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Job description

The Counsellor will provide time limited counselling interventions and co facilitate structured psycho-educational groups for adults and children within community based services. The role involves working with service users affected by substance misuse and/or self harming behaviours, supporting individuals experiencing mild to moderate emotional and psychological distress alongside associated psycho-social difficulties that may be co existing with or attributable to alcohol and/or drug use and/or self harming behaviours. The post holder will work within agreed integrated care pathways, deliver high fidelity, evidence informed interventions in line with service specifications, maintain accurate and up to date clinical records, and contribute to the delivery of a high quality, safe, effective, and compassionate service.

Responsibilities

• Deliver individual counselling interventions to service users impacted by substance misuse and self harming behaviours, applying high fidelity, evidence informed therapeutic modalities in line with service specifications.
• Support clients experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, including anxiety, low mood, and trauma related presentations, alongside issues that are co existing with or attributable to substance misuse and self harming behaviours.
• Support clients to understand and explore substance use/ self-harming behaviours, motivation for change, emotional regulation, and coping strategies
• Complete brief standardised psychosocial assessments and work collaboratively with service users to agree appropriate counselling goals.
• Monitor engagement, progress, and outcomes, identify and respond appropriately to risk and escalate any immediate concerns to designated senior staff.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• To be flexible as the role may involve travelling and working at various locations and times.
• Possess a full current driving licence and access to a car. Business Insurance is a requirement for this post.
• A professional Diploma in Counselling, covering psycho-dynamic, CBT and humanistic models of intervention or a person centred approach.
• Accreditation with voluntary assured professional standards governing bodies (e.g., BACP, BABCP, NCPS Professional Registrant Accreditation, UKCP or equivalent)
• Experience providing counselling or structured emotional support (either paid or in a voluntary capacity), with a minimum of 300 post qualified supervised counselling hours
• A strong commitment and passion for working therapeutically with adults/ children impacted by addiction and self harm, a willingness to support individuals experiencing emotional distress and psychosocial challenges associated with substance misuse.
• Experience of working with Adults/ children impacted by Addictions and self harm.
• Demonstrable knowledge and confident application of evidence based therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI).
• Experience or demonstrable understanding of non-abstinence, recovery-oriented approaches to substance misuse and self-harming behaviours.
• Understanding of counselling ethics, confidentiality, and professional boundaries.
• Ability to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with clients with substance related needs.
• Understanding of risk management and safeguarding in a substance misuse context.
• Good written, verbal, and IT skills to enable accurate clinical documentation and reporting.