Weldmar Counsellor

Job responsibilities

Weldmar Hospicecare

Job Description and Person Specification

Job Title: Weldmar Counsellor

Location: Based in Dorchester / Hybrid Working

Hours of work: 22.5 hours a week

Grade: Weldmar Salary Scale

Reports to: Patient & Family Support Lead

Responsible for: n/a

Job Context

Weldmar Hospicecare is an independent charity that provides specialist end of life care to patients and those that are important to them throughout Dorset. This care is given in the comfort of patients own homes by Weldmar Community Nurses and our Weldmar at Home Team, via Day Services held across the county or as inpatients at our hospice in Dorchester. Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers ensure that we can continue to support patients through one of lifes most difficult journeys. We work closely with other health care providers including the NHS to ensure that our patients receive the highest possible care.

We do receive some funding from the NHS but the majority of our income is generated by our fundraising and retail teams, which plays a vital part in securing income to fund our care, both now and in the future.

Job Purpose

To directly provide up to Level 3 Psychological Support and counselling support to patients, families and carers.

Support the Service Lead in ensuring the development and quality of the psychological support service in line with NICE Guidance on Cancer Care Services, Improving Supportive and Palliative Care for Adults.

Sharing the responsibility with the Service Lead, assess and contact internal referrals whilst accepting and responding to referrals allocated from external triage process; ensuring appropriate and consistent responses are provided in line with NICE Guidance and BACP guidelines.

Assess and provide psychological support at the appropriate recommended NICE levels of Psychological Support.

Safely manage an acceptable caseload level, ensuring a consistent, professional and reliable service at all times.

Support the Service Lead in delivering training to colleagues as/when required

Scope and Limits of Authority

Reporting to the Patient & Family Support Lead, the Post Holder is responsible for:

Planning, organising and delivering day-to-day work in meeting the demands of the counselling service, and in partnership with the service lead, ensure regular evaluation of the service.

Making decisions in relation to day-to-day management of caseload.

Presenting clinical caseload updates within 1:1 Line Management meetings and in own clinical supervision sessions, ensuring all interventions are based on ethical and safe practice.

Providing time limited support to adults (and children/young people if appropriate) determined by their assessed level of need and within the parameters outlined in the Bereavement Strategy.

Working as an integral member of wider Patient and Family Support Services Team, as appropriate, liaise closely with other members of Weldmars psychosocial services and other professionals as needed.

Job Tasks

Undertake assessments of all referrals (for psychological input in line with NICE levels of psychological input) contributing to the design and implementation of referral and allocation systems within Weldmar.

Ensure appropriate and consistent responses are provided in line with the most up to date models of practice for working with patients and relatives pre and post bereavement which fosters resilience in living life with an end of life diagnosis or loss.

To find ways of remembering the person who has died, whilst coping with the challenge of adjusting to a changed life.

Deliver an appropriate and equitable response across the Counselling Service.

Deliver high quality counselling and time limited therapeutic interventions to adults (and/or children if appropriate) who have been assessed as requiring this level of support.

Identify, assess and respond to any element of risk and ensure all actions are taken to minimise/manage those risks, e.g. referring to Safeguarding etc.

To maintain appropriate records according to Weldmar Polices and Data Protection legislation ensuring efficient recording and administration system to support bereavement care.

Understand the emotional and psychological needs of people in relation to pre and post bereavement.

Be creative in using both individual and group work approaches.

Work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and attend multi-disciplinary meetings as appropriate.

To attend psychological support service meetings, ensuring shared understanding, learning, and best approaches are thought about to effectively manage caseloads.

Liaise with and make referrals to other agencies, including those offering more specialist interventions, e.g. CMH, Social Services, G.Ps, to ensure the most appropriate service response and help to specific individual needs.

Maintain adequate records of all interventions and services within established record keeping and confidentiality policies.

To assist the Service Lead in the strategic and operational development of the service in response to identified need.

Dependent on the capacity within the counselling service, having firstly prioritised direct support to patients and relatives, deliver Clinical Supervision to a number of staff members in accordance with Weldmars Clinical Supervision Policy.

Support all members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team by contributing to education and training opportunities for staff specifically in relation to loss and grief.

Assist with the recruitment, training, supervision and utilisation of Bereavement Support Volunteers.

Attend appropriate meetings and contribute effectively and positively to staff supervision and Patient and Family Support Services meetings.

Work effectively as a team player and constructively with colleagues, maintaining a high level of professional approach.

Personal and Professional Development

Maintain the standards of professional accountability in practice as determined by BACP and any other the relevant professional body, including taking responsibility for meeting BACP requirements of a minimum of 1 hours a month clinical supervision.

To become a member of relevant Professional / Hospice Association (e.g. ABSCO)

Qualifications

Essential

• A First Degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling as a minimum, and in depth knowledge of counselling theory and research.
• Accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or UKCP or other relevant body.
• Accreditation or certification in Clinical Supervision (Desirable)
• In depth knowledge of attachment and loss theory and current bereavement thinking and research.
• A clear understanding of assessment work including risk.
• Good understanding of Safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Good understanding of complex family dynamics.
• Understanding of palliative care and the NICE recommended levels of psychological support in palliative and end of life care

Experience

Essential

• Experience of supporting people through loss and bereavement
• Experience of assessing level of psychological need and when appropriate referring or signposting to other appropriate agencies.
• Experience of delivering psychological support at level 2 and 3 of the NICE guidelines of psychological support.
• Experience of facilitating/leading groups
• Experience of providing direct time limited and empowering therapeutic interventions to patients and relatives pre and post bereavement.
• Experience of working with Volunteers
• Experience of facilitating / leading groups
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Highly developed interpersonal skills, including listening, empathy, and motivational skills.
• The ability to work with issues of loss and grief and to provide pre and post bereavement
• Support work.
• The ability to provide appropriate therapeutic and practical interventions to adults (and if
• Appropriate, children) using a person centered approach.
• Confidence and ability to use initiative and creative problem solving.
• Good written communication skills particularly with regard to record keeping.
• Good team working skills and commitment to working effectively within a multi-disciplinary
• Ability to work independently and be able to evidence self-motivation.
• Ability to plan and facilitate activities and events.
• Ability to contribute to the development and delivery of training and educational sessions in relation to own areas of expertise.
• Good planning and organisational skills
• IT and computer literate including use of electronic patient records systems
• Ability to work flexibly, proactively and collaboratively.
• Ability to recognise personal limitations and identify appropriate support mechanisms

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).