Job Description

Cogwheel Counselling is a Cambridge-based charity founded in 1988 which provides counselling services online and in-person to adults, children and young people in Cambridge and the surrounding area. Cogwheel holds accredited organisational status with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for its Affordable Service, Children and Young People (CYP) service and Employee Counselling Service (ECS).

Around 20-25 qualified and trainee counsellors currently work or volunteer part-time at Cogwheel, providing counselling to around 400 clients each year. Our goal is to increase the current capacity.

Cogwheel on Saturday

is a new, non-subsidized service that will open on Saturdays during the day enabling those with busy work schedules to access quality therapy at a convenient time. Clients will be seen for up to one year which can be extended based on clinical need.

The self-employed part-time counsellor role is suitable for a qualified counsellor able to work autonomously. The successful candidate will have experience of working with a variety of adult clients (18 years of age and above) presenting with varying levels of complexity and risk.

The role is offered on a self-employed basis. The appointed counsellor/psychotherapist will be a compassionate individual with great communication skills and a highly ethically aware individual who is able to draw on their clinical knowledge to support clients working through a variety of issues ranging from low mood, stress or anxiety, difficult past experiences, relationship or parenting difficulties, challenges at work and many more. Using their expertise and skills, they will create a safe and supportive environment for clients to share their experiences, explore their responses, process their emotions, work towards their goals and develop better coping strategies.

Number of hours:

Caseload of 5 clients. Sessions will take place between at 9:30am and 3:45pm at the Cogwheel offices in Devonshire Road. Session start times are: 9:40, 10:50, 12:00, 13:30 and 14:40. A strict minimum of two counsellors must be onsite at all times from opening up to locking up.

Remuneration

: 35 per session delivered (short notice cancellations received 48 hours or less prior to the session time can be invoiced). As a qualified professional, you will need to have your own external supervision for the work in place. An invoice will need to be submitted for the previous months by the 10th day of the current month for payment at the end of the current month.

Terms of agreement

: Service provided in an open-ended way, a three month notice period is requested to bring service provision to an end and ensure a well-managed ending of the therapeutic relationship or transition to working with a new counsellor. You will be asked to attend an initial induction and monthly case management will be provided (Overall session payment includes this).

Closures/leave:

Cogwheel has a summer closure for 10 working days in late July/early August and a Christmas closure for 3 days between Christmas and New Year. The organisation is fully closed during this time. We ask that no more than 6 Saturdays of leave are taken per calendar year, including closures (middle and end Saturdays of the summer closure and one Saturday over the Christmas break).

Provision Start Date

: 6th September 2025

Work Location

: Cogwheel offices, 66 Devonshire Rd, Cambridge, CB1 2BL

Line Manager

: Isabelle Dolis - Head of Services

There is a requirement to undergo anEnhanced DBS Check.

Outline of the service to be delivered and provider responsibilities:

Session Delivery:

Deliver 50-minute clinical assessments and complete the assessment write up for each allocated clients. Discuss and address concerns around service suitability with the HoS, the client and your supervisor if needed. Deliver 5 x 50-minute therapy sessions per Saturday, either face to face, online or exceptionally over the phone. Ensure clinical measures and service evaluation are undertaken with each client. Escalate immediately any safeguarding concerns to the Head of Services and/or external clinical supervisor as appropriate and document concerns/actions taken in the client record's safeguarding section. Undergo any internal training necessary to perform optimally in your role (such as but not limited to clinic management system training). Understand and abide by the charity's policies and procedures. Work to the BACP Ethical Framework.

Counselling administration:

Complete session administration, rebooking and client notes on the day of delivery or soon thereafter. Be available and responsive by email should the client need to be contacted/responded to in between sessions. Inform the administration team of any available appointment to allocate at the earliest opportunity by email. Communicate absences and client cancellations with the administration team by email in a timely manner. Advise of short notice absences by email before 7pm latest the preceding Friday and by phone or text message only, by 8am latest on the Saturday morning to prevent wasted journeys for clients. Further details provided at induction. Ensure that lone working policy is adhered to and that a strict minimum of two counsellors are on site at all times. Undertake opening/locking up and key holding responsibilities. Attend monthly case management meetings with the Head of Services.

Supervision

:

Commit to attend your own regular external supervision as required by the organisation/professional body you belong to. Cogwheel requires an overall minimum of 90 minutes of supervision attended per calendar month in line with BACP's guidelines. Agree to discuss every Cogwheel client regularly with your external supervisor. Bring any safeguarding or risk concerns to the attention of your supervisor promptly Inform Cogwheel in advance of any changes in your external supervision (such as changing supervisor) Facilitate communication between Cogwheel's Head of Services and your external supervisor in exceptional circumstances or when this would serve the client's best interests.

Qualities Needed

Holding a counselling or psychotherapy qualification (level 4 or above) Pre and preferably post qualifying clinical experience, privately, in a mental health setting or counselling organisation Experience delivering both OPT and in person counselling Experience assessing and managing concerns around self-harm, suicidality when working with more complex mental health concerns present in the client work Accreditation or registration with a professional membership body, e.g. BACP or UKCP A mature understanding of the BACP ethical framework and how to apply it to client dilemmas Good verbal and written communication skills Good IT skills Regular attendance to external personal supervision as outlined by your professional body and BACP A commitment to ongoing professional development Some knowledge and experience working neurodivergent or GSRD clients, trauma and/or other areas of special interest Good understanding and strong support of the charity objectives and ethos

Applicant Information

Closing date for applications is Monday, 21st of July at 12-noon. Interviews will take place on Wednesday, 23rd July from 12-noon in person in our offices in Devonshire Road. Please confirm your availability for that date. If you would like to talk about the job role please email Isabelle Dolis at Headofservices@cogwheel.org.uk to arrange a 30-minute call.

To Apply:

To apply for this position, please provide a motivational letter and CV.

Job Type: Freelance

Pay: 35.00-175.00 per day

Schedule:

Every weekend
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 21/07/2025
Expected start date: 06/08/2025