LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE
STUDENT COUNSELLING SERVICE
TRAINEE PLACEMENT (ASSOCIATE COUNSELLOR)
SCHEME
FURTHER PARTICULARS
A.
Advertisement
ASSOCIATE COUNSELLOR SCHEME
The School is seeking an Associate Counsellor to provide one-to-one short term counselling
within the Student Advice & Counselling Service. This is an unpaid trainee placement,
starting early October for a period of 9 months. The successful applicant will provide shortterm counselling to a diverse and multicultural postgraduate student body, seeing up to 4
clients per week.
Applicants should be following an established diploma or MA level course in Counselling
and /or Psychotherapy, and be in at least the second year of the course. The course must be
BACP accredited. Previous one-to-one supervised counselling experience is essential.
Applications from people who have finished the taught element of the course, and who need
hours for accreditation, will also be considered.
Applications should be made on-line via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The reference
for this post is EN1. Applications should also include a CV and the names and email
contacts of 2 referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted. Any queries
regarding the application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk. Please quote
reference EN1. Closing date for the receipt of applications is Friday 15 June 2012.
Interviews will take place on Friday 6 July 2012.
“The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is an equal opportunities employer”
B.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is one of Europe’s leading schools of
Public Health and a leading postgraduate institution worldwide for research and postgraduate
education in global health.
Part of the University of London, the London School is the largest institution of its kind in
Europe with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise encompassing many disciplines.
The School was ranked one of the top 3 research institutions in the country in the Times
Higher Education’s 'table of excellence', which is based on the 2008 Research Assessment
Exercise (RAE). In 2009, the School became the first UK institution to win the Gates Award
for Global Health.
1
The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: there are almost 4000 students from
100+ countries following 22 taught masters courses delivered either in London (~650) or
through distance learning (~2700), and undertaking research degree training (~400). Over
40% of these students are from non-European countries. The largest growth has been in
distance learning students (>40% over 3 years), though the London-based student population
(where accommodation limits growth) is at its highest level ever. Alumni are working in
more than 180 countries. The School has about 1500 staff drawn from over 60 nationalities.
There are research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the world, utilizing our
critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians, epidemiologists,
statisticians, social scientists, economists, molecular biologists, immunologists,
ophthalmologists, anthropologists, virologists, pharmacologists and nutritionists. At any one
time around 100 School staff are based overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia. We have a
strong commitment to partnership with institutions in low and middle income countries to
support the development of teaching and research capacity.
The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Its research funding now exceeds £67M per
annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. The
commitment of staff to methodological rigour, innovative thinking and policy relevance will
ensure that the School continues to occupy a leadership position in national and global health,
adapting quickly to new challenges and opportunities.
Mission
To improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to
achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of
knowledge into policy and practice.
C.
The Student Advice and Counselling Service (SA&CS)
The Associate Counsellor role comes within the Student Advice and Counselling Service, a
small but busy team which supports students on a range of issues, including accommodation,
immigration, disability and financial concerns, as well as providing one-to-one counselling
on a mainly short-term basis. Students present for counselling with a variety of concerns,
including depression, anxiety, family issues, relationship problems, bereavement, transitional
problems such as returning to study after working, or coming to the UK for the first time.
The counselling service consists of one part-time counsellor (who is also the Manager,
SA&CS). Up to 8 counselling sessions are offered to students, with limited provision for
long-term work. If appropriate, the Associate Counsellor may take on one long-term client
with the agreement of the Manager, SA&CS. All clients referred to the Associate Counsellor
will have been assessed by the Manager, SA&CS, and deemed appropriate to be seen by the
Associate Counsellor.
The role will require previous experience of one-to-one counselling. Although the Manager,
SA&CS, will be present on-site during the Associate Counsellor’s attendance, the role will
require the ability to work independently as part of a small team. The role also requires the
Associate Counsellor to be in ongoing individual therapy, as the work may bring up personal
issues which are beyond the remit of clinical supervision.
