# Specialist Counsellor

> NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust.

## Canonical URLs

- **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/specialist-counsellor/ac7ca718-eaaf-4460-8026-9ef321061cda
- **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/specialist-counsellor/ac7ca718-eaaf-4460-8026-9ef321061cda.md

## Summary

- **Status:** Live
- **Employer:** Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
- **Town:** Doncaster
- **Region:** North East and Yorkshire
- **Country:** England
- **Profession:** Mental health professionals
- **Grade:** Band 6
- **Salary:** £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata
- **Contract type:** Permanent
- **Employment type:** Part time, Flexible working, 18.75 hours per week (Hours to be worked over 3 days (week 1 Monday-Wednesday, week 2 Wednesday-Friday to meet service needs)
- **Closing date:** 2026-07-27T23:59:00.000Z
- **Posted:** 2026-07-13T14:22:05.715Z
- **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/South_Yorkshire/Doncaster/Rotherham_Doncaster_South_Humber_NHS_Foundation_Trust/Specialist_Counsellor/Specialist_Counsellor-v8101328
- **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8101328?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002
- **Employer website:** https://www.rdash.nhs.uk

## Job Content

### Job overview

Working with individuals diagnosed with cancer or life limiting illness or the loved ones of the individual.

We require a minimum qualification of diploma level or equivalent Humanistic/person centred counselling and candidates will be have demonstrable counselling experience post qualification. Some experience of working within a palliative care setting would be desirable.

The successful candidate will hold a caseload of clients and manage this autonomously. The successful candidate will be supporting individuals who have been diagnosed with life limiting illness, experiencing complex psychological end of life issues. They will also provide counselling/bereavement counselling to any other person affected by this diagnosis.

### Main duties of the job

- To provide counselling intervention with those facing death and their families, including children and young people
- To provide specialist assessment of the needs of bereaved family members and those close to the patient, identifying and  implementing appropriate forms of intervention
- To provide, as appropriate, individual, couple and family counselling, and direct  work with children and young people
- To work within a high level of autonomy, within professional guidelines and broad organisational policies, exercising responsibility for the systemic governance of counselling practice.
- To provide mentorship and guidance to student and volunteer counsellors and ensure systems are in place to support such counselling staff
- To provide valuable support to the extended Palliative care team
- The post holder will be integral to the Clinical Supervision process and education within St Johns Specialist Palliative care Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT)
- To collate and provide statistical information for audit and evaluation purposes
- To be involved in the selection and training of volunteers and new post- holders

### Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please view the attached job description and person specification to view the full details about the role

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if there are a high amount of applications

## Person Specification

### Knowledge

**Essential**

- Experience in working with different psychological therapies including Person Centred/CBT/Gestalt/TA and Solution Focused based therapies at a specialist level including Children’s Play Therapy
- High level of knowledge of bereavement and Grief Counselling and working with bereaved clients
- Knowledge of the best pathway for the individual client and their care.
- Experience at working with one or more specialist therapies with clients to manage each individual complex situation that arises.
- Knowledge of theory and practice of specific counselling therapies in relation to co-morbidity and complexities of complex loss and bereavement, end of life trauma and anxiety and depression to deliver the correct therapeutic model for the client’s individual needs.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health and to work within the requirements.

**Desirable**

- Experience of working with Couples Therapy
- Knowledge of palliative care and end of life issues and managing them within the most suitable theory.
- Knowledge of effective care pathway navigation across primary and secondary care psychological therapy services.
- Knowledge of different research to help provide the appropriate support and best suited to the client’s needs.

### Experience

**Essential**

- Knowledge of a range of counselling procedures and techniques acquired through professional diploma.
- Registered Counsellor
- Awareness of cultural diversity needs

**Desirable**

- Supervision experience
- Previous experience in direct counselling work with children and families
- Experience of working in a palliative care setting
- Experience of managing conflict
- Understanding of the wider NHS agenda
- Demonstrate an understanding of Clinical Governance
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients within this specialist area
- Experience of teaching/training

### Qualifications

**Essential**

- Advanced Diploma level training in Counselling (Post graduate or equivalent in counselling comprising no less than 450 hours programme contact and no less than 450 hours supervised counselling practice (including hours gained after core training).
- Post Grad qualification Counselling Children & Young People (or working towards it)
- Accredited (with relevant professional body) or working towards accreditation

**Desirable**

- Educated to degree level or evidence of being able to work at this level.

### Skills / Abilities

**Essential**

- Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of people and organisations.
- Ability to support learning and education for patients and practitioners
- Excellent communication skills being tactful and diplomatic.
- Ability to manage under pressure
- Motivated, self-reliant and approachable.
- Ability to make decisions and judgements using autonomy
- Able to demonstrate resilience.
- Ability to motivate self and others
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Basic IT skills
- Enthusiastic, dynamic., flexible, tactful
- Personal integrity
- Team worker
- Maintains confidentiality
- Trustworthy and reliable
- Self-belief
- Self-awareness
- Self-Management
- Commitment to continuous improvement of services.
- Flexibility in role to support clients may require working outside normal working hours
- Managing and prioritising own time Use of systems to Input performance data
- Communicate via e-mail and use of internet
- Working within a high level of autonomy

**Desirable**

- Ability to provide supervisory support to students and volunteer counsellors

## Documents

- [376-phn-0295 jd & ps (pdf, 424.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10395484)
- [main terms and conditions (pdf, 406.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2515)
- [rdash clinical & organisational strategy - 2023 to 2028 (pdf, 4.3mb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2789)
- [use of artificial intelligence (ai) when writing job applications (pdf, 280.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2919)

## Agent Notes

- This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page.
- Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references.
- Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.
