Reporting: You will report to Clinical Team Leader

Place of work: S.M.I.L.E Counselling has been successfully establishing strong working relationships with several Secondary Schools across the region of West Lothian, where these posts will be situated.

Job Scope:

This post involves delivering an established counselling service within a Secondary school setting. Supported by your Clinical Team Leader, you will liaise with school Pupil Support to ensure a quality therapeutic service is delivered to the young people. The therapeutic work will consist of short-term counselling and potentially drop-in sessions and small group work. Group work would involve the education of mental wellbeing as opposed to group-therapy.

The post holder will also be expected to maintain robust supporting systems for the counselling service. This will include adhering to ethical guidelines and GDPR on keeping confidential record keeping. In addition to record keeping, the post holder is also responsible for the recording of client attendance, and the evaluation of counselling through an outcome-based framework. This is supported by our Office 365 Forms and data capture.

While the post holder will primarily concentrate on delivering counselling to young people, they may also be requested to provide some awareness raising training with teaching staff.

Main Job Activities:

1. To offer a specialised counselling service to young people who have experienced mental health issues.
2. To use a variety of approaches to adapt to the client. Depending on competence these may include, play therapy, music therapy, art therapy and small world to name but a few.
3. To contribute towards enhancing relationships with statutory and non-statutory organisations, promoting the service to ensure appropriate referrals.
4. To liaise with pupil support and assist in the management of the school counselling waiting lists, where applicable, in consultation with the Clinical Team Leader.
5. To maintain confidentiality (including client notes, statistical information).
6. To play an active part in the evaluation of the service through. This is achieved by the identification of service outcomes through the use of and the development of recording and evaluation tools.
7. To assist in fund-raising opportunities through ensuring full and accurate data collation is maintained, following GDPR guidelines.
8. To keep a working knowledge of developments in services for young people within West Lothian.
9. To operate within child protection guidelines and the GIRFEC principles.
10. To attend regular peer supervision sessions with our external supervisor in line with BACP guidelines.
11. To attend regular organisational supervision with the Clinical Team Leader

Responsibilities of S.M.I.L.E Counselling Staff:

• Manage and prioritise workload and ensure that deadlines are met.
• Work flexibly and cooperatively with members of S.M.I.L.E Counselling towards the aims and objectives agreed by the organisation.
• Maintain positive and constructive working relationships with all colleagues.
• Undertake relevant professional development activities and training as agreed with Clinical Team Leader.
• Undertake other duties relevant to the post and on occasion other wider duties pertinent to S.M.I.L.E Counselling strategic objectives.
• Maintain confidentiality, as appropriate, with sensitive or privileged information, including day-to-day observance of Data Protection and GDPR guidelines.
• Adhere to all internal and external S.M.I.L.E Counselling policies, procedures, systems and guidelines, and contribute constructively, as required, to their ongoing development.
• You must have your own practitioner insurance and be registered with BACP / COSCA
• Access to a car and a full driving licence may be beneficial
• If necessary, from time to time, work outside normal working hours for which time off in lieu (TOIL) will be given.
• Secure premises, as necessary.
• Have regard for your own personal health and safety and that of those around you.

Essential:

• BACP, COSCA or equivalent membership and experience of young person counselling in accordance to the BACP competence scales;
• Being organised and able to multitask to tight deadlines.
• Knowledge of, or experience of work, in the areas of children and young people, safeguarding and child protection.
• Comfortable working with statistical data, computers and software packages (Office 365) used to produce monitoring and evaluation reports Desirable:
• Familiarity in working within young people within a school environment;
• Display a Creative, inspirational and positive
• Ability to embrace and drive through change

S.M.I.L.E Counselling is a leading children and young person’s counselling Charity currently based at Fairbairn House, 6 Fairbairn Place, Livingston, EH54 6TN. Counsellors currently work from the office or in Schools. Provisions are in place should the Scottish Government impose further restrictions as a result of Covid-19. S.M.I.L.E have previously successfully maintained a counselling service delivered remotely via Zoom Pro video, Teams and telephone.

S.M.I.L.E Counselling has a proud but short history. Since 2015 our CYP counselling services have provided high quality professional counselling support for children and young people who are struggling with issues in their lives. We welcome everyone through our door and are always non-judgemental. We are a small sized charity expanding quickly, a mixture of our funding coming from our training delivery and contracts, Trusts and Foundations.

As well as delivering individual CYP counselling, we are proud of our recent expansion into the training arena in which we deliver a variety of counselling and mental wellbeing programmes including COSCA Counselling Skills, ASIST, SMHFA and our customised mental wellbeing and health (M.W.A.H.) training.

Our Vision is to build a brighter future for all the children and young people of West Lothian and Scotland by offering mental health support when they need it most.

Our Aim is to provide, develop, and co-ordinate a confidential accessible counselling and training service for all those in West Lothian and throughout Scotland.

Our Values:Always compassionate and caring

• Connecting and empathetic with people
• Starting from each person’s needs and respecting them
• Non-judgemental
• Respecting and supporting people’s choices, decisions, and aspirations
• Keeping people as safe as possible
• Respecting confidentiality and boundaries
• Striving to be accessible, inclusive, and empowering

Please complete the online application form. Alternatively, send a covering letter and full CV to info@smilecounselling.org.uk. An application form will then be sent to suitable candidates.

Closing date: 30th June 2022

Start date: August 2022