Job summary
Job overview
Brent Talking Therapies located in the diverse and vibrant London borough of Brent has an exciting opportunity for an experience counsellor or psychotherapist.
Applicants must beaccreditedwith a recognised professional body (i.e. BACP, BPC, UKCP, NCS, COSCA, UKAHPP), and have substantial post-qualification experience of generic counselling (a minimum of 450 hours client contact).
To apply for this post, applicants must also be trained or willing to be trained in one or more of the non-CBT IAPT recognised modalities:
- Counselling for Depression (CfD)
- Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)
- Couples Therapy for Depression (CTfD)
You will join a team of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP), CBT Therapists and Counsellors, with experienced supervisors and colleagues. Candidates should be competent in providing brief focused counselling using an evidence-based approach e.g. focal psychodynamic, client centred, solution focused, humanistic. Ability to deliver therapy in local languages is desirable
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job
We welcome applicants who:
- Are passionate about the benefits of short-term focused therapy
- Have worked in the past two years with adults with common mental health problems in a primary care/IAPT or NHS setting
- Have extensive experience of assessments & enjoy working independently
- Enjoy working within a fast paced & busy setting with diverse populations
- Want to develop clinical skills & access further training
- The advertised post is full time however, we welcome part time applicants and also support flexible working patterns as long as core service commitments are covered.
Talking Therapies Services require all counsellors/psychotherapists to be registrants on the Accredited Register of Counsellors with the Professional Standards Authority. 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 and would need experience of working within a counselling role.
We would consider applicants who have not yet obtained accreditation but have submitted their applications and are awaiting a decision. This needs to be clearly noted in your supporting statement.
About us
Working for our organisation
The catchment area of the post is the London borough of Brent. The main hub is at Fairfields House in Kingsbury and a satellite hub at Bell House in Willesden Green.You will be required to work across both hubs and in other parts of the borough, e.g. GP surgeries/community settings.
We operate an agile working policy. Staff combine remote working and being on-site to deliver face-to-face appointments and other service commitments that require a hub-based presence. The post-holder may be required to work at any times between 8am and 8pm on weekdays including an evening clinic as required by the service.
Benefits of working for Brent include:
- Wellbeing is important within our service and we are a collaborative and cohesive team.
- 27 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays, with an increase to 33 days with continuous service
- NHS discount
- Opportunities for career progression
- We are committed to professional development, and will support further training in a specialist IAPT modality, i.e. Brief Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, Counselling for Depression and Couples Counselling for Depression. This will enable you to progress to a Band 7 IAPT High Intensity Counsellor with the service on completion of the training.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for the role of counsellor with Brent Talking Therapies
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for the role of counsellor with Brent Talking Therapies
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Counsellor / Psychotherapist, current Registrant on the Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register of Counsellors (BACP, BPC, UKCP, NCS [Accredited Professional], COSCA, UKAHPP) OR Qualified Counselling Psychologist, current registrant with the HCPC
- Substantial post-qualification experience of generic counselling (minimum of 450hrs client contact), demonstrable through an additional supervisory reference
- Continued professional development that includes learning/knowledge of other clinical modalities and theoretical models
Desirable
- Post-qualification training in one or more IAPT modality eg DIT, IPT, CfD, Couples Counselling for Depression
- Post-qualification training in additional specialist mental health areas eg CBT principles, ACT
Previous Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified counsellor with specialist post-qualification experience in the NHS or similar setting, undertaking assessments and short-term interventions.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of clients over the age of 16 years presenting with mild to moderate severity of mental illness.
- Experience in providing specialist expertise in the field of counselling in Primary Care in the NHS, based on assessed competence.
Desirable
- Experience of assessing clinical risk in the context of common mental health problems.
- Experience of working in a multicultural setting and with diversity
- Experience of working with adults with Serious Mental Illness
- Experience of working therapeutically with people presenting with Long Term Health Conditions
- Experience of working with interpreters
- Experience of managing an independent and specialist caseload.
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to work independently and manage a caseload, with freedom to act and take decisions about patient care, within professional discretion.
- Competency in working within a recognized theoretical framework.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BACP including fulfilling professional clinical supervision requirements.
Desirable
- Ability to use different languages spoken in Brent in therapeutic sessions.
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Counsellor / Psychotherapist, current Registrant on the Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register of Counsellors (BACP, BPC, UKCP, NCS [Accredited Professional], COSCA, UKAHPP) OR Qualified Counselling Psychologist, current registrant with the HCPC
- Substantial post-qualification experience of generic counselling (minimum of 450hrs client contact), demonstrable through an additional supervisory reference
- Continued professional development that includes learning/knowledge of other clinical modalities and theoretical models
Desirable
- Post-qualification training in one or more IAPT modality eg DIT, IPT, CfD, Couples Counselling for Depression
- Post-qualification training in additional specialist mental health areas eg CBT principles, ACT
Previous Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified counsellor with specialist post-qualification experience in the NHS or similar setting, undertaking assessments and short-term interventions.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of clients over the age of 16 years presenting with mild to moderate severity of mental illness.
- Experience in providing specialist expertise in the field of counselling in Primary Care in the NHS, based on assessed competence.
Desirable
- Experience of assessing clinical risk in the context of common mental health problems.
- Experience of working in a multicultural setting and with diversity
- Experience of working with adults with Serious Mental Illness
- Experience of working therapeutically with people presenting with Long Term Health Conditions
- Experience of working with interpreters
- Experience of managing an independent and specialist caseload.
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to work independently and manage a caseload, with freedom to act and take decisions about patient care, within professional discretion.
- Competency in working within a recognized theoretical framework.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BACP including fulfilling professional clinical supervision requirements.
Desirable
- Ability to use different languages spoken in Brent in therapeutic sessions.
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).
