Counsellors jobs

The Therapeutic Service Co-ordinator & Clinician is a vital member of the DreamArts Core Team. This role combines project co-ordination with direct therapeutic support through our EXPRESS PLUS service and our work with young carers.

EXPRESS PLUS is a free therapy service based in Westminster offering weekly one-to-one or parent-child creative therapeutic support to young people aged 7–18 (or up to 25 with additional needs). It is the only service of its kind in the borough and we provide a safe and welcoming space for clients to explore issues such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, and suicidal ideation.

Sessions take place at three community venues and are delivered by qualified or qualifying therapists using a wide range of creative tools—arts and crafts, sand play, puppets, games—to help young people express themselves in ways that feel natural and safe. With an 80% retention rate after three sessions and two-thirds of clients from global majority backgrounds, the service has a demonstrable impact.

EXPRESS PLUS is proudly user-led. Young people are at the heart of every decision, and the service adapts to meet their needs—typically offering up to 18 weekly sessions, with flexibility depending on circumstances. We accept self-referrals from young people aged 14+, parents/carers, and statutory and voluntary services.

As part of this role, you will also deliver direct therapeutic support to young people with caring responsibilities. This includes offering weekly 1:1 sessions for three young carers and being part of a team facilitating monthly group therapy spaces.

We are looking for a team member who is passionate about the power of creative therapy to support young people. It also offers opportunities to case-manage three-to-four therapists and bring a therapeutic lens across all aspects of DreamArts’ work. We provide appropriate levels of clinical supervision plus a quarterly reflection space to support your professional development.

Please note that the post holder needs to be a qualified psychotherapist/counsellor, with previous experience (paid or voluntary) of delivering 1:1 therapy sessions with children and/or young people.

In in last year’s staff satisfaction survey 100% of team members felt inspired at DreamArts to do their best at their job, and 100% said that their voice and skills matter at DreamArts.

‘DreamArts has a profound impact on the lives of young people and is a model of exemplary practice.’ - The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, Impact Study

DreamArts has a mission; to transform young lives by fusing arts and therapy.

For over two decades, DreamArts has worked directly in the community, making a difference to the lives of over 500 young people each year in some of London’s most deprived areas—empowering them to explore who they are, build positive relationships and develop emotional wellbeing. 

Our award-winning projects put young people in control: from devising new mini-musicals and immersive theatre, to young carers curating photography exhibitions and young refugees touring their original beatbox plays across the UK. Alongside this, our free therapeutic services offer vital support as mental health crises among young people continues to grow. 

DreamArts is committed to providing an integrative and inclusive programme and not to discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, nationality, or culture. We are also committed to being a more diverse and culturally representational organisation, therefore any applicant that identifies from a minoritised background and meets the essential criteria will be automatically selected for an interview.

Hours: 4 days per week (30 hours) between 9.00am and 5.00pm

Clolsing date:  Tuesday 30th June at 11pm

Interview date: Friday 10th July

Salary: £48,000 p/a pro rata 

Contract: 1 year fixed term (covering a maternity leave position)

The Southmead Project is an equal opportunities employer providing free specialist counselling and support for survivors of abuse across Bristol and surrounding areas. Our recruitment is done in line with safer recruitment practices. We welcome people of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, ability, language, religion and cultural background. We value the differences between people and affirm each person as an individual.

We value our team very highly and pride ourselves on being a supportive employer. We provide the following benefits to encourage a supported, well-rounded and enriched practice:

• Paid supervision for 1.5 hours per month, with an external supervisor of that person’s choice

• Line management for 1 hour per month

• Training budget of £500 per year to spend on relevant training of that person’s choice

• Employer pension contribution of 5%

• Generous annual leave allowance and paid sick leave

• Cycle to work scheme

• Optional private counselling for up to 12 sessions per year with an external counsellor of that person’s choice

Therapeutic Management

• To manage and support a staff team, including the Head of Active Recovery, a Counselling Lead, Nexus Counselling Manager, a Family Support Group Facilitator, and administrators.

• To oversee all of the charity’s therapeutic services and ensure that efficient and high-quality services are delivered.

• To be the charity’s Designated Safeguarding Lead to respond effectively and efficiently to safeguarding concerns.

