Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced counsellor with supervision and management experience to to oversee the counselling service within Harrow Talking Therapies.
Counsellors are an integral part of the Talking Therapies Step 3 workforce, and we have band 6 and band 7 counsellors, who work alongside CBT therapists and psychological wellbeing practitioners, delivering brief focussed counselling. We are proud of being a well integrated service, who offer our service users a choice of evidence based psychological therapies and across a range of modalities.
Applicants must be current registrants on the Accredited Register of Counsellors with the Professional Standards Authority. To be shortlisted for this post, recruiters search the PSA Accredited Register for Counsellors of your professional organisation's register (BACP, BPC, COSCA, NCS, UK AHPP, UKCP). Please ensure you provide the correct Registration Number in your application for us to confirm you are an Accredited Counsellor or Psychotherapist with your registering association. Counselling Psychologists are checked against the HCPC Register.
Main duties of the job
The successful applicant will oversee the provision of a high-quality brief and focussed counselling service and be responsible for the day to day operational and clinical management of the counselling team.
The postholder will work alongside other Senior staff within the Harrow Talking Therapy service in delivering good outcomes for service users, and key performance indicators as required by NHSE around waiting times, access and recovery.
They will support staff development, training and further professional growth within the team, and this includes ensuring all staff maintain professional accreditation, that all staff complete IAPT modality training, identify other training and development needs and monitor performance and staff wellbeing.
We offer generous options for hybrid working.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
About us
Harrow is a diverse borough in London with our client population coming from many cultures and languages, with majority having been born outside the UK.
We are proud that our staff team reflect this diversity with many offering therapy in other languages. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
The staff team provide services from the main hub in Harrow Weald and currently work agilely, combining site and remote working, delivering therapy via digital packages, telephone, video and also face to face in accordance with patient need and choice.
The service has good systems in place to manage incoming referrals and waiting lists and deliver IAPT targets. There is a strong emphasis on personal and professional development across the team and staff have been supported to complete IAPT compliant training including DIT, CfD and CCFD, as well as other evidence-based therapies.
We are proud of our record on supporting staff development and career progression, and we also work closely with other CNWL IAPT teams to identify training and development opportunities, cross service supervision and recruitment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide clinical supervision, training, operational and management expertise to the service. To lead on service developments in Harrow Talking Therapies Service and work alongside other lead clinicians and support the Clinical Lead in their role.
To provide clinical and operational management for staff in the counselling team and manage the daily operations of the service. To support the Service Lead to meet commissioned targets and to work within the framework of IAPT national requirements, particularly in the delivery of brief focused counselling
To manage the provision of a specialist psychological therapies service that provides Brief Focussed Counselling and other NICE compliant high intensity interventions, including; CfD, DIT, IPT and Couples Counselling. To offer advice and consultation on clients psychological care to colleagues and to other, non- professional Carers.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Harrow Talking Therapies Service policies and procedures.
To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the Service. The postholder will be required to work flexibly and respond to service needs accordingly e.g. with regard to cover Service Level Agreement arrangements.
The postholder will be involved in recruiting, supporting and managing a team of Band 6 and 7 counsellors and psychotherapists and other qualified IAPT staff as appropriate. The postholder will also undertake senior duties delegated by the Clinical Lead such as providing senior clinician cover for the service, supervision of duty and triage systems and other tasks as appropriate.
The post holder will contribute to the development of Harrow Talking Therapies Service, including forthcoming plans for service expansion, developing community links and in developing liaison links with stakeholders such as GPs and other healthcare providers and improving self-referral processes. The postholder will support the Clinical Lead to ensure that national guidelines are adhered to in line with the national programme, targets are achieved and that the clinical governance arrangements are in place.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide clinical supervision, training, operational and management expertise to the service. To lead on service developments in Harrow Talking Therapies Service and work alongside other lead clinicians and support the Clinical Lead in their role.
To provide clinical and operational management for staff in the counselling team and manage the daily operations of the service. To support the Service Lead to meet commissioned targets and to work within the framework of IAPT national requirements, particularly in the delivery of brief focused counselling
To manage the provision of a specialist psychological therapies service that provides Brief Focussed Counselling and other NICE compliant high intensity interventions, including; CfD, DIT, IPT and Couples Counselling. To offer advice and consultation on clients psychological care to colleagues and to other, non- professional Carers.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Harrow Talking Therapies Service policies and procedures.
To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the Service. The postholder will be required to work flexibly and respond to service needs accordingly e.g. with regard to cover Service Level Agreement arrangements.
The postholder will be involved in recruiting, supporting and managing a team of Band 6 and 7 counsellors and psychotherapists and other qualified IAPT staff as appropriate. The postholder will also undertake senior duties delegated by the Clinical Lead such as providing senior clinician cover for the service, supervision of duty and triage systems and other tasks as appropriate.
