Student Counsellor & Mental Health Support Practitioner

Key Responsibilities

1. To contribute fully to the mission and values statement of the College ensuring its effective implementation in all aspects of College life
2. To promote and improve the mental health of learners at the college, who are impacted by poor mental health.
3. To manage and maintain a caseload of students accessing both counselling and mental health needs from mild/moderate to severe and /or enduring in
4. To provide high quality confidential Counselling (within BACP guidelines) within the service offer
5. To undertake mental health educational needs assessments, reviewing cases, and managing a high caseload of learners
6. Deliver complex and specialised Counselling and Mental Health interventions with learners on a 1-2-1 as well as drop in (MH only) basis
7. To develop support and safety plans where required
8. Work closely with the wider teams to offer a step up and step down approach to mental health support.
9. To advocate for reasonable adjustments to support the attainment of education
10. To liaise with the Safeguarding team when necessary to ensure safety and wellbeing of learners
11. To contribute to achieving excellence in supporting students through innovative and excellent practice
12. To use outcome measures to assess, monitor and evaluate to demonstrate the impact of interventions
13. To adhere to the GDPR compliance requirements in relation to safeguarding of personal data
14. To record, file and enter data in accordance with systems and policies
15. To advocate on behalf of students as and when appropriate
16. To develop mechanisms whereby, learners have a voice in order to evaluate the service and take an active role in decision making.
17. To comply with the policies and practice requirements in terms of health and safety, safeguarding, equality and diversity etc.
18. To adhere to record keeping and recording systems.
19. To actively participate in the evaluation and quality assurance of the service.
20. To share knowledge and skills through training as and when required.
21. Raise awareness of Mental Health issues and support with offering practical advice to college staff and stakeholders.
22. To work within a multi-agency framework to ensure the needs of students are addressed holistically. Participate in any multiagency meetings when required
23. To actively promote participation in all aspects of service delivery.
24. To contribute to the College and service area strategic objectives and to actively engage in the annual review
25. Evaluate and improve own communication skills to maximise effective communication and overcome barriers
26. To review own professional development needs and to participate fully in future training and development

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

1. BACP-recognised Diploma in Counselling
2. Hold or be working towards BACP accreditation
3. Educated to Level 4 e.g. Degree or equivalent
4. A recognised Mental Health qualification
5. Minimum of Level 2 literacy and numeracy or willingness to complete
6. An ICT qualification
7. Excellent computer literacy
8. Recent experience of working with the 16+ age group
9. Recent experience of using brief and focused interventions
10. Experience of assessing clients’ mental health needs
11. Experience of developing support plans and strategies
12. Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding requirements and legislation.
13. Engaged in Continuing Professional Development
14. Ability to liaise effectively with tutors and outside agencies.
15. High level of communication and interpersonal skills
16. Ability to set high standards for students, colleagues and for themselves

Benefits