Mental health practitioner jobs in scotland, edinburgh

The Charity and The Vision.  

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting military children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. Founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, the charity offers a unique blend of emotional, practical, and educational support to over 700 young people, and we have big ambitions to support over 1,000 children annually by 2030.  

We are proud of our vibrant, non-traditional culture, which puts the needs of bereaved children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We embrace innovative approaches, are committed to creating smiles and believe in the power of community, resilience, and connection.  

Scotty’s is seeking an experienced bereavement counsellor to join our small but effective team. The role involves supporting children and young people affected by bereavement, which may include death in service, illness, or suicide.

We want every bereaved military child and young person to have:

• Access to the very best emotional health and wellbeing support.

• Outstanding development opportunities.

• The chance to smile again. 

We call these our Promises. Our promises align with our three programmes: SMILES, STRIDES and SUPPORT.

· The SMILES Programme provides children with the chance to smile again

· The STRIDES Programme provides children with outstanding development opportunities

· The SUPPORT Programme provides the very best emotional health and wellbeing support to children who are struggling to cope following a bereavement. 

Our Bereavement Counsellor will be a valuable member of the SUPPORT Programme, delivering online 1:1 and group support to those who need it most.  But all three programmes work closely together (we call this the Families team).

Role Mission:

The Scotty’s Bereavement Counsellor will work with our families who are struggling with their grief to help them understand their feelings, develop coping skills and build their new life.

This role will be accountable for:

Providing emotional support, counselling and therapeutic interventions to individuals and families coping with grief and loss. The role involves working compassionately and ethically with families affected by bereavement, helping them process their emotions and find ways to adjust to life after a loss.

The Bereavement Counsellor will work collaboratively with the SUPPORT team and the wider Families team to ensure that all work undertaken by Scotty’s is delivered in a supportive and sensitive manner and that Scotty families receive exemplary care.

What are the 3-month goals for this role:

· Within three months the Counsellor will have developed their knowledge of the range of services that Scotty’s offers to our families so that they can advise and support families in their case load.

· Will have begun to learn and understand the Scotty Values and the Scotty Way (we do things a little differently and our culture is very important to us and our families!).

· Would have begun supporting the families assigned to their caseload by the Head of SUPPORT.  This will predominantly if not entirely be online 1:1 delivery.

· Will have completed all necessary safeguarding training and be part of the Scotty’s Safeguarding team.

· Begun attending peer supervision sessions with the SUPPORT team.

What are the 6-month goals for this role:

· Will have established a caseload as assigned by the Head of SUPPORT which is likely to include 1:1 online sessions, and may also include online group sessions, drop ins or workshops.

· Will have begun to support the wider Families team by attending Scotty events.  At Scotty events, a SUPPORT team member often attends to provide support to any families in distress (this may require occasional weekend or evening work).

· Will be working cohesively with the Families team and the wider Scotty team to share your knowledge and skills.  Scotty’s values a culture of learning and strives to ensure team members can learn from one another’s expertise.

· Will be contributing to peer supervision sessions to ensure all SUPPORT team members are able to give the best support to families.

· Regularly meeting with your selected external supervisor.

What are the 9-month goals for this role:

· Will be supporting a caseload as assigned by the Head of SUPPORT, with emerging impact data showing the success of your support.  Scotty’s uses the Child Bereavement Service Questionnaire (CBSQ) developed by the CBN to monitor the impact of 1:1 support and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for pre-bereavement support.

· Will be a valuable member of the SUPPORT programme, Families and wider Scotty team. Providing first rate bereavement counselling and support directly to families but also indirectly helping families by working collaboratively with other team members.

What are the key responsibilities of this role:

· Managing a caseload and delivering one to one counselling sessions as assigned by the Head of SUPPORT. This will predominantly be online delivery using Teams video calling but also other formats as needed by families.

· Facilitate group therapy or support groups when appropriate.

· Conduct initial assessment to determine clients’ needs and suitability for counselling.

· Maintaining accurate and confidential case notes in a timely fashion using our Salesforce based system in accordance with data protection and organisational policies.

· Adhering to all safeguarding requirements and operating as part of the Scotty Safeguarding team to maintain the highest standards across the charity.

· Supporting the development of resources and materials as needed.

· Working collaboratively within the SUPPORT team, including peer supervision.

· Working collaboratively and effectively within the Families team to ensure that families are directed to the appropriate services in a timely fashion.  This could include directing families you are working with towards our educational grants, our respite breaks, our events, our school support or our advocacy.

· Liaise with healthcare and mental health professionals such as GPs, CAMHS and social workers or other professionals where appropriate to ensure holistic care and management of risk.

· Attending at least six (mandatory) face to face team days, normally located in the East of England.

· Participate in regular clinical supervision and continuing professional development.

Skillset and Experiences Required:

Essential

· Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).  We may consider applications from practitioners with HCPC or NCS membership too.

· Level 4 Counselling / Psychotherapy Diploma or above.

· Significant experience (post qualification) providing bereavement counselling, to children or young people (0-25yrs).

· Experience and training with NICE-approved talking therapies.

· Demonstrated knowledge of issues surrounding bereavement.

· Ability to manage caseload effectively.

· Willingness to work flexible hours to accommodate children’s needs (this may include evening work to avoid school hours at times).

· Excellent computer literacy.

· Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with families.

· Ability to engage with peer supervision and Scotty’s funded external supervision effectively.

· Ability to engage with a culture of continuous learning and support the learning of others.

· Ability to work flexibly as part of a team and independently to meet the needs of the service.

· Commitment to professional standards and ethical practice.

Desirable

· Accredited member of BACP.

· Knowledge or experience of or with the military community.

· Experience of online counselling.

· Experience (post qualification) providing pre-bereavement counselling or support.

· Experience of supporting those bereaved by suicide.

· Knowledge of or experience using assessment tools such as SDQs or CBSQs.

· Knowledge of statutory mental health provision and systems including CAMHS and EHCPs.

· Experience of providing counselling or support to young people with SEND or additional needs.

· Ability to drive with access to own transport is an advantage as some team meetings can take place away from public transport routes.

· Experience working within a hospice, NHS or charitable setting.

Additional Information

- The role may require evening or weekend work

- Enhanced DBS check required

- Travel will be required to events and team training days

The Scotty’s Way

At Scotty’s, our personal performance is only 50% of what success looks like. Our culture is equally important. When you join our team, you sign up to The Scotty’s Way, rooted in our four core values:

1. Families Come First

2. Everyone a Supporter, Every Supporter a VIP

3. Love What You Do

4. Remember, Every Day

Our values are further supported by our four non-negotiable behaviours of Show Respect, Speak Up, Embrace Change and Actively Collaborate. We are looking for an individual who embodies these values and behaviours.

Thank you for your interest in joining our team, we are an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with respect and given equal opportunities for employment and advancement.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.

We encourage all qualified individuals to apply for employment within our charity, and we are dedicated to providing a fair and inclusive recruitment process for all candidates.