• To ensure staff are sufficiently trained in adult and child safeguarding and that training records are kept up-to-date.

• To oversee the charity’s pre-trial therapy processes and be a point of contact for the police.

• To develop and improve the charity’s therapeutic services, including any expansion of the services.

• To manage therapeutic recruitment, inductions and training.

• To hold monthly staff meetings and service team meetings when needed.

• To oversee the individual and group supervision arrangements and reporting for all staff. 

• To manage and have overall responsibility for the ongoing use of an online Case Management System, ensuring that data is inputted accurately for reporting purposes.

• To support the charity’s quality assurance and development of its services through monitoring  and responding to client feedback and outcomes data.

• To develop the charity’s survivor voice work and ensure that the charity’s services are informed by survivors and their lived experience. 

• To manage any complaints raised by clients. 

Leadership

• To work collaboratively as part of a Leadership Team to make decisions and resolve issues affecting the day-to-day running of the charity and management of its staff team.

• To strategically plan and develop the therapeutic services of the charity.

• To develop relationships with partner agencies and professionals to raise awareness of our therapeutic services and strengthen our work.

• To build and maintain a positive working relationship with the Board of Trustees.

• To attend and contribute to trustee meetings and trustee working group meetings, reporting on the therapeutic services and any clinical matters arising. 

• To assist in promoting the charity by attending all relevant meetings directly connected with your work.

• To undertake any other duties appropriate to the needs of the charity.

Client Work

• To provide one-to-one counselling for survivors of abuse of all genders, both online / by phone and face-to-face, with a caseload of approximately 4 clients. 

• To maintain confidential and accurate counselling notes of all sessions.

• To attend monthly one-to-one clinical supervision with a supervisor approved by the Southmead Project. (Supervision is a requirement of this charity as members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy).

• To attend monthly one-to-one line management meetings.

• To work to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy ethical guidelines.

• To work within the framework, spirit and ethos of the Southmead Project’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and actively engage in promoting the policy within the charity and in all dealings with clients and other agencies.

• All members of staff, paid and unpaid, are required to undergo the enhanced level of Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Person Specification

ESSENTIAL:

• Diploma in Counselling (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited course or equivalent); and to have BACP accreditation or be working towards BACP accreditation or equivalent.

• To be a registered member of BACP, UKCP, NCS or equivalent professional body, with over 5 years of supervised counselling experience.

• Significant experience of providing one-to-one counselling for survivors of abuse and carrying out initial assessments and risk assessments.

• Significant knowledge and understanding of the issues affecting this client group and the impact of trauma.

• Significant line management and appraisal experience with the ability to effectively co-ordinate a team. 

• The ability to support staff to foster a positive working environment and deliver a high quality of service.

• Experience of recruiting staff, including inductions and training.

• Experience of managing safeguarding concerns and supporting others to act in accordance with safeguarding policies and in the best interests of the client or those at risk. 

• The ability to work with clients online or by phone.

• Experience of working collaboratively as part of a leadership team and ability to contribute to an organisation’s future development.

• Experience of developing and maintaining working relationships with partner agencies and professionals. 

• Excellent organisational and planning skills.

• Excellent IT skills and experience of using Microsoft Word and Excel, with the ability to confidently use and support others with an online Case Management System. 

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.

• A commitment to identifying ongoing personal development and training needs and to take appropriate action to ensure these needs are met.

• The ability to keep accurate and confidential records of client work.

• Experience of being a client in a formal counselling relationship.

• Experience of and commitment to working with diversity.

• To have the capacity to work flexibly within a small professional team.

• The ability to manage own time and work load effectively.

• The ability to chair meetings

DESIRABLE:

• Training in trauma processing approaches, such as EMDR, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET),  brainspotting, trauma-focused CBT, and Rewind Technique.

• Experience of working within a community-based organisation.

• Experience of working with people that have used drugs or alcohol to cope with trauma.

• Experience of running therapeutic groups.

• Experience of delivering training. 

