West London Counsellor

We are recruiting versatileand empathetic qualified Counsellors to join our multidisciplinary teamsupporting bereaved parents including those who have experienced a sudden andunexpected loss of a child (through our Specialist Bereavement Pathway) andthose with children who have life limiting conditions. The Counsellor willpredominately be supporting families in West London. The ideal candidates will beskilled in employing a variety of therapeutic approaches, ensuring that theirneeds are met in a personalised manner. This might include, We require counsellors who havea comprehensive understanding of how grief and loss can impact people, and whocan be sensitive to these varied reactions. The counsellor needs to be able tosupport individuals with psychoeducation and flexible support immediately aftera childs death, as well as sets of sessions during the 3 years and 3 monthspost-death. This requires a flexible approach to the counselling intervention(including place, time and frequency of contact). Families at Shooting Starcome from a range of diverse backgrounds and our counsellors need to understandand respect beliefs and practices related to grief, in order to providesensitive and appropriate support. We welcome applications from counsellors whospeak a second Language. We are looking forcounsellors who can demonstrate warmth and kindness that will help our familiesto feel cared for and understood, creating a space for them to process theirgrief. This work can be challengingtherefore applicants must be able to maintain their emotional well-being sothat they can effectively support the families without becoming overwhelmed.The ability to cope with and recover from the demands of working with grievingindividuals is important to sustain working in this role. Counsellors in our team workcollaboratively with colleagues from the wider team from other disciplines andexternal organisations to provide a comprehensive programme of psychosocialcare that empowers and enables families to thrive., The post holder will provide high quality counselling and psychologicalsupport to families accessing Shooting Star ChildrensHospices (SSCH) through the provision of group and individual interventions. This workaddresses the psychological challenges associated with life-limiting conditions,and issues of loss and grief, including the sudden and unexpected death of achild. The postholder will need to be comfortable with providing psychologicalcare in a variety of therapeutic ways to provide evidence-based interventions inanticipatory grief, acute grief and 0-3 years post-death, using an adaptable approachto counselling. Acute, time sensitive, trauma-informed psychological care is providedimmediately post-death to minimise longer term experience of trauma, and tosafety plan expertly, collaborating with partner agencies including GPs. The purposeof the counsellor is to assess, safeguard, advocate and in this immediate work,to provide individualised strategies to manage acute symptoms. The post holder will provide risk assessment, and series of counselling sessionsto parents predominantly, but also other family members and friends including children,young people and siblings (where qualified) and grandparents. As part of the dedicated West London team, the individual in this rolewill be focused on understanding the needs of families in our community, seekingways to engage those from diverse backgrounds in culturally appropriate care. Thiswill include working with our Care Events team to design and provide formal andinformal therapeutic groups and events. b) Work relationships The post holder is a member of the Counselling Team that works acrossour sites. The post holder is also part of a dedicated West London team ofcounsellors, therapists and family support workers, developing our work in thisarea of our catchment. Our counsellors work closely with the other multi-disciplinary membersof the hospice including therapists, social workers and family support workers,our symptom nursing team, in-house team, community nursing team, careadministrators and fundraisers. Counsellors, therapists and family support workers work closely with ourCare Events Team, to provide a full and varied programme of events for familiesknown to SSCH. The individual in this role will work in partnership with externalprofessionals involved in the care of children and families. The role involves networkingwith other local services, to enhance knowledge and understanding, and to supportthe quality improvement of SSCH services in North West London. c) Decision making authority The post holder will be required to risk-assess referrals and provideprofessional opinion concerning appropriate psychological interventions, andthe ongoing provision of these. Safeguarding concerns should be escalated inline with SSCH policy. The post holder will be responsible for scoping, designing, planning, leadingand supporting therapeutic groups / events for parents and families. The post holder will help achieve key objectives in line with SSCHstrategy, updating the leadership team appropriately. d) Scope of job As part of our Psychosocial Services, specialist psychological care is offeredto individual parents, couples, grandparents and families of life-limitedchildren and bereaved families (including those who have experienced the suddenand unexpected death of a child). Depending on the outcome of the assessment, anappropriate intervention is put in place. This may be community-based urgentpsychological support, a series of individual sessions (virtual orface-to-face), a therapeutic group hosted at one of the hospice sites, onlineor a community-based initiative. The post-holder will contribute professional expertise to the initialand continual multi-disciplinary work around families, including reviewinginitial assessments in an MDT, the provision of short and long-terminterventions, signposting, information sharing, and developing resources andgroups and events for children and families. The post holder will help engagethe client in local support where appropriate, and help families build a peernetwork of support, enabling good bereavement outcomes. As a member of SSCH Psychosocial Services, the post holder is involvedin the holistic assessment of families, including those referred to thespecialist bereavement service. Through a model of evidence-based, holisticcare, the post holder will use assessment measures as part of their assessmentconsidering the specific symptoms and needs of the client. The postholder is responsible for ensuring and enhancing the quality,safety and effectiveness of psychological care offered to SSCH children andfamilies. This involves seeking innovative, flexible, group and individualisedapproaches that meet the psychological needs of families, and continuallydeveloping professional knowledge and skills to respond to evolving needswithin childrens palliative care. The scope of this role will include the useof multi-modal approaches to counselling; working strictly with a onediscipline approach person-centred counselling, will not likely providethe breadth of intervention necessary for this client group. An openness toeducation and continued professional development and training opportunities areprovided. This care and support willpredominantly be provided at Shooting Star House in Hampton and across North WestLondon. Meetings may take place at Christophers in Guildford. Risk assessments,consultations, assessments and sessions for individuals, couples and familiesmay take place virtually or in-person. Events and groups take place on allour sites and in the community. HospiceCare is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, therefore the post holder islikely to be asked to work in the evening and weekends (pre-agreed).

