Job advert for Counselling
We are looking for enthusiastic, passionate team players to join our dynamic service as High Intensity (HI) Counsellors. We are particularly interested to hear from female and Global Majority applicants to strengthen our diverse team.

If you are committed to delivering short-term evidence based high-quality care and making a real difference in people's lives, we would like you to apply.

Why Join Us?
Well established counselling team within a Talking Therapy Service (IAPT)
Delivering short-term, goal focussed, outcome centred interventions
Supportive, collaborative team environment
Opportunities for professional development
Make a meaningful impact in the Lewisham community

Working for the organisation:
We are a diverse, friendly and forward-thinking psychological therapy service based in Lewisham. Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based interventions and fostering an environment where staff feel valued and supported in their professional growth. We have strong partnerships within the local community and welcome applicants who bring special interests or expertise in developing these links.

Main duties of a HI Counsellor:
The post holder will provide specialist psychological therapy services to clients residing in the Lewisham Borough.

This includes:

• Conducting specialist assessments to identify psychological needs.
• Developing individualised treatment plans, primarily using short-term, goal focused counselling.
• Delivering evidence-based interventions and monitoring progress through weekly outcome measures to support clients' recovery rates.
• Ensuring high standards of clinical care and adherence to professional guidelines.
• Working autonomously, within the team and supervision guidelines.
• Competent to liaise and refer to multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) when appropriate.

Our clinicians are highly skilled and motivated, with access to specialist training enabling us to offer a wide range of therapies, including:

• Person Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression (PCE-CfD)
• Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)
• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
• Couple Therapy for Depression (CTfD)

To apply, download a full Job Description and main responsibilities.

About us
We are a diverse, friendly, and forward-thinking psychological therapy service based in Lewisham. Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based interventions and fostering an environment where staff feel valued and supported in their professional growth.

We maintain strong links with leading TT training programmes at King's College London / Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) and University College Londonr. In addition, we collaborate with centres of clinical excellence and research innovation, such as the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT).

Our clinicians are highly skilled and motivated, with access to specialist training enabling us to offer a wide range of therapies, including:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Counselling for Depression (CfD)
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)
• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
• Behavioural Couples Therapy (BCT)

We have strong partnerships within the local community and welcome applicants who bring special interests or expertise in developing these links.

We aim to listen to and value our team members, promoting opportunities for continued professional development and career progression. If you are passionate about delivering high-quality care and contributing to service innovation, we would love to hear from you.

Job responsibilities
Provide specialist psychological therapy for clients referred to the NHS Talking Therapies service, integrating complex information from multiple sources, including:

• Specialist psychological assessments
• Self-report measures and routine outcome monitoring
• Clinical observations and formulation
• Deliver evidence-based, NICE-recommended psychological therapies for depression and anxiety disorders, including Person-Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression (PCE-CfD), Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), and Couple Therapy for Depression (CTfD), where appropriately trained.
• Formulate and implement individualised treatment plans using a collaborative, evidence-based and recovery-focused approach.
• Deliver short-term, goal-focused psychological therapy interventions and regularly review treatment progress and clinical outcomes to support recovery.
• Monitor treatment progress and outcomes through routine outcome measures, ensuring interventions remain effective and aligned with best practice.
• Work autonomously within professional, organisational and clinical governance frameworks, making appropriate referrals and liaising with multidisciplinary teams where required.
• Maintain high standards of clinical care, adhering to professional, ethical and service-specific guidelines.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• A level 7 post-graduate (or equivalent) qualification in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology
• SCoPEd Column C Accreditation with a NHS Talking Therapies recognised counselling or psychotherapy body: BACP, UKCP, ACC, NCS, BPC.

Desirable

• Post-graduate training in supervision
• Other TT modality qualification - 1 pt for each

Experience
Essential

• Experience of delivering high-intensity counselling for common mental health problems
• Experience of psychological assessment inc risk assessment and management
• Experience of working within an NHS Talking Therapies / IAPT service or similar
• Experience of using routine outcome measures
• Experience of working across cultures and with diverse communities and 'hard to reach' groups

Desirable

• Delivering IAPT-relevant psycho-educational or therapeutic groups or workshops
• Experience in service development, audit, or research

Skills
Essential

• Ability to manage a complex caseload autonomously, with clinical assessment, intervention, and case management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Skills in tailoring therapy to individual clients from diverse backgrounds and with other specific factors such as neurodivergence, socio-economic stressors, D&A issues and character traits.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, and where relevant their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Ability to meet agreed service targets and manage own caseload

Desirable

• Ability to deliver therapy in additional languages

Knowledge
Essential

• Experience at working with one or more NHS Talking Therapies-recognised psychological therapies at a specialist level
• High -level knowledge of the theory and practice of one or more NHS TALKING THERAPIES-recognised psychological therapies.

Desirable

• Skills in tailoring therapy to individual clients from diverse backgrounds and with other specific factors such as neurodivergence, socio-economic stressors, D&A issues and character traits.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of adapting specific NHS Talking

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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