Job summary
The Shakespeare Hospice is offering volunteer placement opportunities for counsellors, either qualified or working towards qualification, who have attained a minimum of 50 hours experience and can commit to a minimum of a year.
Working with pre- or post-bereaved clients, the work is challenging but also hugely rewarding and you will be well supported at all times.
Although volunteer counsellors with the hospice give freely of their time, we can offer in return training, a sense of being part of a team, lovely surroundings and a contribution towards supervision once a month.
Main duties of the job
To support our Adult Counselling service on a voluntary basis, offering counselling to clients with complex end of life and bereavement issues, in order to meet the requirements as specified by NICE Guidance, 2004. This includes working with a range of mild to moderate mental health problems and psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, stress and adjustment to life events within a palliative care, life limiting illness and bereavement setting.
About us
The Shakespeare Hospice, based in Stratford upon Avon, offers a diverse range of services to patients, and their families/carers across South Warwickshire and surrounding areas. The Hospice is not just about end of life care, we provide support and compassion alongside our patients and their families throughout their journey from diagnosis through to treatment and survivorship.
Patients and their families can access one or more specialised services; day hospice, hospice at home, adult and children's counselling for pre-and post-bereavement, transitional care for terminally ill 16-24 year olds, and we provide spiritual, emotional and complementary therapies. We pride our offer as one that is all inclusive and embraces not only the patient but their complete support system, family and loved ones.
Job description
Job responsibilities
SKILLS &REQUIREMENTS FOR A VOLUNTEER COUNSELLOR
Tooffer psychological support to adult patients, carers and their families aged18 years and over, who have been deemed eligible to access a service based onthe relevant operational policy.
Tooffer a range of contracted short and medium-term counselling relationships andinterventions informed by mainstream counselling/psychotherapy theory andevidence-based counselling techniques
Tocontribute to and participate in volunteer counselling team activities
Duties:
Tohold and manage client caseload, of a minimum of 4 clients, as negotiated withthe Service Co-ordinator
Tocontract and regularly review with clients the frequency and evolving goals forthe counselling
Towork, wherever possible, towards a planned and negotiated ending with clients
Toparticipate in reviews with clients at 5 and 8 weeks, working towards an endingat 10 weeks with post bereaved clients. To consult with the counsellingCoordinator should the volunteer counsellor feel that more sessions arerequired.
Toconsult with your Service Co-ordinator if a longer-term involvement with aclient is being considered
Toactively risk assess any concerns about health and safety, confidentiality, safeguarding,mental capacity and share those concerns with the line management and withexternal professionals with statutory authority where appropriate
Tomaintain appropriate professional records in line with the Hospice policy andprocedure and make statistical returns as required. To ensure theconfidentiality and safety of all client notes, this will be kept at thehospice.
Towork within the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Toparticipate in regular supervision in accordance with BACP guidelines
Toattend regular team meetings and events as appropriate
Toparticipate in regular reviews of your role with the Service Co-ordinator,which will focus on all aspects of the counsellor role including clinicalcompetencies and developmental goals
Toparticipate in audit, evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence initiativesas appropriate
Tomaintain membership of BACP or other appropriate professional body
Toattend all mandatory training sessions as identified by the organization (New Volunteers Induction Course, Fire, Manual Handling, Adult Safeguarding etc.)
Tocomply with the Hospice no smoking policy, and familiarize yourself withrelevant organizational and service policies and guidelines
Toinform the Service Co-coordinator of issues in your personal and professionallife which may impact on your counselling role
Toinform, in a timely manner, the Service Co-ordinator of a decision to end thevolunteer placement to allow for the development of a planned exit strategywith clients and colleagues so that issues of continuity of care can beconsidered
Professional Issues:
NewVolunteers Counsellors seeking to join the Adult Service will be required tocomplete a detailed application form, supply two written references andparticipate in an hour-long individual interview with two members of theselection panel
Youwill be offered a service agreement when joining the organization as aVolunteers Counsellor, and will report to the Adult Counselling andBereavement Support Service Co-ordinator and be managerially accountable to TheHead of clinical services
TheAdult Counselling Service asks for a minimum commitment of one year postinduction training
NewVolunteer Counsellors will be required to sign a Declaration ofConfidentiality
IndemnityInsurance is provided by the hospice to support your role as a Volunteer Counsellor
Thereis an expectation of a minimum of 80% attendance at the range of professionalactivities offered by the hospice
TheAdult Service discourages Volunteer Counsellors from accepting gifts fromclients as this may impact negatively on the therapeutic relationship. Where aclient wants to donate an item or monies to the hospice, these should be passedon to a manager as soon as possible
Consentto use client material for non-hospice purposes must be obtained from theService Co-ordinator in advance
A clear criminal records check (DBS) isrequired before starting to see clients.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
1. Either qualified as a counsellor, or working towards qualification, having attained a minimum of 50 hours experience.
Time commitment
Essential
2. Able to commit to a minimum of a year volunteering with the hospice.