Senior Counselling Practitioner

Job summary

You will support a team to deliver Person Centred interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties to support them to improve their emotional health and build resilience. This will include (F2F & virtual) individual, group work and peer support.

This post will work under the line management of the Head of Service/ Service Lead at Be U Swindon. Managerial and clinical supervision will be provided. The role will be varied, challenging, and rewarding as you will work as part of a diverse clinical team pro-actively developing the service through co-production, delivery, and ongoing innovation.

To provide Clinical Supervision to counsellors and Mental Health Support Wokers or relevant experience and willingness to undertake a funded Clinical Supervision course becoming a qualified supervisor.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will provide clinical leadership and day-to-day support to the wider team, contributing to the safe and effective delivery of services for children and young people (CYP). The role involves triaging referrals, undertaking comprehensive assessments, providing safeguarding support and developing safety plans for CYP presenting with self-harm or suicidal ideation. The postholder will deliver one-to-one and group therapeutic interventions, maintain accurate and confidential clinical records, use risk assessments to inform decision-making, and ensure appropriate signposting and escalation where required. They will work closely with children, young people, families and professionals, communicating with sensitivity and compassion while ensuring young people feel heard, respected and involved in their care. In addition, the role includes supporting clinical record audits, delivering training, facilitating peer support initiatives, and providing cover and guidance to colleagues to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the service.

About us

ABL is an exciting fast-paced, growing community health organisation. As an experienced, CQC registered, provider of community health services, we are passionate about delivering evidence based, innovative, effective and relevant health care services in partnership with individuals, communities and stakeholders.

Details

• Date posted: 03 September 2026
• Pay scheme: Other
• Salary: £30,000 to £32,000 a year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
• Reference number: E0343-26-0029abl905d
• Job locations: 6 Darby Close, Nexus Business Centre, Swindon, SN2 2PN, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

This qualification is designed to give learners the knowledge, skills and competencies to provide clinical supervision for counselling practitioners. It is aimed at counsellors who have acquired sufficient client work experience to contemplate the move into a clinical supervision role.

Participants will need to:

Have both supervisees and supervisory supervision.

Be working as counsellors under supervision.

This qualification is designed to lead to a role as a clinical counselling supervisor in a counselling agency or in independent practice. Supervision is an ongoing professional requirement for all practising counsellors and those with a recognised qualification are more likely to find employment.

Entry requirements

You must have completed our Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Level 5 Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapeutic Skills and Theory, Level 5 Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People or their equivalents plus have at least one year's post-qualifying experience of supervised client work.

Alternatively, you must have completed our Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling or its equivalent and have at least two years' post-qualifying experience of supervised client work.

Main Duties and responsibilities:

• To support the wider staff team with day-to-day risk and clinical support where required.
• To support the service with triaging referrals and assessment of CYP referrals.
• Supporting with more information calls to YP, professionals and families where required.
• To complete comprehensive assessments using the taking into account the childs individuals needs and experience.
• To deliver one-off or short-term therapeutic interventions (121 and group) to children and young people, working independently which may, at times, lone working.
• Providing safeguarding, safety plans, support/signposting for CYP who are showing signs of risk to self; via self-harm and/or suicidal ideation.
• Provide detailed and timely record keeping of YP risk and support given to YP.
• To be able to use risk assessments to understand YP level of risk.
• Delivering training where required.
• Supporting with clinical record audits where required.
• To facilitate peer support with and for children and young people.
• To maintain confidential case notes and records in a timely manner ensuring that these are stored securely using the specified case management systems.
• To support/cover other senior practitioners with tasks to support the team where required.

Communication

• Be able to communicate and engage with children and young people appropriate to individual needs.
• Ensure young people feel listened to, feel in control, and are respected.
• To be able to confidently liaise with parents of CYP presenting with risk to support minimisation of harm to the YP.
• The ability to communicate sensitively and compassionately with CYP and parents.

Skills & Competencies required:

• An experienced and qualified mental health practitioner used to a fast-paced environment. (See person specification)
• Experienced in working with children and young people across early intervention / mental health settings and experienced in engaging the whole family.
• Confident in supporting / offering interventions to children and young people presenting mild to moderate risk behaviours.
• Able to build strong therapeutic relationships in a short period of time.
• Positive and proactive to achieve the highest standards and outcomes in engagement with children, young people, their parent/carers and professionals.
• Adept in communication and confident communicating with CYP (Children and Young Peoples), their parents/carers and health professionals.
• Open, respectful, committed to equality and inclusiveness and motivated by new ideas and perspectives.
• A team player.
• Be able to work independently using initiative and problem-solving skills to ensure best outcomes for CYP.
• Be able to manage own diary effectively.

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).