Sheffield Talking Therapies Counsellor
About us
At Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust we provide a range of mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, primary care and other specialist services designed around the needs of people in our city.
We have a dedicated and skilful team of people caring in Sheffield, which you could become a part of.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. These are: working together for our service users, respect and kindness, everyone counts, commitment to quality, improving lives.
Job overview
To provide evidence-based counselling modalities in line with NICE guidance and the Talking Therapies manual to adults experiencing depression that meet suitability criteria to benefit from Talking Therapies. To work collaboratively with Talking Therapies colleagues who ‘Step’ people assessed as requiring Counselling for depression.
You will be Accredited with a professional body or working towards professional accreditation (to be achieved in the first year of employment). Whilst not accredited you will be on a temporary band 5 contract moving to permanent band 6 contract on gaining accreditation.
Sheffield Talking Therapies works closely with GP Practice teams across Sheffield providing a wide range of psychological interventions to people experiencing Depression and Anxiety - operating within a Stepped Care Model. This is a hybrid working position, working both remotely and on site.
Main duties of the job
To meet the National Talking Therapies standards which include an individual minimum 52% recovery rate and to meet 20 Clinical Contact hours (pro-rata) per week. To ensure productivity expectations are met in line with the National Talking Therapies manual.
To meet patient needs by working across Sheffield according to demand. To offer one early appointment and one late appointment per week and Saturday working on occasion if required.
Provide an initial Counselling assessment once ‘stepped’ by an Talking Therapies colleague (as there are no direct referrals to Counselling) including a risk assessment and offer an appropriate Counselling contract; or signpost or refer on to a more appropriate service or intervention.
Offer professional advice and support to the referrers and Talking Therapies colleagues in Primary Care on all aspects of Counselling.
Work autonomously within professional guidelines and best practice Talking Therapies guidelines.
Liaise as appropriate with Talking Therapies colleagues, GPs regarding concerns and the treatment outcome.
Use data to reflect, guide and improve your own practice and performance in conjunction with supervision. Contribute to counselling forums and CPD events.
Thursday's are service wide non clinical time which involves, meetings, forums and CPD opportunities
Working for our organisation
We are a Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust providing a range of diverse services including generic & specialist mental health care; services for people with learning disability; drug & alcohol services; Talking Therapies; GP Primary Care services; dementia care services; and community based services for those with long term neurological conditions.We promote emotional health and wellbeing through the provision of accessible high quality modern services designed around the needs of our local population. Our culture is founded upon effective partnership working and close working relationships with staff, service users and their families/carers.
We strive to deliver consistently high-quality care through our high performing, dedicated & skillful workforce which you could now become a part of. Our values are fundamental to ensuring people are at the heart of everything we do, our values are Respect, Compassion, Partnership.
Accountability, Fairness and Ambition.
Sheffield Talking Therapies service is part of Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. We are an NHS adult service offering a range of free psychological therapies to over 12,000 people each year who live in Sheffield.
Giving people the right information and help to develop skills to overcome stress, anxiety and and depression is at the heart of what we do.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To assess and treat people stepped to Counselling as appropriate.
To complete all mandated session by session outcome measures.
To have autonomous professional responsibility for clients referred.
To formulate and implement a counselling contract based on an appropriate conceptual framework of the persons presenting issues within the protocols and procedures established by Talking Therapies (in line with NICE guidance, the Talking Therapies manual and suitability for an Talking Therapies service).
To recognise and assess risk (including child and vulnerable adult protection) and raise matters in line with Talking Therapies/SHSC policy.
To manage all aspects of arranging and working with interpreters when assessed as necessary for the Counselling contract.
To sensitively communicate complex information to clients to encourage therapeutic engagement.
To ensure record keeping in line with Sheffield Talking Therapies Standard Operating Procedures. This includes contemporaneous notes completed within 24 hours on the agreed patient record system, checking SHSC patient administration system prior to taking on new patients to check any risk or suitability issues and to send a discharge summary to GP practices once completed treatment.
To maintain a high level of clinical practice by attending Individual and Group Supervision; as well as being an active member of the Counsellor specific forum (pro rata if part time).
To provide evidence-based modality individual and/or group supervision as appropriate.
To provide counselling consultation and support to the Primary Health Care team where needed and to Talking Therapies colleagues on the suitability of the evidence-based modality for depression prior to ‘stepping.’
To participate in and contribute to the ‘Counsellor Forum’ and ‘Talking Therapies Team Meetings’ and service away days.
Participate in individual performance reviews and respond to agreed individual objectives aligned with meeting the service objectives of achieving all three National Talking Therapies standards on access, waiting times and recovery rates.
To continue to gain professional training and experience over and above that provided by the service making a commitment to continual professional development. Including responding to additional training request by NHS England in line with Talking Therapies providing evidence-based interventions.
Ensure all mandatory training is up to date in line with service protocol
Service Development
To be research aware and able to contribute to the research programmes supported by the Talking Therapies service where appropriate.
To act in an informed proactive manner to support improved access to the Talking Therapies service for people who use the service.
To contribute through the Talking Therapies data set and other evaluation tools to improve the quality and effectiveness of Counselling within the Talking Therapies Service.
To be able to use all the required electronic systems used by SHSC and Talking Therapies as well as in the Primary Care teams where based (as appropriate).
