BAM and Young Person Counsellor
| Job Title | BAM and Young Person Counsellor |
| Salary | 35,700 pr0 rata |
| Hours | 23 hours per week |
| Location | Hybrid- Home and Offices across London |
| Contract Type | Permanent |
| Reports to | Senior Counsellor |
| Annual Leave | 28 days +bank holidays pro rata |
CONTEXT
An estimated 12,000 men are raped every year and 76,000 sexually abused or assaulted. Yet just 4% of men will tell someone. Of those who do, it takes on average 26 years to do so.
SurvivorsUK provides specialist support to men, boys, trans and non-binary people who have been raped, sexually assaulted or abused. Our aim is to help any male, trans or nonbinary person to have the confidence to tell someone what’s happened to them, and to know that it’s OK to seek help. When they do, we want to ensure they have access to the right support so they can deal with the impact of their experiences of criminal harm.
We provide emotional support, information and signposting to survivors and anyone worried about someone they know, through a national website and webchat service (open till 8pm most evenings). Last year, 2,600 people contacted us via our webchat services and social media.
In London, we are the only organisation providing specialist services for men and boys, including individual counselling and therapeutic groupwork, available till 9pm six days a week. Across London, we provide the capital’s only Independent Sexual Advisor (ISVA) Service that helps men and boys through the criminal justice system.
ABOUT THE ROLE
This is an exciting role at Survivors UK which combines counselling and practical support, specifically to the (circa) 150 people who refer themselves for individual counselling with us each year. You will work specifically with young people aged 13+ and people from Black, Asian and Multi-Heritage communities who have experienced sexual violence.
The people served include those with clinical mental health diagnoses, drug and alcohol dependencies, at risk of suicide, homelessness or involved in the sex industry. You will need to be a highly skilled counsellor with experience of dealing with very vulnerable clients, willing to work flexibly and on your own initiative. Importantly, you will be a compassionate person, able to blend therapeutic work with practical support and care.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS Clearance
Key responsibilities:
Provide counselling and practical support interventions to boys, men, trans people and non-binary people from the BAM community who have been raped, sexually abused or assaulted with high levels of need and who are most vulnerable.
Deliver counselling interventions by phone, video calling and face-to-face with clients 13+
Maintain accurate and timely client case notes, ensuring adherence to confidentiality, safeguarding and data protection procedures.
With clients, develop action plans to help them address emotional and practical needs and ensure clients can engage with a flexible service.
Provide regular and timely communications with clients so that they are encouraged to remain with the service.
Attend clinical supervision
● Collaborate with clients to discover what their needs are from our service
Support the monitoring and reporting to funders on the development and delivery of the service.
● A commitment to working and developing a therapeutic approach that is culturally attuned to Black, Asian and Multi and Dual Heritage clients.
An ability, interest and commitment to working therapeutically were applicable with a Black, African and Asian centred approach embracing the client’s full experience of life through the prisms of race, culture, gender and social values.
A clinical understanding and a commitment to work with the risk and experience of fragmentation created by multiple traumas including racism, discrimination, rape and sexual abuse.
A working understanding and awareness of a holistic therapeutic approach - exploring all dimensions or worlds of Black, Asian, and Multi-heritage clients - the inner world, the social world, the spiritual world and the physical world.
An empathic understanding of the impact and experience of intersectionality for our BAM clients, with a particular focus on racial trauma, gender discrimination, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia when intersecting with sexual trauma and other abuse.
● An active interest in cultural and current affairs around society, race, nationality, communities and anti-oppressive practice.
● A reflective practice approach individually, alongside colleagues, within peer supervision and ‘Sakhu’ - the deep search, study and mastery of the process of, and illumination of, the human spirit’
Commitment to outreach work, presenting and sharing our specialist/bespoke therapeutic service to external agencies, individuals and groups who may benefit from an understanding of and access to our unique counselling offer.
● An understanding of anti-racist practice and competence in working with or alongside people who have a legacy of European domination such as slavery, colonialism, primarily within the British context.
Be a reflective practitioner who has worked on their own identity and personal process around race and racial identity.
● See working together as a community and not in isolation as paramount to healing
Key outcomes:
Survivors who are highly vulnerable and distressed will have access to a service that meets their needs, with improvements in their overall health and wellbeing.
● A reduction in harmful behaviours, such as less suicidal ideation, reduced drug & alcohol use, reduced incidences of self-harm.
SurvivorsUK is an equal opportunities employer. We especially encourage applications from individuals who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, including men, non-binary, Black, Asian, Multi Heritage, Trans, disabled people, and those from other marginalised groups. We recognise and value the unique experiences that arise from the intersections of these identities, and we particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience or a strong understanding of the issues faced by our service users.
If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process or have any accessibility needs, please let us know.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience and qualifications
A BACP, UKCP or BABCP accredited counsellor or working towards, psychotherapist or CBT practitioner.
● At least 2-years’ experience of working with highly vulnerable adults and young people
Knowledge of trauma informed practice
● Demonstrable caseload management, with experience of undertaking initial counselling assessments.
● Proven track record in helping clients who are experiencing high levels of distress and/or chaotic lifestyles, to improve their health and wellbeing.
Efficient and accurate use of outcomes monitoring frameworks, such as CORE, Outcomes Star, or similar
Skills, knowledge and competences
Strong understanding of the experiences, needs and impact of rape, sexual abuse or assault on (cis and trans*) men and boys, and on non-binary people
Self-motivated and a self-starter: high level of confidence to develop and deliver a new service.
● A mature, calm and empathic manner: able to engage with clients who have challenging needs and deal with highly emotional and stressful situations.
● Strong communication skills: able to build trusting relationships and rapport with clients and interact and engage effectively with external agencies.
● Adherence to confidentiality and boundary policies and practices.
● High degree of flexibility in approach to working with clients and the wider team.
● Positive attitude and willing to contribute to developments, improvements and changes more broadly within Survivors UK.
Competent administrator and highly organised: committed to maintaining accurate client records and reporting on performance.
Demonstrable commitment to equal opportunities, with a non-judgemental approach to helping men, non-binary and trans people
● A commitment to pursuing professional excellence, personal development and learning.