Job Summary
We are an independent hospice located at Bray Lake in Maidenhead, offering stunning lakeside views alongside state-of-the-art facilities. We are proud to hold a CQC rating of Outstanding and are committed to delivering exceptional care that enhances quality of life, right through to the end of life.

We are seeking a Counsellor to join our Counselling and Support Services Team. In this role, you will provide specialist counselling to patients and families. You will support individuals in adjusting to changes in their health, promote emotional wellbeing, quality of life, and resilience. You will also provide bereavement counselling, helping clients process their grief and adapt to life after the loss of a loved one.

Main Duties of the Job
Provide specialist counselling to patients and clients who meet the hospice criteria for support. To help them cope with (and adjust to) changes in health, promoting quality of life and assist them with building emotional resilience. To provide bereavement support helping clients process their grief and begin to adjust to life beyond the death of their loved one.

About Us
We are always looking for excellent people to bring their skills, values driven behaviours and commitment to ambition to deliver quality of life, to the end of life, for everyone to join our charity.

As one team we raise money, support each other whether in clinical teams, or corporate services to ensure everything runs efficiently and smoothly and delivers the best outcome for our patients and their families. Being part of a great team in a complex organisation is demanding, but also really rewarding. If you want to be part of our Counselling and Services Support team, then we would love to work with you.

Culture:
We look for people who really care about their work and have huge amounts of compassion to give. If you want to work as part of a culture which develops your skills and values and builds your confidence to be the best version of yourself, then this is the right place for you. We work hard to look after our people, our patients, our families and our reputation.

All patients are Thames Hospice patients and therefore we always support the patient and their family irrespective of our individual role. We represent the wider charity and clinical model at all times.

Our organisational values are:

• Compassion
• Ambition
• Respect
• Excellence

Job Responsibilities

• Care with Agility: excellent care and support tailored to patients and families in their preferred setting: Communicates effectively with patients, families and professionals to ensure coordinated and compassionate care
• Financial Sustainability: generating sustainable funding with integrity to ensure excellent hospice care: Contributes to sustainable healthcare provision through efficient working practices.
• Supportive Culture: fostering an inclusive, compassionate culture, ensuring outstanding care and management: Contributes to a positive, inclusive and compassionate team environment
• Extending reach: expanding access to our services, ensuring equitable care for all, especially underserved communities: Promotes awareness and understanding of available services within the community
• Specific Role Responsibilities:
• Provide specialist counselling and bereavement support in-line with Thames Hospice criteria, policies and procedures and in adherence with the BACP ethical framework or other appropriate counselling professional body. Assess, plan and implement effective therapeutic interventions in a timely manner.
• Provide individual counselling sessions during the approved service hours: Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm with last appointment time of 3.30pm, via face-to-face sessions at the Hospice, online sessions or Walk & Talk sessions around Bray Lake.
• Manage a caseload of clients, working with the Counselling Support Services Team Lead, to ensure all associated admin processes are completed accurately in line with audit and compliance requirements, from accepting referral through to discharge.
• Maintain accurate and confidential counselling records on the database, in line with Thames Hospices organisational policies, professional requirements, current legislation and best practice.
• Monitor and evaluate the outcomes of counselling using the appropriate evaluation document, to assist the collecting of data to support our service.
• Attend monthly supervision sessions for the client work of Thames Hospice in line with counselling professional body requirements.
• Facilitate or co-facilitate bereavement and other support groups for Thames Hospice as required.
• Work collaboratively with other teams within the hospice to deliver an excellent holistic, patient focussed service provision.
• Develop good relationships and communication links with external agencies, GPs and community teams to facilitate partnering and sharing of resources with our community in the best interests of patient and client care.
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety procedures and report accidents, incidents, accolades and complaints in your area of responsibility.
• Identify personal development and training needs through the performance appraisal process: About Me and participate in relevant training to ensure professional skills and knowledge are maintained and developed as appropriate to the service.
• Carry out any other duties related to this role as required by the Manager, Team Lead or Director of Nursing. This includes working with the CSS Leadership Team to review and develop the counselling service, including models of practice, as part of transformation of the hospice patient and family offer.

Person Specification
Qualifications - Essential

• Counselling qualification degree or diploma level.
• Member of BACP or UKCP, with accreditation or working towards accreditation.

Experience - Essential

• Experience of working with patients with life limited illnesses, pre-bereavement and bereavement.
• Evidence of sound clinical decision making, independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of working with groups.
• Experience of providing online counselling: phone, video-link.
• Willingness and ability to demonstrate commitment to Thames Hospice values.
• Good organisation and time management skills.
• Able to use self-care strategies to sustain the compassionate support of clients, remaining calm under pressure in demanding situations.
• Strong communication skills, verbal and written, adapting style to suit the audience.
• Able to develop respectful, supportive and effective relationships with colleagues.
• High levels of client focus.
• Able to use and work with IT systems: Microsoft Office/Outlook and experience of working with counselling and healthcare databases.
• Hospice values.

Special Conditions of Appointment to this Role - Essential

• Appointment is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check including Adult and Children Barred Lists occupational health assessment and right to work in the UK checks.
• Access to own vehicle with personal insurance cover for business use.

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.