Job summary
St Helena Hospice is seeking a Bereavement Counsellor (Children and Adults), on a permanent contract. This role is for 22.5 hours per week working on a standard working pattern.
Main duties of the job
The key priorities of a Bereavement Counsellor are:
To work with children as a part of the Bereavement Service, if qualifications and experience allows, this could also be to work within the adults service.
Triage referrals.
Offer counselling to children and young people 1:1, in groups or family units using all mediums.
Provide counselling to adults 1-1, in groups or family units using all mediums.
Work flexibly across adult and childrens bereavement services.
To manage a caseload of clients autonomously.
To provide advice and training to colleagues.
To work with external health, social care services, other professional and voluntary organisations where required.
To work across all sites/from home as required.
About us
Here at St
Helena, we believe that everyone living with an incurable illness has the right
to live and die with choice, compassion and dignity. Families deserve to be
cared for and anyone coping with loss should be supported through their grief.
Our vision is
to create a community where everyone knows that as the end of their story draws
near, they will be cared for and die where they choose to be; where loved ones
have the opportunity to make the most of life together, surrounded by people
who care and support one another.
Since we
opened in 1985, this belief drives us to provide the best end of life care and
bereavement support to everyone in north east Essex, not just today but for
years to come.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Assess risk
and interpret the impact of loss and grief on individuals (triage).
Toprovide specialist counselling to
children, young people and their families.
To provide support, information and
signposting to families, carers and schools.
Refer children, families and carers to
specialist external organisations as required.
To identify risk to children, young people
or families and report concerns to line manager and safeguarding lead and/or
social care.
To therapeutically explore beliefs and
values which underlie family systems.
To help children, young people, families,
carers and schools resolve difficulties in communication.
To advocate on behalf of children, young
people and their families.
To use reflective practice and counselling
supervision to examine client case load, efficacy, best practice and personal
well-being.
Develop, facilitate and participate in grief
support programmes and education for staff and external groups.
Develop, participate in and lead group work.
Provide supervision, support and
training as required to diverse groups of
Job description
Job responsibilities
Assess risk
and interpret the impact of loss and grief on individuals (triage).
Toprovide specialist counselling to
children, young people and their families.
To provide support, information and
signposting to families, carers and schools.
Refer children, families and carers to
specialist external organisations as required.
To identify risk to children, young people
or families and report concerns to line manager and safeguarding lead and/or
social care.
To therapeutically explore beliefs and
values which underlie family systems.
To help children, young people, families,
carers and schools resolve difficulties in communication.
To advocate on behalf of children, young
people and their families.
To use reflective practice and counselling
supervision to examine client case load, efficacy, best practice and personal
well-being.
Develop, facilitate and participate in grief
support programmes and education for staff and external groups.
Develop, participate in and lead group work.
Provide supervision, support and
training as required to diverse groups of
Person Specification
Communication
Essential
- Ability to communicate information, risk and treatment to other health professionals, team members, families and schools (where appropriate).
- Ability to work empathically, interpret, advocate and work sensitively with a range of complex and painful issues.
- Ability to work with a potentially hostile client, families and care givers.
- Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and written.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with bereaved children & families.
- Participation in ongoing clinical supervision to the appropriate level outlined by your professional body.
- Supervision must be with a qualified individual with own experience of counselling children and YP.
- 3 years post qualifying experience of working with children and young people.
- Experience of supporting individuals with additional needs/SEN.
- Experience of reaching out to seldom listened to groups
Desirable
- Experience of working with bereaved adults
- Expertise within a specialist children care setting or bereavement work.
- Experience of supporting children & adolescents suffering mental ill health.
- Experience triaging individuals at point of referral.
Qualities
Essential
- Ability to deliver holistic care to children, families and carers/schools.
- Confidence to participate in multiagency and multidisciplinary team meetings.
- Ability to utilise and develop themselves and their counselling role using clinical supervision, training and other forms of professional development.
- Ability to work autonomously and manage own caseload.
- Car owner and driver.
- Ability to appreciate, understand and value diversity in a non-judgmental manner.
- Ability to maintain confidential and ethical boundaries at all times.
- A problem solver and decision maker.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- A team player who recognises the value of other roles within a team.
- Ability to understand and work with conflict.
- Ability to work creatively, flexibly and with initiative.
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum of a diploma in counselling.
- Additional qualification in child/YP counselling.
- Knowledge through specific training on developmental stages of children and attachment theory.
- Registration with BACP or similar.
Desirable
- Degree or post graduate Degree in Counselling for children and young people.
- Working towards BACP or other professional body accreditation.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of using a range of creative therapeutic interventions and techniques.
- CPD qualifications in creative therapies.
Desirable
- Specialist training in loss and bereavement.
- Trauma informed CBT.
- Sand tray therapy.
- Theraplay
- Art therapy
- Play therapy
Person Specification
Communication
Essential
- Ability to communicate information, risk and treatment to other health professionals, team members, families and schools (where appropriate).
- Ability to work empathically, interpret, advocate and work sensitively with a range of complex and painful issues.
- Ability to work with a potentially hostile client, families and care givers.
- Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and written.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with bereaved children & families.
- Participation in ongoing clinical supervision to the appropriate level outlined by your professional body.
- Supervision must be with a qualified individual with own experience of counselling children and YP.
- 3 years post qualifying experience of working with children and young people.
- Experience of supporting individuals with additional needs/SEN.
- Experience of reaching out to seldom listened to groups
Desirable
- Experience of working with bereaved adults
- Expertise within a specialist children care setting or bereavement work.
- Experience of supporting children & adolescents suffering mental ill health.
- Experience triaging individuals at point of referral.
Qualities
Essential
- Ability to deliver holistic care to children, families and carers/schools.
- Confidence to participate in multiagency and multidisciplinary team meetings.
- Ability to utilise and develop themselves and their counselling role using clinical supervision, training and other forms of professional development.
- Ability to work autonomously and manage own caseload.
- Car owner and driver.
- Ability to appreciate, understand and value diversity in a non-judgmental manner.
- Ability to maintain confidential and ethical boundaries at all times.
- A problem solver and decision maker.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- A team player who recognises the value of other roles within a team.
- Ability to understand and work with conflict.
- Ability to work creatively, flexibly and with initiative.
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum of a diploma in counselling.
- Additional qualification in child/YP counselling.
- Knowledge through specific training on developmental stages of children and attachment theory.
- Registration with BACP or similar.
Desirable
- Degree or post graduate Degree in Counselling for children and young people.
- Working towards BACP or other professional body accreditation.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of using a range of creative therapeutic interventions and techniques.
- CPD qualifications in creative therapies.
Desirable
- Specialist training in loss and bereavement.
- Trauma informed CBT.
- Sand tray therapy.
- Theraplay
- Art therapy
- Play therapy
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).
Additional information
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).
