Counselling and Wellbeing Adviser x2 in Kingston upon Thames

The Counselling and Wellbeing Advisor plays a vital role in supporting and promoting student mental health across the College. Delivering individual and group counselling, workshops and drop-in services, you will work closely with Student Services to provide a holistic, student-centred approach to wellbeing.

In this role, you will deliver one-to-one counselling sessions and on occasion, be involved in group delivery, workshops and drop-in support focused on key wellbeing themes. You will maintain accurate and confidential records in line with professional and ethical standards, undertake risk assessments, and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.

Working collaboratively with internal teams and external agencies, you will ensure students receive the right support, while effectively managing a counselling caseload alongside administrative responsibilities and engaging in continuous professional development. You will contribute to the wider Student Services wellbeing offer by supporting and delivering college-wide wellbeing events and activities. This includes helping to design and facilitate initiatives that promote positive mental health across the student population, as well as delivering wellbeing-focused induction sessions to groups of new students. This will also include creating promotional material and resources and sharing and dissemination of these via platforms such as Teams and SharePoint.

We are seeking a qualified professional with a minimum Level 4 Diploma or Foundation Degree in Counselling, supported by evidence of CPD, or a Level 5 Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People (CYP). You will have at least 200 hours of counselling practice, including a minimum of 50 hours working with children and young people aged 4–18 if your core training is adult-focused. You will be a registered member of a recognised professional body such as BACP, UKCP or NCPS, and have experience delivering both individual and group counselling sessions.

You will have experience working with clients presenting with complex and multiple mental health needs, ideally within educational settings or relevant environments such as CAMHS or NHS services. You will also be skilled in assessing client suitability for counselling, making appropriate referrals to external services, and hold strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage with students, staff and parents.

The benefits package includes generous annual leave of 27 days plus up to 8 additional days over Christmas/New Year as well as an additional 5 days Wellbeing leave to enhance employees’ physical and mental health. There is an excellent pension scheme that receives a significant financial contribution from the employer (Teachers Pensions or Local Government Pension Scheme), subsidised sports facilities and professional development and training plus a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. The benefits package is pro-rated for part time staff.

As part of our due diligence checks on prospective employees, successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, an online search and proof of eligibility to work in the UK. As outlined in the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. We are looking for hard-working and collaborative people who can join our team and help challenge our students to achieve and progress.