Counsellor (Western Trust) in Derry, Londonderry

Reports to: Counselling Team Co-ordinator / Director of Services

Hours: 18 hours per week

Location: Western Trust (Altnagelvin Hospital 2 days, working from home day)

Campaign Service/Cause: Counselling

Remuneration: £32,643 - £34,666 pro-rata (FTE 35 hours)

Overall Purpose of Post

This post forms part of Cancer Focus Northern Ireland's Counselling service. The postholder will be responsible for providing a professional Counselling Service to individuals whose lives have been affected by cancer.

Key Responsibilities

• To develop and deliver a counselling service to Cancer Focus NI's clients using a blend of face-to-face and remote sessions.
• To assess the needs of clients and provide appropriate therapeutic interventions to meet these needs, primarily through one-to-one counselling.
• To plan and implement therapeutic interventions or re-refer to other services as appropriate.
• To maintain records in accordance with recording procedures.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of counselling through regular review and audit.
• To evaluate own work and contribute to the evaluation of the effective delivery of the service.
• To support collection of case studies to ensure service users' views help to inform future service provision and influence wider strategic objectives.
• To adhere to the code of ethics and practice of a professional counselling body such as the BACP Ethical Framework.
• To attend regular external supervision, towards which an employer contribution will be paid.
• To work as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team and liaise with relevant staff as appropriate.
• To participate in ongoing training and continuous professional development as facilitated by Cancer Focus NI.
• To participate and contribute to educational programmes for other health professionals as appropriate.
• To promote existing Cancer Focus NI services (e.g. Counselling, Family Support, Nurseline, Support Groups, and the Bra-Fitting Service) as appropriate.
• To assist in the development of appropriate resources for both patients and health professionals.
• To comply with all Cancer Focus NI policies and procedures.
• To carry out any other duties that may be required by Cancer Focus NI.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Counselling or Psychotherapy (minimum Level 4 Advanced Diploma or equivalent).
• Professional Registration and Accreditation as a practitioner with BACP, IACP, UKCP or equivalent; or meet all the criteria to apply for accreditation/meet the criteria for future entry at SCoPEd Column B.
• Have completed training in remote counselling such as How to do Counselling Online by the Open University and BACP, or be able to evidence that training in online/phone work has been part of initial training.

Experience

• Minimum of 2 years post-qualification supervised clinical practice, accumulating to at least 200 hours of post-qualifying supervised practice.
• Experience in working with statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Experience of carrying out client assessments.
• Experience with administrative systems, including the use of relevant ICT packages.

Skills

• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and appropriate boundaries in all work-related matters.
• Ability to manage and monitor a caseload with competing priorities.
• Ability to work with complex needs.
• Ability to ethically work with risk and safeguarding issues.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to build good working relationships with individuals and organisations.

Personal Qualities

• Flexible attitude towards working hours to meet clients' needs and as demanded by the requirements of the job.
• Ability to work well within a team.
• Ability to use own initiative.
• Enthusiasm, drive, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications

• Health professional qualification.
• Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling.

Experience

• Experience as a counsellor working in a cancer specialist environment.
• Experience of working with cancer patients.
• Experience of facilitating groups.

Additional Information

• Successful applicants must provide proof of their right to work in the UK.
• The activities of this role meet the Access NI definition of regulated activity relating to working with adults and children as outlined in the Access NI Code of Practice.
• Cancer Focus NI will obtain an Access NI Enhanced Adult Barred List check, and/or Enhanced Children's Barred List check for the successful candidate.
• Applicants who have a criminal record will be treated fairly and not discriminated automatically because of a conviction or other information revealed.
• Applicants with criminal records will be reviewed in line with Cancer Focus Northern Ireland's policy on the recruitment of Ex-offenders.
• If there is any reason you cannot work in Regulated Activity, you must disclose this to us.
• Cancer Focus Northern Ireland has a written policy on the Secure Handling, Use, Storage and Retention of Disclosure information.
• Satisfactory reference checks.
• 12 months probationary period.
• Evidence of relevant academic and professional qualifications.
• Evidence of appropriate vehicle documentation (i.e. driving licence and insurance cover) must be provided where the role necessitates travel on company business in own vehicle.

Benefits

• Flexible working policy.
• 25 days Annual Leave, plus 12 statutory days (pro rata for those working less than 35 hrs per week).
• 2 additional days of annual leave after 5 years service and a further 3 days after 10 years service.
• Enhanced Maternity / Adoption Pay.
• Enhanced Occupational Sick Pay Scheme.
• Contributory Pension Scheme.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Mileage Allowance at the prevailing HMRC rate.
• Life Assurance.
• Healthcare Plan.

Disability

Cancer Focus NI is an Equal Opportunities Employer and all applications are dealt with in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act. A person is disabled if they have, or have had, a physical or mental impairment which has, or has had, a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. If you consider yourself to have a disability relevant to the position for which you are applying, please contact us so that we can process your application fairly, make any specific arrangements for your interview, and make any necessary reasonable adjustments or adaptations, or provide any aids to assist you in completing the duties of the post if appointed.

Equal Opportunities

Cancer Focus NI is an Equal Opportunities Employer and all applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.

Application Process

The closing date/time for submission of CV and cover letter is 5.00pm, 20th February 2026. Interview dates: week commencing 2nd March 2026. If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an up-to-date copy of your CV and cover letter before this date/time to: or, mailed to: Human Resources, Cancer Focus NI, 40/44 Eglantine Avenue, Belfast, BT9 6DX. We cannot accept applications received after the closing date/time.

Guidance Notes on Applying for our role

If you do not provide sufficient detail, including the appropriate dates needed to meet any eligibility criteria, your application may be rejected. ONLY the details provided by you in your CV and cover letter will be used for determining your eligibility for the post/shortlisting purposes.