Honorary Counsellor Placement

About the Services

Westminster Mind Counselling Service is funded by NHS Westminster. It provides counselling (up to a year) to adult’s who live in or have a GP in Westminster. This takes the form of either 1-to-1 work or they attend a 10 week group (Self Development). We also have two other services: agoraphobia (CBT based programme; an on-site counselling service for a number of GPs in the borough (short term work). Our service believes in an Integrative approach to working with clients and therefore counsellors/trainees’ from all theoretical backgrounds are welcomed.

About the clinical work

The client work can be demanding as the majority of our clients are at the severe end of the clinical spectrum. Their issues are often complex and include: sexual and physical abuse (childhood and as adults); trauma/PTSD, depression, self harm, personality disorders, refugee status, low income. Quite often the work can be about what issues are not to be work with. It can also be about taking the social, economic and immigration status of the client and what needs to be advised in these foundation issues before more in depth work can be done. It should be noted that the client group worked with in the evening service will be different to the day time service in that no severe or risk cases will be seen.

Placement Slots

We currently have 16 (12 day time and 4 evening) placement slots within the main counselling service. Clients are seen in the morning or afternoon and on a Monday or Tuesday evening. Each Hon. Counsellor has a set period in the week when they see their 3 clients.

Types of Placements

We offer three types of placements within the main counselling service, details of which are given below.

If you have accrued 200 clinical hours conducting 1-to-1 adult counselling/Psychotherapy and are working towards accreditation. You will be required to make a minimum commitment of 15 months; or
If you have accrued 100 (we will consider individuals who have 80 hrs) clinical hours conducting 1-to-1 adult counselling/psychotherapy. We require you to make a minimum commitment of 2 years.
If you have less than 50 or no clinical hours, but have previous suitable life experience. We require you to make a minimum commitment of 2 ½ – 3 years.

Level of training/qualification

To be in an ongoing training to Diploma level or above on a BACP/UKCP/BPS recognised counselling/ psychotherapy/counselling psychology training programme or satisfy the equivalent professional criteria; At the very least you must be in or about to start your second year of training.
To have completed your training course (minimum Diploma level) – but can have outstanding paperwork, clinical hours to obtain for a. above (Type of Placement)

Personal Therapy:

If still in training then you must be in weekly therapy throughout the duration of your placement. You must also have at least 40 hours of personal therapy; or
If you have completed your training and have a minimum of 100 hours personal therapy then you do not have to be in therapy while on placement with us. However, you must have access to therapy should the work with clients require that you explore your own material. And in some circumstances we may ask you to go into therapy.

Supervision

Day time Service

Weekly in a group format (1 supervisor to 3 honorary counsellors).
Held on a Wednesday for 1 ½ hours. Start time is 5.30pm.
Clinical responsibility is with Westminster Mind Counselling Service so the supervision provided by us takes the lead in any clinical work.
While you may take your clinical work to your training course supervision, you may not take it to any other supervision (this includes private supervision).

Evening Service

Fortnightly in a group format (1 supervisor to 2 honorary counsellors).
Held on a Wednesday at 7.15pm for 1 ¼ hours. and will be fortnightly.
Clinical responsibility is with Westminster Mind Counselling Service so the supervision provided by us takes the lad in any clinical work.
While you may take your clinical work to your training course supervision, you may not take it to any other supervision (this includes private). However, if you require additional supervision hours to met course/professional requirements you may seek additional private supervision with your Westminster Mind Supervisor. This is a private arrangement between you and them.

Other Information About a Placement

You will have a case load of 3 clients in once weekly individual counselling.
Client sessions may be audio taped with the prior agreement of the client.
You will be expected to take on at least one client whose contract is for a year.
That you will attend, at the earliest date possible, the mandatory training day on ‘Risk’, for which you will receive a certificate of attendance. You will be required to make a contribution to the cost of this training.
To attend at least two counselling service meetings in a year (rolling year) on either an evening during the week or a Saturday morning.
To complete administrative duties in connection with your client work and connected with your placement.
To undertake training in the use of CORE data analysis forms.
We will provide references after you have been with us for 6 months. We will also complete course reports.
Professional Indemnity insurance is provided for the duration of your placement for work conducted for Westminster Mind Counselling Service.
You will be required to have a CRB check which we would ask you to fund (approx £8), but we would carry out the process for you. If you already have a CRB check (done within the last 3 months) then we would accept this.
With the introduction of the ISA, you may be expected to also provide a check from them wef. July 2010.

Recruitment

We have a rolling programme of recruitment as placement slots become available at various times in the year. Recruitment is usually in a group format (max of 4 people) which is then followed by a brief individual meeting.

Placements slots that are becoming available: Now (Monday evening); November (Monday morning); December (tbc); January (Thursday morning; Wednesday afternoon; Monday afternoon)

The Next Step

If you are interested in a placement with us and you meet the criteria then send us an email with your CV (please state in the email that you have read the website) to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Put in the title of the email ‘Placement’.

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