• Flexible and willing to undertake varied responsibilities as part of a team.
• Open to change, development, innovation and enhancement of care services.
• Empathetic and sensitive to others needs.
• Able to build good relationships with others (including staff, students, volunteers, supporters, children and families known to SSCH.
• Organised, methodical and able to multi-task.
• A good health record.
• Evidence of non-discriminatory non-judgemental practice.
Knowledge and Skills Essential
• A strong, psychotherapeutic underpinning of counselling practice.
• Ability to risk-assess referrals and make primary assessments of children with life-limiting conditions and their family members, utilising safeguarding knowledge and understanding.
• Flexibility, utilising multiple approaches and skills across clients to address the presenting need at that time.
• Ability to be responsive to urgent referrals, drawing on specialist knowledge to provide immediate support or advice.
• Understanding of the needs of the wider family experiencing child bereavement, with ability to advise families and professionals concerning appropriate support.
• Ability to utilise screening and wider assessment to identify where other psychological interventions may be beneficial for a family and refer internally / externally as appropriate.
• Awareness of relevant research concerning counselling and research concerning childrens palliative care, in order to ensure quality of care. Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner and member of a team.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experience of using client databases.
• IT skills including use of Microsoft 365 applications.
• Car owner / driver with full UK drivers licence, with appropriate personal and business use insurance.
Desirable
• Fluent in an additional language
• Training / qualification in couples counselling
• Training / qualification in trauma-informed cognitive behavioural therapy
• Training / qualification in dialectical behaviour therapy
• Qualification in EMDR
• Training / qualification in family therapy
• Training / qualification in counselling for children and young people
• Training / qualification in coaching
• Understanding and experience of supporting families accessing neonatal care
• Knowledge of child death review process
• Knowledge of relevant local and national services that support children with life-limiting conditions and their families., Essential
• Recognised counselling qualification.
• Accredited counsellor with BACP / UKCP.
• A minimum of two years post qualification experience as a counsellor.
Experience Essential
• A strong, psychotherapeutic underpinning of counselling practice.
• Ability to risk-assess referrals and make primary assessments of children with life-limiting conditions and their family members, utilising safeguarding knowledge and understanding.
• Flexibility, utilising multiple approaches and skills across clients to address the presenting need at that time.
• Ability to be responsive to urgent referrals, drawing on specialist knowledge to provide immediate support or advice.
• Understanding of the needs of the wider family experiencing child bereavement, with ability to advise families and professionals concerning appropriate support.
• Ability to utilise screening and wider assessment to identify where other psychological interventions may be beneficial for a family and refer internally / externally as appropriate.
• Awareness of relevant research concerning counselling and research concerning childrens palliative care, in order to ensure quality of care. Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner and member of a team.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experience of using client databases.
• IT skills including use of Microsoft 365 applications
Desirable
• Car owner / driver with full UK drivers licence, with appropriate personal and business use insurance.
• Fluent in an additional language
• Training / qualification in couples counselling
• Training / qualification in trauma-informed cognitive behavioural therapy
• Training / qualification in dialectical behaviour therapy
• Qualification in EMDR
• Training / qualification in family therapy
• Training / qualification in counselling for children and young people
• Training / qualification in coaching
• Experience of events management / therapeutic groups
• Understanding and experience of supporting families accessing neonatal care
• Knowledge of child death review process
• Knowledge of relevant local and national services that support children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
  
  We have an exciting opportunity for a West LondonCounsellor to join our team at Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.
Shooting Star Childrens Hospices provides specialistcare and support to families who have a baby, child or young person with alife-limiting condition or who have been bereaved. Rated Outstanding by theCare Quality Commission, we support families across Surrey, north-west Londonand south-west London from diagnosis to end of life and throughout bereavementwith 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 theopportunity to make every moment count .