Catalyst Counselling Coordinator/Triage/Assessor, Woking/Hybrid

Catalyst is a charity – Supporting wellness together, we promote people’s mental health, physical health and overall wellbeing by providing support to the whole person in Surrey and surrounding area.

Main purpose of job: Triage and assessment of service users for suitability for counselling, allocation of service users to counselling, managing the process of counsellor recruitment and supporting volunteer-neutralist counsellors.

Department: Catalyst Counselling

Location/Branch: Woking / Hybrid

Role reports to: Clinical Service Manager - Lorraine Balaam

Hours: 21 Hours to include: Monday, Wednesday morning, Friday and some evenings

Length of contract: Fixed Term (initially to 31st August 2025)

Salary: £29680 pa FTE

Key Accountabilities:

• To undertake telephone, virtual or face-to-face client triages and assessments for the counselling service.
• To support the Clinical Service Manager with an oversight of the functions and operations of the service.
• To deputise for the service manager at times of service manager absence or workload pressures.
• To support the volunteer counsellors and Clinical Service Manager in relation to the functions of providing the Catalyst Counselling contract and Catalyst policies and procedures.
• To support Catalyst Counselling Administrators during peak times and absences.

Purpose of tasks:

• To ensure clients are suitable for counselling and within our remit.
• Contacting clients for triage to ascertain suitability for counselling.
• Leaving messages and following up if a client doesn’t answer the call.
• Signposting to another service if beneficial for the client.
• Booking client assessments in the diary.
• Updating database following triage call.
• Advising administrator following booking of an assessment.
• Carrying out assessments.
• Overseeing client suitability for counselling.

Purpose of tasks:

• To ensure clients are allocated into counselling appropriately.
• Matching client with an appropriate counsellor.
• Managing the process of allocation and supporting the administration team with the process.

Purpose of tasks:

• To ensure new counsellor applications are suitable for a counselling placement and on-boarded with resources, processes and knowledge required for counselling.
• Checking placement applications and suitability for placement.
• Managing the application spreadsheet.
• Interviewing new counsellors alongside Clinical Service Manager.
• Managing the on-boarding process of new counsellors.
• Preparing College Agreements for signature by Clinical Service Manager.
• Training new counsellors alongside Clinical Service Manager.
• Keeping accurate records of supervision attendances.

General terms of reference:

• Work collaboratively across the organisation to offer support to all main functions.
• Be committed to the role and support Catalyst to be the most efficient it can be.
• Be someone who believes in fairness and conducts themselves with integrity.
• Work flexibly across operational sites, including working from home arrangements in agreement with your line manager.
• Be motivated to improve personal performance, outcomes, contribution, knowledge and skills.
• Represent Catalyst at external agencies/meetings and support our values and the culture of Catalyst.
• Assist in ensuring GDPR compliance throughout the service.
• Adhere to health and safety compliance, ensuring timely and accurate record keeping.
• Adhere to confidentiality policy.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to the grade of the post.

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at a basic level.

Person Specification:

• Qualified counsellor (minimum Level 4 diploma in Counselling).
• A minimum of one year post qualification counselling experience.
• Experience of working with clients presenting with drug/alcohol and mental health concerns.
• Experience of taking referrals and conducting triage, assessment for counselling.
• Experience using supervision.
• Identifying and raising safeguarding/risk issues and following safeguarding procedures.

Knowledge and skills:

• An understanding of confidentiality, consent, information sharing, in line with GDPR.
• Knowledge of different counselling skills and evidence-based approaches to supporting people with drug, alcohol issues, mental health and associated complexity.
• An understanding of the issues and needs of the client group.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
• Skills in writing triage and assessment notes.
• Ability to work in an organized manner and work within the administrative processes in place.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise effectively.
• Good communication skills.
• Ability to manage own time and to work effectively.

Information technology:

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel.
• Ability to enter data onto a database as required by the Service.

Personal attributes:

• Have authentic attributes of kindness, commitment and integrity.
• Ability to work as a team and support other team members.
• Ability to build and maintain good working relationships with counsellors, supervisors and team members.
• Ability to interact effectively with the client group.
• Ability to maintain equal opportunity standards at all times.
• Ability to be robust when working with the client group as well as demonstrate compassion.
• Ability to maintain respect for the client group, peers and partners.
• Adaptable to change.
• Confident and open when dealing with the challenges faced by the client group.
• Dynamic and self-motivated.
• Ability to break down stigma and barriers associated with working with the client group.
• Proactive, motivated and energetic.
• Ability to work calmly in a challenging environment.
• Capacity to innovate; work flexibly on your own initiative as well as part of a team.