The post holder will contribute to the development of Harrow Talking Therapies Service, including forthcoming plans for service expansion, developing community links and in developing liaison links with stakeholders such as GPs and other healthcare providers and improving self-referral processes. The postholder will support the Clinical Lead to ensure that national guidelines are adhered to in line with the national programme, targets are achieved and that the clinical governance arrangements are in place.
Person Specification
Training and qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate diploma, masters degree or doctorate in Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology
- Further training in a brief model of counselling or psychotherapy. Educated to Honours degree level
- Must be accredited with the BACP or the UKCP, or equivalent professional body (e.g. NCS Accredited Professional, BCP, BPS or HCPC). Accreditation and Registration as Counsellor, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist,
- Recognised supervision qualification or accreditation from an accredited supervision course of at least one year's duration.
Desirable
- Post-qualification training in one or more additional evidence-based approaches to treatment in primary care mental health and IAPT e.g. DIT, IPT, CfD
- Post-qualification specialist training from a substantive academic programme in mental health, clinical risk assessment, CBT principles
Experience
Essential
- Extensive relevant post qualification clinical experience including working in a primary care setting and work with brief, focussed approaches and interventions.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of service development and management of people and resources
- Working knowledge and experience of a range of psychological therapies including time limited therapy as well as working to a theoretical model that is evidence-based and appropriate for brief, focused interventions appropriate for common mental health problems
- Experience of interdisciplinary working within the NHS. Experience and/or training in management and leadership
- Experience in assessment and provision of therapy with complex cases.
- Experience of designing, implementing and reporting on evaluation and research projects
- Experience of working in adult mental health services.
- Experience of interdisciplinary working within the NHS. Experience and/or training in management and leadership
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision of staff from a range of clinical backgrounds. Experience of supervising any of the IAPT compliant high intensity interventions eg DIT, IPT, Couples Counselling
- Experience of supervising any of the IAPT compliant high intensity interventions eg DIT, IPT, Couples Counselling
- Experience of the application of clinical/counselling psychology to different cultural contexts.
- Experience in working in with diverse patient groups & in different care settings such as outpatients, inpatient services.
Other
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework and actively promoting diversity in the workplace and in clinical provision
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological therapies/counselling assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Highly developed psychological therapies and counselling skills
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or Clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
- Clinical leadership skills and skills in line managing a staff group
- Knowledge of the IAPT programme; excellent management & supervisory skills; good IT skills; excellent organisation, prioritisation and delegation skills
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialized psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc). High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
- Experience of leading and carrying out research projects and interpreting data using statistical analyses.
- Proven ability in carrying out clinical audits
Person Specification
Training and qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate diploma, masters degree or doctorate in Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology
- Further training in a brief model of counselling or psychotherapy. Educated to Honours degree level
- Must be accredited with the BACP or the UKCP, or equivalent professional body (e.g. NCS Accredited Professional, BCP, BPS or HCPC). Accreditation and Registration as Counsellor, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist,
- Recognised supervision qualification or accreditation from an accredited supervision course of at least one year's duration.
Desirable
- Post-qualification training in one or more additional evidence-based approaches to treatment in primary care mental health and IAPT e.g. DIT, IPT, CfD
- Post-qualification specialist training from a substantive academic programme in mental health, clinical risk assessment, CBT principles
Experience
Essential
- Extensive relevant post qualification clinical experience including working in a primary care setting and work with brief, focussed approaches and interventions.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of service development and management of people and resources
- Working knowledge and experience of a range of psychological therapies including time limited therapy as well as working to a theoretical model that is evidence-based and appropriate for brief, focused interventions appropriate for common mental health problems
- Experience of interdisciplinary working within the NHS. Experience and/or training in management and leadership
- Experience in assessment and provision of therapy with complex cases.
- Experience of designing, implementing and reporting on evaluation and research projects
- Experience of working in adult mental health services.
- Experience of interdisciplinary working within the NHS. Experience and/or training in management and leadership
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision of staff from a range of clinical backgrounds. Experience of supervising any of the IAPT compliant high intensity interventions eg DIT, IPT, Couples Counselling
- Experience of supervising any of the IAPT compliant high intensity interventions eg DIT, IPT, Couples Counselling
- Experience of the application of clinical/counselling psychology to different cultural contexts.
- Experience in working in with diverse patient groups & in different care settings such as outpatients, inpatient services.
Other
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework and actively promoting diversity in the workplace and in clinical provision
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological therapies/counselling assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Highly developed psychological therapies and counselling skills
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or Clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
- Clinical leadership skills and skills in line managing a staff group
- Knowledge of the IAPT programme; excellent management & supervisory skills; good IT skills; excellent organisation, prioritisation and delegation skills
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialized psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc). High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
- Experience of leading and carrying out research projects and interpreting data using statistical analyses.
- Proven ability in carrying out clinical audits
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
