to Ashiana Network and its service users
To ensure that all Ashiana policies and procedures in your work area are adhered to
To observe Ashiana's Equality & Diversity & Health & Safety policies and ensure awareness and integration with all communities in the Boroughs of operation
To ensure all meetings and training relevant to your role including CPD as necessary to retain status
To carry out any other duties in line with the objectives of the post as requested by the management Committee or Senior Managers
Attend regular team meetings and other team commitments and meetings as necessary
To carry out other tasks required to help the team to deliver its goals and have a flexible approach to work
Provide and Support management with information and other detailed reports as and when necessary
To attend regular supervision and appraisal meetings

Post: Female Counsellor & Group Worker

Education & Qualifications

Recognised professional counselling qualification within one of the therapeutic disciplines -(Essential)
BACP accredited or working towards accreditation -(Essential)
University level education-(Desirable)

EXPERIENCE

Essential

At least two years post qualification experience of working within women and girls and domestic violence, no recourse to public funds, (NRP)F & complex needs in a therapeutic setting
250 Hours of clinical experience
Experience of working from a trauma focused model
At least two years experience of supporting women and girls, particularly those who have experienced domestic violence e.g. physical or sexual abuse including childhood sexual abuse
Experience of counselling women and girls who have experienced harmful practices ie female genital mutilation, honour based violence and forced marriage
Experience of working with the diverse communities
Experience of direct work with young people
Experience of group work

KNOWLEDGE

Essential

Kowledge of women with insecure immigration status
Knowledge of women affected by homelessness
Knowledge of women with multiple disadvantages & complex needs
Knowledge of women with mental health problems
Knowledge of statutory social work legislation including Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Child Protection Procedures..... click apply for full job details