Bereavement Counsellor

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide counselling and support for women in the gynaecology and maternity services. The role of counselling within womens health is to provide a confidential service to clients and their partners in respect of their pregnancy loss. This will be including to support couples through a subsequent pregnancy. The post holder will be required to provide support to staff when requi

To work within British Association for counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) standards and guidelines

Provide One-on-One Counselling to women and couples referred by the Bereavement Support Midwife or other Health Professionals: Deliver individualised counselling sessions to patients and family members coping with loss and grief, adjusting approaches based on the unique needs of everyone.

To carry out assessments to determine what kind of interventions is most appropriate. To refer clients to appropriate internal or external services if appropriate.

Conduct Follow-ups: Carry out follow-up appointments with patients after they leave the hospital, ensuring continuity of care and emotional support.

Intervention: Offer immediate counselling and support during critical incidents or when a patient exhibits severe emotional distress.

Providing resources and strategies for coping with loss.

To communicate with other Health Professionals, to ensure a holistic care approach including Psychology and Psychiatry and ensure good working relationships are maintained and standards of counselling and referral criteria are regularly reviewed and audited.

Facilitate Support Groups: Establish and facilitate support groups for individuals experiencing similar losses, fostering a sense of community and mutual understanding.

Liaise with Healthcare Team: Collaborate closely with thebereavement support midwife, other midwifery team, obstetric and medical professionals to ensure holistic care is provided.

Train Staff: Provide training to healthcare staff, particularly midwives, on how to communicate with and support grieving patients and to update staff regarding counselling issues relevant to their services.

To be involved in developing an appropriate debriefing facility for staff involved in difficult situations at work. To offer direct counselling to such staff and bereavement support midwives as required.

To attend regular counselling supervision and to keep up to date with development in the fields of counselling. To keep professional counselling skills appropriately updated. Time and funding will be provided by the service for this.

Administrative Duties: Maintain accurate and confidential patient records, document treatment plans and progress notes, and carry out other administrative tasks as required, according to BAC standards.

Develop Treatment Plans: Develop tailored treatment plans for bereaved patients, setting therapeutic goals and tracking progress over time.

To take responsibility for monitoring and auditing counselling activity. To present this information yearly to the line manager and appropriate staff within the services.

To record all counselling sessions on appropriate Trust systems to ensure the patient experience of the counselling service is accurately accounted for and auditable on a regular basis.

Person Specification

Education/qualification

Essential

• Accredited as a counsellor with British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP
• Minimum of a diploma in counselling
• Evidence of ongoing professional development additional qualification

Desirable

• MA counselling or equivalent

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Two years post qualifying experience in supervised one to one counselling
• Knowledge of mental health
• Experience of working within a health care setting
• Experience of working with a diverse client group

Desirable

• Experience of working with issues created by and related to pregnancy loss and loss.
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of working with bereavement issues

Skills & abilities

Essential

• A flexible counselling approach incorporating a range of skills.
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to communicate confidently with a large range of health professionals
• Ability to provide effective counselling
• Ability to work independently
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• To work face to face in Trust arranged venue either community or hospital based.
• To be able to work remotely if required in specific situations.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Whittington Health NHS Trust

Magdala Avenue, Highgate Hill

London

N19 5NF

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)