Job Description

Reports to:

Head of Counselling

Direct Reports:

None

Location:

Bristol Mind offices

Hours

: 23 hours per week: 8:45am - 5:30pm on Thursday, 8:45am - 5:15pm on Friday (both days include 1 hour lunch) : other working day to be discussed at interview.

Salary:

25,119 p.a. FTE pro rata (actual salary 15,615) plus 6% pension

Contract Type:

Permanent

Background and Purpose

Bristol Mind is a local and independent charity working at the heart of our community to offer equity-based, inclusive, and accessible mental health and wellbeing support. We work with over 2,000 service-users and 75 volunteers each year, delivering a range of services including:

Infoline telephone information and advice service Mindline confidential telephone listening support Meeting Minds 121 counselling, with LGBTQIA & Neurodivergence streams Community Wellbeing: targeted services for refugees and victims of hate crime
Bristol Mind is co-located within Citizen's Advice Bristol building on Fairfax Street in Central Bristol. This is a busy and dynamic environment and both organisations are working to ensure clients from each organisation can benefit from our collective services.

Meeting Minds is a busy low-cost counselling provision and one of a growing element of Bristol Mind's services. Our online and face-to-face talking therapy is delivered by both trainee and qualified counsellors for adults aged 18+ for up to 16 sessions, and includes Humanistic, Psychodynamic, TA and Gestalt approaches. Our placement counsellors come from a wide range of training providers such as BCPC, UWE as well as Metanoia and the Berne Institute. In addition, we have some trainees on Doctorate programmes in Counselling Psychology in London, Newport, and Bristol. All our counselling staff and volunteers are fully supported with regular clinical supervision and management, and feedback from both counsellors and clients is excellent.

With NHS services overstretched and affordable counselling out of reach for many households, we are seeing increasing demand for Meeting Minds. In order to meet the need and ensure we continue to offer a high quality and efficient service; we are seeking an experienced Clinical Administrator to join our team.

The ideal candidate will be warm and engaging, able to liaise with a diverse range of clients and counsellors whilst maintaining effective and rigorous administration. Working at the heart of a small and friendly team, your skills will be invaluable in ensuring best practice, advocating for a client-centred service which is highly organised and reliable, inclusive, flexible, and non-judgemental. This role may suit someone training to be a counsellor, or whose interest in this field extends beyond everyday administrative skills.

Good communication skills are essential, including an excellent telephone manner and active listening skills. You will need to feel confident in addressing queries from the public, helping clients to register and pay for the service and supporting new counsellors with orientation and administration tasks including data entry, completion of clinical outcome and client feedback forms. This role will involve supporting clients in-person, on the telephone and via email with queries.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

Processing referrals into the service, mostly via email, some in person. Provide administration support to colleagues, counsellors and clients using the Case Management System (Beacon) and SharePoint. Respond to and triage enquiries from the public and existing clients by phone and email. Correspond with potential clients to set up assessments and take payment, liaising with staff and their calendars. Support clinical staff in the triage process by effective assessment scheduling. Support counsellor queries relating to client appointments, use of Beacon / SharePoint and and payment issues. Ensure counsellors complete data reporting, payments and monitoring and send reminders when necessary. Provide support to counsellors by having a physical presence in the waiting areas at times when the building is expected to be busier than normal (i.e. support with noise minimisation). Some front of house duties with clients. Provide information to clients about our services who may drop-in to the building. Check rooms and payment equipment daily to ensure the seamless delivery of counselling sessions. Assist with social media & email distribution of publicity posters & literature when requested. Maintain accurate and updated records and filing systems. Maintain own awareness and training in relation to safeguarding, cyber security and GDPR.

Overall running of Bristol Mind:

Ensure that the views of staff, volunteers and service users are shared with the CEO and SMT to inform service development. Assist in the development of other projects and services specifically supporting people's mental health and wellbeing. Carry out work in accordance with Bristol Mind's policies and procedures, current legislation, and quality standards. Ensure that the organisation is presented in a professional manner to its beneficiaries, members, and stakeholders. Take responsibility for your own safety and that of colleagues and visitors in the workplace. Contribute to events and activities that improve the visibility of and raise the profile of Bristol Mind as a whole. Prepare for, attend, and engage in staff meetings, supervision, appraisal, and training, as agreed with your line manager. Undertake other tasks which may not be included in this job description, but which fall within the scope of this post.

Person Specification:

Qualifications/Experience:

Minimum 2 years experience in an administration role. A certificate or some preliminary training in counselling skills is desirable but not necessary. An administrative qualification (Diploma or above) is desirable but not necessary.
Knowledge and Experience:

Competent use of Microsoft 365 (inc. SharePoint, Teams, Outlook). Knowledge of Case Management systems. Experience (paid or voluntary) in a public-facing environment. Experience of communicating with clients directly via phone, email and in person. Experience of administration in a mental health service is desirable but not necessary. Experience of working in the Voluntary Sector with vulnerable people is desirable but not necessary. Experience of working in a customer care environment is desirable but not necessary.
Skills & Ability

Ability to work as a member of a team with a friendly and collaborative approach. Ability to concentrate, pay attention to detail, prioritise and work to deadlines. Proficiency in written English and Numeracy. Excellent people skills, able to respond to clients with sensitivity and compassion.
Personal Attributes

Self-motivated, independent approach. Commitment to the rights and self-determination of all people. Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion with a passionate anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice.

To Apply:

Bristol Mind is committed to developing our workforce in line with equitable principles. We encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental health issues and from people from minoritised groups who are under-represented within our services. This includes people who identify as from a Global Majority, refugee, or migrant, neurodivergent or LGBTQIA group, or who have faced discrimination based on any protected characteristic.

Please read the job description and person specification carefully.

Please ensure that you submit a CV and covering letter which should specifically demonstrate where you feel your experience and knowledge meets the person specification, using examples from paid or voluntary experience.

You must provide a covering letter in order to be considered for interview.

The closing date for applications is 11:59pm on Thursday 7 August 2025.
Interviews are scheduled to be held on Monday 18 August 2025.

Thank you for applying to Bristol Mind.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: 25,119.00 per year

Expected hours: 23 per week

Benefits:

Company pension
Experience:

general or clinical administration: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person