Job Description

We are excited to be advertising for a new Senior Counsellor position within NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies- one of England's leading NHS Talking Therapies services.If you are an experienced therapist, understand the dynamic world of NHS Talking Therapies and are committed to supporting teams to deliver excellent patient outcomes - we would love to hear from you.We are looking for a resilient and experienced leader to drive counselling forwards within our service. Providing leadership and supervision to the service-wide counselling team you will have responsibility for the overall clinical delivery of the counselling specialities whilst maintaining your own caseload.Striving for alignment across the service you will support the development of the counselling modalities and have a key focus on the modality specific wait lists. Your analytical skills will help define demand and capacity for the counselling modalities and provide recommendations to ensure a sustainable workforce and counselling provision for the future.Main duties of the jobThe successful candidate will act as a specialist within counselling, providing expert advice and guidance as required to clinical and non clinical staff and facilitate treatment decisions particularly surrounding the most complex presentations seen in primary care.In addition to your counselling expertise, you will support with day to day management and leadership tasks as required including risk management.You will strive to provide a high quality clinical service, working to improve outcomes and patient experience using appropriate measurement and evaluation tools, training, supervision and overseeing modalities pathways.Please see the attached job description for more information on this exciting new opportunity.About usWe are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex. Our 6,000 staff serve a population of 1.3 million providing essential medical, nursing, and therapeutic care to adults and children.Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community, helping people plan, manage, adapt to changes in their health, supporting avoidable hospital admissions and reducing hospital stay times.We have opportunities for everyone across our wide variety of services including medical, clinical, support and corporate services.Why work for us?

• Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, scoring highly in compassionate culture & leadership, and staff wellbeing support
• Variety of working environments across the community, in patients' homes, within our community hospitals and bases across the county
• Supportive flexible working patterns such as: part time, flexi time, annualised hours, and flexi retirement options
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove and Brighton
• EMBRACE, Disability and Wellbeing,LGBTQIA+ and Religion Spirituality and Belief staff networks
• Level 3 accredited Disability Confident Leader, committed to creating inclusive workplaces
• Veteran Aware Trust, achieving accreditation from Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA)
• Located in stunning Sussex, with easy access to the South Downs and the coast
• Access to a wide range of benefits and discounts for NHS staff

Date posted02 April 2025Pay schemeAgenda for changeBandBand 8aSalaryxc2xa353,755 to xc2xa360,504 a year per annumContractPermanentWorking patternFull-timeReference number150-CP1429-PC-CJob locationsBurgess Hill, Chichester, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Horsham or WorthingBurgess Hill, Chichester, CrawleyBN2 3EWJob descriptionJob responsibilities

• To provide leadership and supervision to the service-wide counselling team providing a range of psychological therapy interventions within the counselling modalities framework as set out in the NHS Talking Therapies Manual. Will have own clinical caseload providing Step 3 counselling clinical interventions for patients with complex needs.
• To provide clinical leadership and supervision to counsellors, trainees and other psychological professionals within the service as required across West Sussex Talking Therapies wide geographical area. Be responsible for organising and ensuring appropriate provisions of supervision for counsellors.
• Have responsibility for the overall clinical delivery of the counselling specialty within the service.
• Act as a specialist within counselling to provide expert advice and guidance as required to all clinical and non-clinical colleagues across the service.
• Take the lead in developing psychological therapies within the service, particularly within the counselling modalities.
• As a member of the senior team, support all day to day management and leadership tasks held by equivalent Senior Psychological Therapists. Will contribute to senior rota by covering risk management, facilitate treatment decisions, manage concernsraised by self-referrals and other senior duty functions as required across the localities.
• To contribute to the horizontal integration of psychological therapies with primary and community services.
• To provide highly specialist clinical practice within the service with the most complex presentations seen in primary care.
• To contribute to and assist in the development and coordination of effective audit and reporting tools for clinical supervision, practice and activity, within the NHS Talking Therapies framework and service.
• To contribute to service development and performance. To be achieved through teaching, coaching and mentoring. Providing consultation and formulation.
• Developing and delivering group interventions. Undertake clinical audit and report as required for whole service development.
• All staff within the service are required to use the IAPTus data collection and clinical record management system.

