Job overview
Applicants must be fully accredited and on the Accredited register of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). This covers Accredited Counsellors / Counselling Psychologists registered with the UKCP, BPC, HCPC or an equivalent professional bodies and/or Accredited with the BACP. Please provide correct details of registration to confirm Accreditation by search of number and not name, on the PSA or BACP 'Find an Accredited Therapist', for shortlisting.
Are you an accredited, experienced counsellor or psychotherapist, looking to work with committed and friendly colleagues in the NHS at Harrow Talking Therapies?
Our Service seeks a High Intensity Accredited Counsellor (Band 7) with a particular interest, experience and firm commitment to working to deliver effective brief treatments. The service works across diverse patient groups presenting with a wide range of psychological difficulties.
To qualify for Band 7 applicants would need qualification in at least one IAPT approved modality including IPT, PCE-CfD, CTfD or DIT.
A supervision qualification is desirable.
Band 6: Where Band 7 criteria have not yet been fully met, it may possible to consider suitable candidates to join the service at Band 6.
Main duties of the job
1. Provide specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment of patients referred to Harrow Talking Therapies for High Intensity Counselling.
2. Formulate and implement plans for the specialist psychotherapeutic treatment and/or management of patients' mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of those problems derived from a broad theoretical knowledge of counselling.
3. Be responsible for implementing a range of specialist High Intensity Counselling, and other IAPT modalities interventions for individual patients, couples and groups.
4. Comply with caseload and set activity requirements which include number of contacts and recovery rates.
5. Regular and prompt entry of clinical data relating to patients on caseload.
6. Regularly monitor and evaluate therapy programmes and progress.
7. Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors.
8. Discharge patients as appropriate and arrange follow-up as appropriate on completion of therapy.
9. Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment, discharge and onward referral.
10. Assess and manage clinical risk to self and others. Involve other agencies as appropriate.
11. "Comply with relevant professional standards and guidelines.
Working for our organisation
The Counselling Team is a friendly, highly experienced and supportive team of clinicians. The post holder will receive regular supervision and support from the senior management team, as well as benefit from support and guidance from colleagues, regular reflective practice, and highly specialist CPD. Clinicians work collaboratively across the wider Service which has close links with our Community Mental Health Hub and local organisations and charities.
Our Counselling team provides assessment and treatments in brief counselling and IAPT modalities: DIT, IPT, PCE-CfD and CTfD. The team is substantially psychodynamic or integrative in approach.
The Service is open Monday – Wednesday 8.00am to 8.00pm and Friday 8.00am – 5.00pm. Posts are offered with 3 days (22.5hrs) per week, one day of which must be a Wednesday and one evening shift to 8pm is required. The Service offers telephone, video and face-to-face sessions dependent on patient need. Staff currently work with a balance of office and home-based practice, with a generous allowance made for home-based working
Harrow Talking Therapies is based in Harrow Weald, an easy walk from the Underground Station. The Service forms part of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Provide specialist psychotherapeutic assessment of patients referred to the CNWL Talking Therapies IAPT Service for High Intensity Counselling, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of quantitative and qualitative sources including self-report measures, rating scales, assessing for suitability of the treatment.
Formulate and implement plans for the specialist psychotherapeutic treatment and/or management of patient’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of those problems derived from a broad theoretical knowledge of counselling.
Be responsible for implementing a range of specialist High Intensity Counselling ,and other IAPT modalities.
Comply with caseload and set activity requirements.
Regular and prompt entry of clinical data relating to patients on caseload and make it available for supervision and for the patient as required..
Regularly monitor and evaluate therapy programmes and progress, using objective measures where appropriate.
Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options.
Include family members and others involved in clients’ problems in therapy programmes, where and if necessary.
Assess and deliver therapy programmes in the community or GP Surgery and other settings within the service, as necessary.
Discharge patients as appropriate and arrange follow-up as appropriate on completion of therapy..
Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment.
Adhere to relevant professional codes of conduct, policy and guidance of Accreditation requirements for individual registrants on the Professional Standards Authority register of Accredited Counsellors including UKCP, BACP, BPC etc.
Maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data-entry and recording.
Exercise responsibility for professional self-governance.
Develop and maintain knowledge of local resources and relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups and organisations.
Develop and propose innovative responses to identified needs of the diverse and multi- cultural community the service serves in collaboration and consultation with colleagues from CNWL Talking Therapies IAPT Service and other relevant teams and agencies.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work. Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience. AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience. Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct. Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.
Vaccination
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
12. Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
13. Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the
14. Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.