Group Conductor
Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy (Certificate)
January Intake
January 2015 - July 2015
WPF Therapy is one of the largest organisations in the country offering counselling and
psychotherapy training. Over 500 clients are seen each week and 500 students undergo
training in counselling skills, counselling, psychotherapy and professional development.
Associated with it is a network of 29 local centres throughout the country, and an
increasing number of individual counsellors and psychotherapists - primarily Counsellor
and Psychotherapist Members of FPC, the postgraduate body of WPF Therapy’s own
training programmes.
The overall responsibility for the management, professional effectiveness and financial
viability of WPF Therapy rests with the Chief Executive Officer. A Senior Management
Team assists the CEO. WPF Therapy is committed to working towards implementing
Equal Opportunities throughout all aspects of the organisation's life and work.
WPF Therapy is an organisational member of BACP and UKCP. All staff and trainees
are thus accountable to the ethical requirements of both organisations and to their
complaints procedures. Training has its own Code of Practice and complaints and
appeals procedures with which all staff should be familiar. The WPF Therapy Ethics
Committee is responsible for overseeing ethical practice at WPF Therapy.
WPF Therapy offers specialist training in psychodynamic counselling and
psychotherapy, individual and group psychoanalytic psychotherapy, professional
development including training in supervision, time-limited work, counselling and
groupwork skills and enhancement of skills and awareness through weekend activities.
The training function is overseen by the Training Management Group. This currently
comprises the Director of Training, Assistant Heads of Training, those responsible for
organising courses (ie Programme Managers), the departmental administrator and
representatives from the Counselling Service and the Trainee Association.
The overall orientation of WPF Therapy is psychodynamic/psychoanalytic and this is
reflected in the specialist counselling, psychotherapy, supervision and continuing
professional development programmes. The professional development courses for nontherapists are more broadly based and aim to equip people and organisations with the
skills necessary for functioning in a wide variety of situations. However, all staff need to
be in sympathy with the psychodynamic approach.
WPF Therapy currently employs close to 100 teaching and administrative staff with
work agreements ranging from full-time to 1½ hours per week. There are
approximately 500 students and trainees attending from periods ranging from ½ day to
4½ days per week.
The Introductory Courses – Certificate Level provide grounding in basic skills of
listening and responding and in ethics. The models used are person-centred and
psychodynamic. The courses are valuable as a foundation for further training and also
as an enhancement of present skills for people who wish to stay in an existing
profession. The Certificate in Counselling Skills has an intake in October, January and
August. The October intake runs over 30 weeks ending in July. The January intake
runs over 20 weeks from January to July with 3 weekend modules. The August
(Modular) intake runs for 2 weeks full time in August and 4 weekend modules.
This post is for an experiential group conductor on the January intake. This takes place
once weekly over two terms and 3 weekend modules as per the course flyer.
JOB DESCRIPTION
PURPOSE OF POST
To conduct groups that are experiential in nature and co-conduct the large group which
meets once per weekend module. The purpose of the experiential group is to explore
what is of concern to individual members and the group as a whole in the here and now,
in a manner that is appropriate and educational for students on the Introductory
Courses.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Appointees are ultimately accountable to the Director of Training and are required to
work with the Programme Manager on the day to day running of the Course.
TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. To conduct small and large group sessions. There are 2 small groups and one large
group over the weekends (ie 3 groups in total). This requires attendance at WPF
Therapy on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning for each weekend module.
2. To meet with the seminar leader and other group conductor weekly between the
seminar and the experiential group for a handover (approximately 15 minutes)
3. To ensure students develop skills and attitudes appropriate to the course
requirements.
4. To participate in the assessment process of students as and when relevant.
5. To write to students who have been absent inviting them back into the group to
discuss concerns and to inform the Programme Manager of the absence.
6. To inform the Programme Manager or of any concerns regarding students.
7. To work as a member of a team (consisting of Programme Manager, Seminar
Leaders and Group Conductors) on behalf of the students.
8. To attend 3 staff meetings held each academic year. These meetings will be at
other times to the group times and advance notice will be given. Attendance at
these meetings is required.
9. To work ethically, observing boundary issues responsibly and sensitively.
10. To maintain the educational task of the experiential group and ensure its
contribution to the development of skills and attitudes for students on the
Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy Course.
11. To participate in a rota for weekends to attend half an hour before the group starts
and remain on site half an hour after the group ends. This additional hour can be
claimed for separately. This is required to ensure that no staff member is alone on
site at weekends.
12. To undertake any additional tasks or responsibilities as reasonably required by WPF
Therapy and the Programme Manager.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
1. To have experience of conducting groups analytically, preferably in a variety of
settings and with different sized groups.
2. To know and understand the differences and similarities between training groups
and therapy groups and how the experiential group forms part of the students
training.
3. To know how to assess students' abilities from their participation in an experiential
group in terms of skills and attitudes appropriate for students on counselling skills
courses.
4. To know how group dynamics contributes to the training of students on the
Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy Course.
5. To know how the experiential groups fit into the overall training on counselling skills
and attitudes courses.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
1. To be able to run experiential small and large groups for students on the course.
2. To be able to contribute to the assessment of students.
3. To be able to liaise with other staff and managers appropriately.
4. To work as part of a team and as part of an organisation.
5. To be able to work effectively as co-conductor of the large group.
ATTITUDES
1. To support and empower students' understanding of individuals’ internal worlds,
interactions and group dynamics.
2. To address issues of prejudice and discrimination as and when they arise.
3. To adhere to the WPF Therapy’s Equal Opportunities policy and Codes of Practice.
4. To work within the ethos of the WPF Therapy. To aim to ensure that, as far as is
possible, equality of opportunity is available to all who work within WPF or use its
services. To seek to promote equality of opportunity where you have influence,
including WPF Therapy’s constituent bodies and the professional organisations on
which WPF Therapy is represented.
QUALIFICATIONS
The appointee must be a qualified and experienced group-analytic psychotherapist
registered with UKCP. The appointee is expected to arrange supervision on the group
as required by the various ethical standards. This will be discussed individually at
interview.
REMUNERATION
£2032 (All Inclusive) payable in 7 instalments.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants are asked to submit:
1. an up to date curriculum vitae
2. a statement setting out how they meet the Person Specification and giving
evidence
3. the names of TWO referees
Selection will be based on the application and an interview. Interview times to be
advised.
October 2014