The post holder should be comfortable in the use of computer technology, have basic keyboard skills and have the ability to use email. In addition to this the ability to conduct videoconferencing as a treatment option.
To attend clinical and practice meetings as part of the Talking Therapies team and work closely with the Primary Health Care team where appropriate.
To contribute to the development of best practice in Counselling by continuing to develop the skills of a reflective practitioner.
To maintain an active involvement with current developments in the area of Talking Therapies and counselling.
To maintain up to date professional knowledge and developments in Talking Therapies and Counselling.
To maintain annual accreditation with a professional accrediting body relevant to providing individual psychological therapy / Counselling / psychotherapy and the required registrations for the Talking Therapies evidence-based competency-based trainings.
Person specification
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria- Knowledge of the role of Talking Therapies counsellor and skills to deliver evidence-based modalities in the treatment of depression in line with the National Talking Therapies manual
- Skilled at achieving required standards through delivering agreed job plan in line with 20 clinical contact hours per week pro rata and ability to meet the minimum required 52% clinical recovery rate for Talking Therapies services
- Ability to use session by session outcome measures to monitor practice
- Knowledge and skills in the use of methods of Counselling appropriate in Talking Therapies e.g., contracting; assessment; implementing clinically appropriate interventions for depression; caseload management to achieve clinical contact hours required and managing endings
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively (verbally and written); communicating complex, highly technical or clinically sensitive information to clients, organisations and to other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Able to establish and maintain therapeutic relationships and alliances as well work within the Talking Therapies model and hold firm boundaries when necessary
- Skilled in providing advice on suitability of evidence-based counselling interventions to other professions in Talking Therapies, GPs and other stakeholders as appropriate
- Skilled at working with, and in a variety of teams
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and Mental health
Training & Qualifications
Essential criteria- Qualified in a BACP approved Diploma in Counselling
- Registered and accredited with United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP or equivalent accrediting body). It is essential that registration and accreditation must be maintained throughout employment
- Trained in Counselling for Depression (CfD-PCET)
- In addition to CfD-PCET, trained in one or more of the Talking Therapies approved evidence-based modality training; Couple Therapy for Depression (CTfD); or Interpersonal Therapy (IPT); or DIT
- Supervision training in evidence based modality (with relevant qualification and experience for the Talking Therapies counsellor role)
- Further formal and relevant post accreditation training (relevant to the Talking Therapies counsellor role)
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of working in an Talking Therapies service delivering counselling for people with depression
- Experience of Counselling in Primary Care settings working collaboratively with GPs and the wider Primary Care Team
- Experience of delivering brief focus Counselling interventions with good patient outcomes
- Experience of working with adults, presenting with mild to severe symptoms of depression in line with suitability for an Talking Therapies service
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotional and distressing problems
- Demonstrate clinical leadership appropriate to banding where required
- Experience of the application of evidence-based counselling modalities in different cultural contexts
- Experience of delivering evidence-based modality supervision
Other
Essential criteria- Ability to work across Sheffield and to work to meet the demands of the role, maintain CPD and receive support/maintain wellbeing by attending counselling forums, Service CPD, team meetings, group supervision and individual supervision
- Ability to be flexible with appointment times to meet patient need (where needed to offer one early appointment and one late appointment per week and to work Saturdays if required, on occasion)
- Documented evidence throughout employment in line with requirements from professional body to maintain accreditation
- Strong evidence of commitment to personal development to maintain and deepen the capacity to withstand the emotional and ethical conflicts of the post and the capacity to maintain therapeutic focussed concentration for long periods of time. This can be demonstrated through different forms of continuing personal development and effective use of supervision
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework
Please think about your personal values and how these align with our values when you are applying. Find out more about our organisation through our website.
We are a Disability Confident employer level 2 and hope to achieve level 3 this year. We offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria for a role. When you apply you will have the opportunity to let us know if you require adjustments to be made, please contact us if you are not sure or if you require adjustments to the application process itself.
Our six staff network groups welcome new members, these are:
- The Ethnically Diverse Staff Network Group
- The Disability Staff Network Group
- The Lived Experience Staff Network Group
- The Rainbow Staff Network Group
- The Staff Carers Staff Network Group
- The Women’s Staff Network Group
We know how important flexible working can be to applicants and therefore we encourage you to discuss any working arrangements as part of this process. We will always aim to accommodate requests, wherever possible.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children and as part of our safe recruitment practice the successful applicant(s) will be subject to a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if it is deemed appropriate for the role.The cost of the DBS check (currently up to £48.23) must be met by the successful applicant(s).
When applying for this post you will redirected to complete your application in our preferred applicant management system, Trac. If you are successfully offered a role, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.In addition, in submitting an application, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.
Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting statement.
While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge, and experience. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice.
Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting statement is not advocated by SHSC and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.
For example, AI responses…- usually lack relevance and fail to address the key criteria outlined in the job description and person specification.
- may come across as generic and fail to distinguish you from other applicants.
- may be ambiguous or open to misinterpretation. Without careful review and editing, the supporting statement could convey messages that are unclear or misconstrued by hiring managers.
- may include qualifications, skills, knowledge or experience that you do not possess, potentially leading to misrepresentation.
Supporting Statement
The supporting statement is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person.
Recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. Managers will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations.Share work-related successes and challenges you’ve navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.
Consider structuring your statement with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.