Job descriptionJob responsibilities

• To provide leadership and supervision to the service-wide counselling team providing a range of psychological therapy interventions within the counselling modalities framework as set out in the NHS Talking Therapies Manual. Will have own clinical caseload providing Step 3 counselling clinical interventions for patients with complex needs.
• To provide clinical leadership and supervision to counsellors, trainees and other psychological professionals within the service as required across West Sussex Talking Therapies wide geographical area. Be responsible for organising and ensuring appropriate provisions of supervision for counsellors.
• Have responsibility for the overall clinical delivery of the counselling specialty within the service.
• Act as a specialist within counselling to provide expert advice and guidance as required to all clinical and non-clinical colleagues across the service.
• Take the lead in developing psychological therapies within the service, particularly within the counselling modalities.
• As a member of the senior team, support all day to day management and leadership tasks held by equivalent Senior Psychological Therapists. Will contribute to senior rota by covering risk management, facilitate treatment decisions, manage concernsraised by self-referrals and other senior duty functions as required across the localities.
• To contribute to the horizontal integration of psychological therapies with primary and community services.
• To provide highly specialist clinical practice within the service with the most complex presentations seen in primary care.
• To contribute to and assist in the development and coordination of effective audit and reporting tools for clinical supervision, practice and activity, within the NHS Talking Therapies framework and service.
• To contribute to service development and performance. To be achieved through teaching, coaching and mentoring. Providing consultation and formulation.
• Developing and delivering group interventions. Undertake clinical audit and report as required for whole service development.
• All staff within the service are required to use the IAPTus data collection and clinical record management system.

Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential

• Post-graduate (or equivalent) qualification in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology.
• Completed training in one of more of the NHS Talking Therapies modalities (PCE-CfD, CTfD, DIT, IPT or EMDR).
• One or more NHS Talking Therapies specified counselling or psychotherapy accreditations (as detailed in the NHS Talking Therapies Manual):
• Qualification and / or equivalent experience in Clinical Supervision.

SkillsEssential

• Ability to work with complex needs and challenging behaviour in therapy
• Ability to organise own caseload effectively
• Be an expert communicator, influencer and negotiator
• Experience in research
• Ability to work cross-culturally
• Ability to be self-reflective
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster positive professional relationships

Desirable

• Experience of working through interpreters

ExperienceEssential

• Substantial experience of psychological therapy for groups/individuals
• High level of competence in applying psychological therapy models with groups/individuals with complex difficulties
• Experience of providing expert clinical leadership
• Experience of working with different professions and disciplines in a team environment
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to trainees and colleagues
• Experience of and ability to meet agreed/specified service targets for clinical work
• Received regular supervised practice

Desirable

• Knowledge and/or experience of other psychotherapeutic modalities
• Experience working within a MDT

Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential

• Post-graduate (or equivalent) qualification in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology.
• Completed training in one of more of the NHS Talking Therapies modalities (PCE-CfD, CTfD, DIT, IPT or EMDR).
• One or more NHS Talking Therapies specified counselling or psychotherapy accreditations (as detailed in the NHS Talking Therapies Manual):
• Qualification and / or equivalent experience in Clinical Supervision.

SkillsEssential

• Ability to work with complex needs and challenging behaviour in therapy
• Ability to organise own caseload effectively
• Be an expert communicator, influencer and negotiator
• Experience in research
• Ability to work cross-culturally
• Ability to be self-reflective
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster positive professional relationships

Desirable

• Experience of working through interpreters

ExperienceEssential

• Substantial experience of psychological therapy for groups/individuals
• High level of competence in applying psychological therapy models with groups/individuals with complex difficulties
• Experience of providing expert clinical leadership
• Experience of working with different professions and disciplines in a team environment
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to trainees and colleagues
• Experience of and ability to meet agreed/specified service targets for clinical work
• Received regular supervised practice

Desirable

• Knowledge and/or experience of other psychotherapeutic modalities
• Experience working within a MDT

NHS