Main Purpose of Role:

· Devise and implement a mixed programme of community fundraising activities, to generate a sustainable source of unrestricted income to meet agreed targets.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Launch, implement and run innovative income generating projects to maximise donations to SWA, to look after relationships with existing donors and build on relationships created to ensure fundraising potential is optimised.
• Set up and manage a volunteer community fundraising team
• Organise and manage community fundraising activities (including digital) and events to maximise all fundraising opportunities and work to raise the profile of the SWA.
• Keep abreast of developments in the third sector relating to fundraising and have an awareness of the local competition for donations.

General Responsibilities:

Responsible for the Health, Safety and welfare of yourself and your colleagues, ensuring the duties and responsibilities are clearly understood and that legislative requirements are adhered to.

• Respect the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of duties, perform and refrain from disclosing such information without written consent from management, except where disclosure is required by order of a Court of law.

• Maintain professional competence by complying, at all times, with the training and competence procedures set down by the Organisation. Generally, keep abreast of developments affecting your duties and responsibilities.
• Be aware of the Organisation’s Equal Opportunities Policy regarding both employees and service users to assist in eliminating all areas of inequality and discrimination.
• Become familiar with the aims, ethics and aspirations of the Organisation and to sustain and promote them. Participate enthusiastically in the growth and prosperity of the Organisation.
• Undertake any other business development/funding duties, as directed that can reasonably be accommodated within the salary range for the job and your expertise.

Job Description and Review

The job description reflects the present requirements of the post.  The description will be reviewed in consultation of the job holder as and when the duties and responsibilities change.  Such review will normally also take place at the Annual Appraisal Meeting.

Desirable

• Charity fundraising qualification
• Membership of Institute of Fundraising or other relevant professional body.
• Ability to speak Welsh

Essential

Experience 

• Minimum of two years’ experience in community fundraising with a proven track record of achieving funding target
• Experience in planning, organising and delivering fundraising campaigns, events and activities
• Developing and evaluating new opportunities for partnerships and community fundraising
• Raising funds via social media activities/digital marketing
• Experience of managing or working with volunteers to support fundraising activities

Knowledge

• Charity community fundraising
• Donations
• Proven knowledge of online fundraising tools, digital marketing and social media
• Regulatory knowledge to include Gift Aid, general data protection regulations and fundraising best practices.

Skills/Personal Qualities

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, and experience with Customer Relationship Management software systems.
• Numerate and attentive to detail, with the ability to maintain accurate records
• Good networking skills
• A proactive self -starter who is able to work on their own initiative, managing and prioritising their work to meet agreed deadlines and targets
• An excellent communicator, with persuasive, engaging and creative writing skills
• Understanding of, and enthusiasm for, SWA’s work, mission and values
• A passion to raise funds for SWA

Other

• Full UK driving licence and access to a suitable vehicle
• Able to lift and transport equipment
• Willingness to travel locally and to work occasional evenings and weekends

This role presents opportunity to work innovatively & responsively, creating new, unique, & informative LGBTQ+ affirmative resources, providing crisis support, prevention & wellbeing initiatives; along with having a developmental role in upskilling & supervising sessional staff, trainees, interns & volunteers. 

This is an exciting job opportunity to join a dynamic & committed team, in a key frontline role working directly within our Heads-Out mental health service, which provides individualised mental health plans, crisis safety plans and support, mental wellbeing workshops, varied mental health support groups including for those seeking asylum, a trans & non-binary group; LGBTQ+ mental health group, and LGBTQ+ social connections & activities group. 

Opportunities will include delivery of specialised interventions, taking direct referrals and helping to support & stabilise those at heightened risk and/ or living through mental health crisis, plus psychoeducation workshops and group programmes will further enable you to engage, empower & support participants to build confidence, develop skills, strategies & achieve goals to improve, maintain & best manage mental health, increase mental wellbeing, and reduce and/ or prevent future crisis.

elop is a well established thriving and award-wining London based community-led LGBTQ+ mental health & wellbeing charity offering a range of high-quality and professional mental health, counselling and wellbeingsupport services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBTQ+) communities. 

There will be one regular evening/ week and occasional other evenings and weekend working required.

NB: There will initially be both in-person office-based working with some remote home-based working required whilst we’re awaiting completion of building works and relocation to new premises

Interviews will take place Friday 26 June 2026 between 9.30am – 15.00 pm