Job Description

LOCATION:

Shipley/Keighley

for face-to-face counselling

GRADE / SALARY:

30 to 35 Sessional Rate

HOURS:

15 hours

per week

ACCOUNTABLE TO:

Team Lead / CBT Lead

Purpose of the Job:

Associate Therapist (delivering short-term counselling, typically 612 sessions)


Provide 1:1 evidence based therapeutic work with clients presenting with complex and specialist needs, including: + Complex trauma and emotional dysregulation + Critical and long-term health conditions
+ Complex bereavement and grief
+ Relationship and psychosexual difficulties
Deliver counselling interventions in line with best practice, adapting approach and modality to meet individual needs.

Main Duties:

Provide a professional and high-quality therapy service in line with Trust Therapies policies and procedures. Deliver safe, effective, and ethical therapy in accordance with

BACP guidelines

and relevant specialist codes of practice. Undertake triage-informed short-term therapy tailored to client needs across complex trauma, bereavement, critical illness health-related distress, and relational/psychosexual difficulties. Identify and respond appropriately to

safeguarding concerns

, in line with The Cellar Trust policy. Work with clients in an inclusive, non-judgemental way, considering diverse cultural, social, and community contexts. Communicate effectively with health and social care professionals, referring agencies, and community partners. Contribute to integrated pathways, ensuring continuity of care and appropriate signposting. Attend monthly personal clinical supervision and engage in specialist supervision as required by practice area (e.g., trauma, psychosexual). Contribute proactively to service development and quality improvement. Collect and input data for monitoring purposes, including GAD7/PHQ9 clinical outcome measures and client feedback. Maintain accurate and confidential case notes in line with Trust Therapies requirements.

Values and Behaviours:

Create and maintain a culture of Respect always challenging and rooting out discrimination and stigma. Demonstrate a consistent belief in people and tenacity in supporting people to improve their future. Be passionate about our work and inspire others to feel the same. Be committed to doing things well and always look for opportunities for improvement. Model excellent partnership and team working.

Person Specification

Listed below are the knowledge, experience skills and values youll need to do this job, we will assess these through your application or through tests or interviews after shortlisting.

Knowledge

Essential / Desirable

Hold a professional counselling qualification, minimum Diploma Level 4 (or equivalent).



Essential





Additional specialist training/qualification or demonstrable practice experience in

at least one of the following areas

:


Complex Trauma (e.g., EMDR, DBT, trauma-focused CBT, sensorimotor psychotherapy) Critical/Long-Term Illness (e.g., CBT for LTCs, health psychology-informed counselling) Complex Bereavement & Grief (e.g., bereavement counselling, grief and loss models, trauma-informed grief work) Relationship & Psychosexual Counselling (CBT, Relate qualification, psychosexual diploma)


Essential





Ongoing

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

in at least one of the four specialist areas listed above.



Essential





Knowledge and understanding of a range of counselling procedures and techniques, underpinned by theory.



Essential





Membership of BACP (or equivalent professional body such as UKCP, COSRT).



Essential





Understanding of safeguarding (child & adult) and ability to assess and respond to risk appropriately.



Essential





Understanding of confidentiality and professional boundaries (including in remote work).



Essential

Experience

Experience of working with diverse client groups and ability to deliver culturally competent counselling.



Essential





Strong empathic responding skills.



Essential





Accredited status (BACP/UKCP/COSRT) or working towards accreditation.



Desirable

Skills

Ability to work effectively within a

short-term therapy model

(612 sessions) and adapt interventions accordingly.



Essential





Good communication skills ability to engage with challenging clients, adapt therapy approaches, and collaborate with colleagues and external professionals.



Essential





Ability and commitment to work as part of a team.



Essential





IT skills ability to maintain electronic records and use client databases.



Essential





Organisational skills ability to manage a small caseload and keep documentation up to date.



Essential

Values

Commitment to professionalism (punctuality, reliability, attendance, boundaries).



Essential





A firm belief that all people matter and deserve respect Assessment



Essential





An evidenced belief that everyone can change Assessment



Essential





A track record of delivering on your commitments Assessment



Essential





A personal commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion Assessment



Essential