Associate Counsellor

Location: Nexus NI HQ in Belfast and various community venues across NI

Salary: £30 per session – currently under review

Hours: Sessional

Reports to: Head of Therapeutic Services

Closing Date: Tuesday 18th March 2025 (12 noon)

Job Description

You will support delivery of Nexus Counselling Services across Northern Ireland. Nexus supports clients to recover from sexual abuse and abusive relationships. The overarching aim is to increase each individual’s emotional and psychological well-being through the provision of trauma-informed therapeutic support that meets their individual needs

Role includes: providing therapeutic interventions individually and in groups through face-to-face, virtual, and phone sessions, ensuring compliance with safeguarding, risk management, and data protection. Offer standalone support calls and signpost individuals to relevant services. Contribute to developing and evaluating interventions while engaging in CPD and clinical supervision. Maintain professional records and actively participate in performance reviews. Support new counsellors through mentorship, reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to training and development.

Person Specification

The postholder will demonstrate a proven track record of the essential skills, abilities, knowledge and/or qualifications required to be able to carry out the duties of this post.

Essential Criteria

• Minimum Level 4 Diploma in counselling or its equivalent
• Minimum one-year supervised clinical practice in a range of settings including face-to-face, virtual and telephone. (250 hours)
• Good working knowledge of delivering trauma-informed therapeutic practice to support psychological and emotional wellbeing
• Ability to use initiative while working individually or as part of a team
• Experience of working with mental health, social and lifestyle issues that present in response to traumatic experiences.
• Awareness of importance of personal health and demonstrable ability to engage pro-actively with self-care
• Demonstratable ability to recognise and appropriately deal with safeguarding and risk in line with organisational procedures
• Accreditation with NCS, BACP or ICAP (or working on accreditation and submission within 6 months
• Proficient IT literacy to support use of organisational systems to safely record data and information related to service delivery
• Working knowledge of CORE Net as a psychological wellbeing assessment tool
• Access to your own car or a form of transport to support delivery of services on a regional basis
• Applicants must demonstrate flexibility in their availability, including the ability to work evenings and in different locations as required

Desirable Criteria

• Good working knowledge of issues related to sexual abuse and abusive relationships
• Experienced in developing and delivering group recovery programmes
• Working knowledge of STAR Outcomes to measure distance travelled for individuals accessing therapeutic support and recovery services.
• Experience working in the community and voluntary sector
• Applicants will occasionally be required to work alongside interpreters to support clients’ engagement in the therapeutic process; previous experience in this area is welcomed.

The role description is a guide and should not be viewed as an inflexible specification. It may be varied from time to time in light of strategic developments following discussion with the provider.