Social Prescribing Link Worker with Counselling Skills

Are you passionate about supporting people's emotional wellbeing and helping them navigate life's challenges through compassionate, person-centred support? We are looking for an empathetic and skilled Social Prescribing Link Worker with Counselling Skills to join HSW PCN. This is an exciting opportunity to support individuals experiencing poor mental wellbeing, low mood, anxiety, loneliness, loss, social isolation and other circumstances that affect their health and quality of life.

Using counselling-informed approaches, active listening and therapeutic communication, you will provide a safe and supportive space for individuals to explore concerns, identify goals and build resilience. You will deliver brief interventions, wellbeing support and personalised care, helping people develop coping strategies and connect with relevant services and community resources.

Working within a MDT, you will collaborate with GP practices, MH services and voluntary sector to ensure individuals receive timely and appropriate support. You will play an important role in promoting early intervention, prevention and emotional wellbeing, while helping to address health inequalities. This role would suit someone with strong counselling and listening skills, experience supporting emotional wellbeing, and a passion for empowering people. If you are committed to delivering compassionate, person-centred care and want to make a real difference in your community, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• To work with individual clients, particularly around poor mental wellbeing and low-level mental health issues, on a 1:1 basis to build trusting relationships to ensure they are accessing the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
• Provide personalised support to individuals, to take control of their mental health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes, as a key member of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to them. Possess genuine listening skills and provide short-term interventions and solution-focused techniques.
• To manage and prioritise your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any support required by individuals on the caseload.
• Alongside other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, work collaboratively with all local partners to contribute towards supporting the local VCSE organisations and community groups. Share intelligence regarding any gaps or problems identified in local provision with commissioners and local authorities.
• Utilise counselling and therapeutic communication skills to provide emotional support, active listening, brief interventions and person-centred wellbeing conversations, enabling individuals to explore challenges, identify solutions, build resilience and improve self-management of their health and wellbeing.

About us

Healthier South Wirral PCN is a forward-thinking and collaborative Primary Care Network committed to delivering high-quality, personalised care to our local population. We bring together GP practices and multidisciplinary teams to improve health outcomes, reduce inequalities and ensure patients receive the right care from the right professional. Our team is passionate about prevention, wellbeing and holistic support. We recognise that health is influenced by many factors beyond medical care and work closely with community, voluntary and statutory organisations to help people improve their health and quality of life. We foster a supportive, inclusive environment where staff are valued, respected and encouraged to develop their skills and careers. Collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement are central to everything we do. This is an exciting opportunity to join a team committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities while supporting staff to achieve their full potential.

Job responsibilities

Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to link workers who give time, focus on what matters to them and take a holistic approach to an individual's health and wellbeing, connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. Social prescribing can help PCNs to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduces health and wellbeing inequalities. It works for people with long-term conditions (including support for mental health), people who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs which affect their well-being.

The post holder will utilise counselling-based skills and therapeutic communication techniques to support individuals experiencing emotional distress, anxiety, low mood, loneliness, adjustment difficulties and other non-clinical mental wellbeing concerns. They will demonstrate empathy, active listening, reflective practice and person-centred approaches to help individuals explore their circumstances, identify strengths, build resilience and develop practical coping strategies. Whilst not providing formal psychotherapy, the post holder will be confident in delivering brief psychosocial interventions, emotional support and wellbeing-focused conversations, recognising when specialist mental health services or safeguarding interventions are required.

The Social Prescribing Link Worker with Counselling Skills will support patients particularly around their mental wellbeing and low-level mental health, still working with the whole person to develop a practical and emotional support network. The postholder will liaise with a variety of partners, community and voluntary organisations across the geographical patch and the wider programme. Excellent communication skills and local knowledge are essential in order to engage and work with members of the public. A willingness to undertake mandatory and role-specific training within a specified timescale will also be essential.

Main Duties

• To work with individual clients, particularly around poor mental wellbeing and low-level mental health issues, on a 1:1 basis to build trusting relationships to ensure they are accessing the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
• Provide personalised support to individuals, to take control of their mental health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes, as a key member of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to them. Possess genuine listening skills and provide short-term interventions and solution-focused techniques.
• To manage and prioritise your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any support required by individuals on the caseload.
• Alongside other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, work collaboratively with all local partners to contribute towards supporting the local VCSE organisations and community groups. Share intelligence regarding any gaps or problems identified in local provision with commissioners and local authorities.
• Utilise counselling and therapeutic communication skills to provide emotional support, active listening, brief interventions and person-centred wellbeing conversations, enabling individuals to explore challenges, identify solutions, build resilience and improve self-management of their health and wellbeing.

Person Specification

• Access to own transport and travel independently across the locality regularly.
• Meets DBS reference standards and criminal record checks.
• Team player.
• Patient Focused: Understands how their role impacts on the patient journey, and a willingness to place the patient at the centre of what they do.
• Achieving Results: Experience of successfully working to deadlines and completing tasks.
• Inspirational Leadership: Keen to develop themselves and others, open to innovative ideas and willing to share their experience with others.
• Maximising Value: Takes ownership of problems and does not overly complicate matters or involve colleagues unnecessarily.
• Working Together: Approachable and able to build relationships with a wide variety of colleagues.
• Equality and Diversity: Can demonstrate a positive and non-judgmental attitude towards difference in terms of service delivery and working practice.
• 6 Cs of Care: Can show knowledge and understanding of promoting care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment within their role.

Qualifications

• Relevant level 4 or 5 qualification in mental health wellbeing or related area, e.g. NVQ3 Foundation degree Higher National Diploma or equivalent.
• Certificate, Diploma or equivalent training in Counselling Skills, Person-Centred Counselling, Therapeutic Communication or a related field.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in mental health, counselling skills, coaching or wellbeing interventions.
• Good overall topic-based training covering a range of health and wellbeing disciplines.
• Training in motivational interviewing or equivalent experience.
• Level 2 health and wellbeing Awareness qualification.
• Social Prescribing Link Worker Qualification.

Experience

• Experience of providing emotional support, counselling-informed interventions or wellbeing coaching to individuals experiencing mental health or wellbeing challenges.
• Experience of working in a person-centred, strengths-based or therapeutic support role.
• Experience of managing sensitive and emotionally complex conversations whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Experience of supporting people, their families and carers in a related role (including unpaid).
• Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity.
• Experience of working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or unpaid capacity) including with volunteers and small community groups.
• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.