GCA deliver services over 6 days per week and throughout Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire

The role of Head of Diploma and Training is to be responsible for the development, co-ordination and management of COSCA counselling training and the delivery of the Diploma in Integrative Counselling.

GCA offer a number of COSCA validated trainings each year. These include the very successful COSCA Counselling Skills courses, with two options of study including in person and online. COSCA Counselling skills course is a requirement for many courses offering advanced studies towards qualifying as a counselling professional. In addition, we offer a Certificate in Counselling Supervision, and the course Further Steps in Counselling and Group Counselling Skills as well as COSCA SACC Behaviour Change Course.

The Diploma in Integrative Counselling is a part time 2-year course validated by COSCA. It is delivered in the evening and during the weekend in person in the GCA offices. The course is 400 hours of taught study with additional requirements for students of 40 hours personal therapy to be undertaken and a 100-hour clinical placement with supervision at a ratio of 1:6.

The Diploma has four cohorts of students (two First Year and two Second Year) and approximately 90 students with the majority attending classes and the rest completing clinical placement. Many of our students are supported to undertake their clinical placement at GCA. In addition to undertaking the Diploma, students are offered the opportunity to undertake a period of further study to complete a certificate in Counselling People Towards Behaviour Change. Many of our Graduate students go on to work in the counselling professions and we are pleased that several former students have found roles within GCA.

The Head of Diploma and Training will support the CEO and Senior Management Team with strategic and commercial strategy to help GCA be sustainable and grow, prioritising achieving our mission and goals. This will be undertaken in conjunction with other GCA Senior Management Team duties.

In return for choosing to work for GCA, the benefits you will receive are:

• Very generous annual leave entitlement: full time employees start with an annual leave entitlement of 37 days (inclusive of bank holidays) which increases to 38 days after 2 years, 40 days after 5 years and 42 days after 10 years length of service.
• 5 duvet days where employees may take time off at short notice.
• Death in service policy of 2 times salary.
• Cycle to work scheme where employees can save money on a new bike and spread the cost.
• Training and development commitment to help employees perform to the best of their abilities.

Organisation Profile:

Glasgow Council on Alcohol (GCA) aims to reduce alcohol and drug related harm, and risk of harm, at an individual and community wide level, through a long-term, asset-based approach to changing the culture of alcohol and drug use. It does this by delivering a range of interventions and services such as alcohol counselling, alcohol brief interventions (ABIs), employability support and groupwork as well as delivering a comprehensive training portfolio, including Addiction Awareness, COSCA Counselling Skills and a Diploma in Integrative Counselling.

GCA has been delivering specialised trauma informed alcohol counselling since 1965 to support those drinking at harmful and hazardous levels and who wish to make a positive change. The counselling approach is integrative and aims to address the presenting alcohol problem but also work with the inevitable accompanying life problems related to it. In our experience around 65% of individuals who access GCA will not have engaged with statutory services or recovery communities. GCA services have expanded to include a range of holistic services to support individuals in recovery from drugs and/or alcohol. Services we provide include; counselling, wellbeing support, a women’s only service for survivors of gender-based violence, and an LGBT health and wellbeing service. Currently GCA delivers services in Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire.