Counsellor (Southwest London & Surrey)

We are recruiting versatile and empathetic qualified Counsellors to join our multidisciplinary team supporting bereaved parents including those who have experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of a child (through our Specialist Bereavement Pathway) and those with children who have life limiting conditions. The Counsellor will predominately be supporting families in West London.

The ideal candidates will be skilled in employing a variety of therapeutic approaches, ensuring that their needs are met in a personalised manner. This might include, We require counsellors who have a comprehensive understanding of how grief and loss can impact people, and who can be sensitive to these varied reactions. The counsellor needs to be able to support individuals with psychoeducation and flexible support immediately after a childs death, as well as sets of sessions during the 3 years and 3 months post-death. This requires a flexible approach to the counselling intervention (including place, time and frequency of contact).

Families at Shooting Star come from a range of diverse backgrounds and our counsellors need to understand and respect beliefs and practices related to grief, in order to provide sensitive and appropriate support. We welcome applications from counsellors who speak a second Language.

We are looking for counsellors who can demonstrate warmth and kindness that will help our families to feel cared for and understood, creating a space for them to process their grief.

This work can be challenging therefore applicants must be able to maintain their emotional well-being so that they can effectively support the families without becoming overwhelmed. The ability to cope with and recover from the demands of working with grieving individuals is important to sustain working in this role.

Counsellors in our team work collaboratively with colleagues from the wider team from other disciplines and external organisations to provide a comprehensive programme of psychosocial care that empowers and enables families to thrive.

We have an exciting opportunity for a West London Counsellor to join our team at Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.

Shooting Star Childrens Hospices provides specialist care and support to families who have a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting condition or who have been bereaved. Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, we support families across Surrey, north-west London and south-west London from diagnosis to end of life and throughout bereavement with a range of nursing, practical, emotional and medical care.

At the heart of what we do are our dedicated staff; their exceptional commitment and professionalism means every family has the opportunity to make every moment count.