Counsellor jobs

7.5 hours per week – term-time only / permanent / working one day per week 8.30am-4.30pm - working day to be discussed at interview / £34,470 per annum, pro rata.

At YMCA DownsLink Group, our mission is to help children and young people have a fair chance to be who they want to be. We do this by providing a safe home, building life skills and self-confidence, and supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Our Values - we do what’s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections - guide and shape how we show up for children and young people we support and for each other.

Established in 1996, Dialogue School Counselling is a BACP accredited school counselling service covering Sussex and Surrey.

We are recruiting for qualified counsellor or therapist to join our team and deliver our service at Felpham Community College in Felpham, Bognor Regis. You will be working with a range of clients within the Dialogue Thresholds and working to a 6-8 session model. You will be working alongside another experienced Dialogue School Counsellor and working closely with the Student Services Pastoral team at the college.

Key responsibilities

• Run a suitable appointment system flexible to the needs of the school, offering students appropriate assessments and counselling appointments
• Manage the tight time boundaries of the role and the often complex and varied workload
• Liaise with school staff over referrals, waiting lists and appointments
• Carry out initial clinical and risk assessments and establish appropriate referral pathways with other services where appropriate. Continually assess risk throughout each student’s counselling.
• Follow YMCA Dialogue safeguarding procedures; to know who the School’s Designated Safeguarding Officer/s is and how to contact them when a safeguarding concern arises
• Work at all times within the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions
•  Maintain individual membership of the BACP and to become a Registered Member (or other professional body such as HCPC)
• You will establish good professional working relationships with key school staff

Qualifications, knowledge, and experience

• You will have a Counselling or Psychotherapy qualification, minimum Level four and ideally level six, and two years’ post qualifying experience in individual counselling or therapy with young people. This will include working with risk issues
• You will also have a sound understanding of child protection and vulnerable adult safeguarding issues, policies, and procedures
• You will have proven experience in safeguarding children and young people, responding to, managing, and referring safeguarding issues
• You will have a BACP Membership; BACP Registered or Accredited. Or other professional body e.g. HCPC
• You will have a keen interest in working with children and will be familiar with using creative therapeutic approaches, along with experience of working in a school setting 

CLOSING DATE: Sunday 12 April 2026 at midnight.

Please note that we are unable to offer a work permit or visa sponsorship for this role; applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK independently.

An inclusive workplace We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment. 

Accessibility If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us.

YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns. 

Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third-party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity check.

About the organisation

nia has been delivering services to women, girls and children who have been subjected to sexual and domestic violence and abuse, including prostitution, since 1975. The organisation has three main aims: to provide services for women, girls and children who have experienced men’s violence; contributing to ending male violence against women and girls, and to inform and influence policy and public awareness.

About the service

East London Rape Crisis provides free, confidential specialist support for women and girls who have been raped or experienced any other form of sexual violence or abuse at any time in their lives, regardless of whether or not they have reported to the police. We offer confidential and independent support.  Services include advocacy, emotional and practical support, one-to-one counselling and group work.

Job Ref: 206

Hours:  14 hours per week including 1 evening per week

Salary: [£12,600 – £14,000 (FTE £31,500 - £35,000 depending on experience

Team: East London Rape Crisis Therapeutic Team

Location:  East London (Current office locations include Islington, Dagenham Heathway and Waltham Forest. We have      further satellite counselling hubs across East London. We offer a hybrid working approach combined of office, outreach and home working)

Term: This post is funded until March 2028

Cvs will not be accepted

This  post is subject to an enhanced vetting and barring check and open to women only. Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR), Schedule 9 (Work; Exceptions), Part 1 (Occupational Requirements), of the Equality Act (2010) applies.

• Location: Oxford UK/ (with the ability to work from home under Oxfam GB's hybrid working arrangements)
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Hours: 36 hours per week
• Salary: £49,601 (with a discretionary range up to £57,000 depending on experience)
• Job Family: Business Support & Admin
• Division: Operations
• Grade: B
• Job Type: Open ended
• Closing Date: 3 April 2026
• Country: United Kingdom

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

The Role:

As Legal Counsel (Employment) at Oxfam, you will play a pivotal role in supporting teams across Oxfam GB on a wide range of employment-related queries and litigation, both in the UK and globally. You will advise country programmes worldwide alongside UK-based HR colleagues on complex employment law matters, delivering clear, practical guidance that aligns with Oxfam’s values and balances legal, operational, and reputational risks.

A key part of this role will be helping Oxfam understand and apply the law in ways that advance its Equality and Anti-Racist Strategies, including advising on positive action and other lawful measures that promote equity and inclusion across the organisation.

As a member of the OGB Legal Team, you will also contribute beyond employment law, providing commercially astute advice on a broader range of legal issues as needed to support Oxfam’s strategic priorities. This is a collaborative and impactful role, ideal for someone who can combine technical expertise with sound judgement and a commitment to Oxfam’s mission.

What we are looking for:

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam's mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also have:

• 5+ years PQE and legally qualified in the UK
• Experience of advising on complex and varying UK employment law and HR matters, including investigations and whistleblowing.
• Broad commercial experience either in-house or private practice advising a range of stakeholders
• Ability to support on colleagues internationally on employee relations processes, employment disputes and litigation
• Experience of advising on the drafting of HR policies and procedures
• Ability to identify key legal questions within complex queries and manage responses in accordance with legal team workload, level of legal risk identified and organisational priorities
• Experience of producing guidance notes and training
• Ability to work equally in a detail-focused manner as well as big-picture oriented, so as to effectively prioritise workload and projects

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer 

Flexfam:

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. We think this role would work particularly well working within our Hybrid Working guidelines which includes regular home-based working. The successful candidate would be expected to be based in our Oxford office one day per month.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our  are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the .  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

 is a member of  of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.

We are recruiting a part-time, multilingual counsellor to provide high-quality, trauma-informed therapeutic support to young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, with a particular focus on refugees and people seeking asylum. This includes delivering one to one counselling, group therapy, and therapeutic workshops within a busy day centre setting.

You will be passionate about providing culturally competent therapy with a strong understanding of the mental health needs of marginalised communities, particularly refugees and people seeking asylum. You will have fluency in one or more languages commonly spoken by refugee communities, which is essential to this role.

You will be confident working with complex trauma, comfortable in a dynamic, community-based environment, and committed to creating accessible and affirming therapeutic spaces for young people who may have experienced significant barriers to support.

Key details: 

• Contract type and hours: The role is part-time. The post holder will be required to work 21 hours across three 3 days per week. The exact working pattern will be determined following interview. Some work over the Christmas period will be required.

• Salary: The starting salary for role is: £31,200.00 (pro-rata).