2
D.
Job Description
The Associate Counsellor will be responsible to the Manager, SAC&S for the provision of
one-to-one counselling to up to 4 suitable clients per week. Fortnightly external clinical
supervision will be paid for by the School but will be organised by the Associate Counsellor.
The approach adopted will be non-judgmental and confidential. The Associate Counsellor is
expected to:
(i)
provide one-to-one individual counselling sessions of 50 minutes, usually up to 8
sessions, to 3 clients per week (up to 4 if agreed with the Manager, SA&CS)
(ii)
work within the BACP ethical guidelines for good practice
(iii)
manage all aspects of caseload, including re-scheduling sessions where a student
cannot attend, and dealing with cancellations should you be unable to attend a session
(iv)
consider risk factors, working within your known limits, and act appropriately to
ensure students’ safety is paramount, including informing appropriate staff where you
feel a student to be at risk
(v)
liaise with external medical / psychiatric services, local Community Mental Health
Teams or other support services where appropriate
(vi)
keep accurate and confidential records and session case notes as required by data
protection and in line with BACP ethical framework, and maintain accurate statistical
records of work with clients,
(vii)
arrange and attend fortnightly external one-hour clinical supervision sessions
(viii) attend regular meetings with the Manager, SA&CS (up to 30 minutes per fortnight)
(ix)
where appropriate, refer students to the Student Adviser, or other internal staff
member, maintaining confidentiality at all times,
(x)
undertake other relevant activities that may be deemed appropriate and consistent with
the general level and scope of the post.
E.
Person Specification
Essential
(i)
Attendance on at least 2nd year of established, BACP Accredited MA or PGDip in
Counselling and /or Psychotherapy
(ii) Certificate in Counselling Skills (or equivalent)
(iii) Previous experience of supervised one-to-one counselling
(iv) Ability to work independently
(v) Currently in ongoing one-to-one therapy
3
Desirable
(i) Experience of Higher Education setting
(ii) Experience of working in a multi-cultural setting
F.
Hours and other conditions
This is an unpaid placement, for a period of 9 months from early October, available on
Fridays only (due to availability of rooms, we cannot be flexible about the day). You must be
available for sessions between 1pm and 2pm, and for at least 2 additional hours that day (the
times of which can be agreed). You will be expected to see up to 3 clients per day, but you
may take on up to 4 clients with the agreement of the Manager, SA&CS. Associate
Counsellors are expected to manage their own diary, including cancelling sessions due to
illness etc. The work is short-term in nature, usually up to 8 sessions per client . The
Associate Counsellor may take on one long-term client, with the agreement of the Manager,
SA&CS. Although we will do our best to ensure that you have clients to fill your available
appointments, we cannot guarantee this. Associate Counsellors are expected to be present on
site regardless of whether students have booked to attend sessions.
The School will pay for fortnightly clinical supervision (up to £60 per session), and this must
be organised by the Associate Counsellor, and agreed by the Manager, SA&CS. There is also
a modest training budget to support Associate Counsellors’ learning. Fortnightly meetings
of up to 30 minutes with the Manager, SA&CS (outside of client session times) must be
attended, to discuss aspects of the work not addressed in supervision (such as organisational
or procedural questions, or work-load issues).
The trainee role is covered by the School’s Public Liability and Professional Indemnity
insurance.
Please note we cannot offer placements to current LSHTM staff or students.
G.
Applications
Applications should be made on-line via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk
The reference for this post is EN1. Applications should also include a CV and the names and
email contacts of two referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted.
The supporting statement section should set out how your experience and training meet each
of the selection criteria, giving examples where appropriate. Please provide one or more
paragraphs addressing each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the
selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that your
application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as “Please see
attached CV” will not be considered acceptable. Applications submitted without a CV will
not be considered. A covering letter is not required.
Closing date for applications is Friday 15 June 2012. Any queries regarding the application
process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk. Please quote reference EN1. Interviews will
be held on Friday 6 July 2012.
4