Student Counsellor

About the role

With a counselling / psychotherapy qualification and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary support setting, you will offer brief, and generally time-limited, counselling to students experiencing mental health and emotional issues. You will also be required to contribute to other areas of work within the team, including following the team's crisis and risk assessment protocols and making case referrals, as required. You will lead, and/or support projects with academic and service departments at the university to foster greater resilience among students.

You will have a commitment to following professional and ethical principles and guidelines, combined with the ability to learn new skills and take on new areas of work, as required by the changing needs of students, the service and the University. As part of our multi-disciplinary Counselling & Mental Health Support Team, you will contribute to the positive impact that this team has on student retention and the student experience.

About You

You will possess excellent knowledge of the statutory, regulatory and legislative frameworks that apply to student disability support and a sound understanding of the challenges of working within Student Services. You will have significant and demonstrable experience of leading, managing, motivating and developing a professional service team(s) to achieve organisational aims and will be able to demonstrate the ability to work to budget within a given framework of resource. 

You will be successful at building highly effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues and adopt an insightful and pragmatic approach to the management of operations across the Counselling and Mental Health Service and wider Student Services.

Principal accountabilities Provide therapeutic counselling support (brief and time-limited support) to students experiencing emotional and mental health issues, on an individual appointment basis. In general, a session limit of six sessions applies each year for each client. The main focus of the role is on working 1:1 with students on issues common to the client group – such as transition, anxiety, self-esteem, self-harm, eating distress, procrastination and exam panic – and motivating students to engage in a process of change. Provide clinical assessments of clients presenting to the service, (including students experiencing a mental health crisis), conduct risk assessments, and provide therapeutic interventions and/or make suitable and timely referrals according to individual need. Respond to cases in which a student needs to see a practitioner from the team urgently, and to urgent requests from colleagues who may be concerned about a student, by making risk assessments in line with the service’s crisis and risk assessment protocols, making effective referrals of urgent cases, and acting, at all times, in accordance with the university’s policies and procedures. Maintain accurate records in line with current legal and other university-level and departmental data requirements. The post-holder is expected to be self-sufficient in terms of general administration, and will be using electronic case management systems, electronic appointment booking systems and calendars, and shared case-note folders. Maintain therapeutic boundaries and take proper account of the need for confidentiality at all times when working with students and when discussing cases with staff. To maintain effective links and make appropriate referrals to local external agencies to ensure students access appropriate and relevant advice and support as required. Work as an effective member of a multi-disciplinary team, consulting and liaising with other practitioners within the team, in order to provide joined-up and coherent support. The team holds regular multi-disciplinary meetings to allocate students to the right type of support, and also maintains shared case notes and a Mental Health Practitioner rota for covering urgent appointments. Respond to enquiries from academic and support staff within the university, providing appropriate information and support in order to aid effective referrals and support student retention, academic performance and student satisfaction. Contribute to the development, promotion, implementation and evaluation of a range of mental health and well-being interventions focused on enhancing students’ personal resilience and their capacity to engage with their studies and university life. Contribute to the promotion of student mental health and well-being and the awareness of student mental health issues across the university, including through group work and staff training. Contribute to the Counselling & Mental Health Team by actively participating in, peer supervision, case discussions, team meetings and training opportunities. Secure and maintain professional accreditation with an appropriate professional body, such as BACP (individual practitioners within the team are personally responsible for meeting the costs incurred in securing and maintaining this accreditation, although some of the training provided by the university may help to contribute the continuing professional development requirements of accreditation). To represent the university in internal and external meetings as appropriate. Respond to enquiries from academic and support staff within the university, providing appropriate information and support in order to aid effective referrals and support student retention, academic performance and student satisfaction. Contribute to raising awareness of Student Services within the student population through collaboration with colleagues within the Student Services, professional services and the Colleges, including preparing and delivering a range of advice and guidance sessions at various inductions, Open Day and admissions events throughout the year. To have an understanding of and commitment to the Universities Equality and Diversity and Safeguarding policies and the ability to relate these to all aspects of the post. Person specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

Degree level qualification Formal professional training in counselling/psychotherapy to at least diploma level Professional registration with an appropriate organisation (e.g. RCN, BACP, BABCP)

Experience

Experience of providing 1:1 counselling to a client group experiencing a wide range of mental health and emotional issues, preferably within a multi-disciplinary team Experience in risk assessment and crisis management Experience of working with issues common to the client group of students – such as transition, anxiety, self-esteem, self-harm, procrastination and/or exam panic Experience of delivering group work and psycho-educational training Experience of working within a higher educational or other complex organisational context

Skills, knowledge & abilities

A thorough knowledge of clinical counselling models and interventions – in particular, brief focused approaches Knowledge of how to make a sound clinical assessment of each client, and tailor and deliver therapeutic interventions to fit with these assessments Excellent therapeutic skills – on a one-to-one basis, and also, ideally, in a group setting Ability to maintain clear therapeutic boundaries and manage safeguarding and confidentiality issues Ability to utilise clinical expertise to develop new initiatives and ways of working to meet changing needs and demands of students Strong interpersonal skills, including a confident and dynamic approach to liaising with key internal and external stakeholders Ability to work as part of a team and build effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues Sound appreciation of the ways in which counselling and mental health support services underpin the student experience, student retention and a university’s strategic objectives, including an appreciation of the complexities of delivering 1:1 clinical work in an institutional setting Ability to work under pressure, including seeing up to five clients per day and tolerating high levels of client distress A commitment to following professional and ethical principles and guidelines, combined with the ability to work flexibly, learn new skills and take on new areas of work, as required by the changing needs of students, the service and the university A commitment to the principles of equality and inclusion – including the ability to deliver effective clinical work with students from diverse backgrounds and social groups Sound IT skills, including word-processing, email, online research and data processing

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications

MSc in Counselling Other / advanced qualification in Mental health Benefits Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata) Local Government Pension Scheme Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers Discounted onsite gym Discounted access to Devonshire Spa Holiday trading Cycle to Work scheme A flexible working environment A commitment to personal and professional development

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