We’re currently recruiting a Counsellor – Adults, Children & Young People to join our Family Support & Bereavement Services Team

Job title: Counsellor – Adults, Children & Young People

Full time | Permanent | 37.5 hrs per week | Hours of work between 08:30 and 16:30 across 5 days Monday to Friday | Closing date 11/01/26 | Interviews expected to be held mid-late January 2026 | £31,043.00 per annum

Why KEMP?

Based in the heart of the Wyre Forest, KEMP Hospice has been providing compassionate care and support to people affected by life-limiting illness and bereavement for over 50 years. We offer end-of-life care, counselling, and emotional support—completely free of charge—to adults, their families, and carers for as long as they need it. We stand by their side in our day hospice, in their homes, or virtually, during some of life’s most challenging moments.

At KEMP, we pride ourselves on being a great place to work and volunteer. KEMP is proud to be recognised as a Great Place to Work® 2025 and as an Inclusive Worcestershire Leader, reflecting our commitment to inclusion, well-being, and belonging.

We prioritise the well-being of our staff and volunteers, fostering an environment that promotes a healthy work-life balance. With opportunities for flexible working and a range of employee benefits shaped by the needs of our team, you’ll be joining a passionate, caring, and inclusive organisation that puts people at the heart of everything we do.

Role Overview

If you are passionate about supporting children, young people, and adults through grief, loss, and life-changing circumstances, this role gives you the chance to make a genuine difference. At KEMP Hospice, you’ll be part of a dedicated Family Support and Bereavement Service team offering one-to-one counselling across the Wyre Forest — from creative emotional support for children aged 5–10, to counselling for young people up to the age of 17 navigating grief, through to supporting adults affected by bereavement or a life-limiting diagnosis.

Counselling takes place in our purpose-designed therapy rooms at the hospice, online, by telephone, or within schools where appropriate. Using approaches shaped to each individual — from creative tools and play-based techniques, including innovative use of platforms like Minecraft, through to structured counselling — you will help people express emotions safely, build coping strategies, and maintain continuing bonds with their loved ones. You will be joining a caring, skilled team committed to ensuring people in our community feel heard, understood, and supported whenever they are ready to talk.

What We Offer:

• Fantastic team where everyone is welcomed and empowered to give their best
• Supportive management – keen to develop you
• 30 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing with long service
• Opportunity to buy and sell holiday twice per year
• Discount schemes including Blue Light Card
• Increased employer pension contribution
• Company sick pay
• Bereavement leave
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced paternity leave
• Fully funded professional membership fees (e.g. NMC, BACP, CIPD, CIMA – exceptions may apply depending on circumstances)
• EAP: confidential financial, legal, wellbeing & mental health support
• Free eye tests
• Death in service benefit
• Opportunities for flexible working from day one
• Family friendly policies
• Free Will writing service
• Staff events

Purpose of the Post

This post forms part of KEMP Hospice’s Family Support and Bereavement Service. As an Adults and CYP Counsellor, the purpose of the role is to deliver a counselling service to children (5–10), young people (11–17), and adults within a palliative care, life-limiting illness, and bereavement setting.

The role provides specialist counselling to adults with a palliative diagnosis, and to clients affected by the palliative diagnosis of someone known to them. It includes offering counselling to clients who have experienced a bereavement by a range of causes including illness, suicide, sudden or traumatic death, road traffic accidents, murder or manslaughter, or who have a relative with a life-limiting illness. The post also works with clients presenting with mild to moderate mental health needs and psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, stress, and adjustment to life events.

Main duties and responsibilities

Counselling and Emotional Support

• Provide therapeutic counselling and emotional support to children (5–10), young people (11–17), and adults who meet KEMP referral criteria and have experienced the death of someone close to them, whether expected or unexpected, or who have a loved one with a life-limiting condition.
• Work within a palliative care, life-limiting illness and bereavement setting with a range of mild to moderate mental health needs and psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, stress and adjustment to life events.
• Contract and regularly review with clients the frequency and evolving goals for counselling sessions, working towards planned and negotiated endings.
• Assess clients to measure therapeutic readiness and identify any associated risk concerns.
• Deliver age-appropriate and creative therapeutic approaches shaped to each individual (e.g. play-based techniques, art-based strategies, and innovative use of platforms such as Minecraft as appropriate).
• Facilitate therapeutic support groups for certain age groups and types of death, which may involve some evening or weekend working.
• Provide guidance and liaison to schools, teaching staff, and relevant professionals to best support children and young people, and travel to schools within the Wyre Forest locality where required.
• Respond to referrals and enquiries professionally, including contacting families, clients or referrers where appropriate to gather information, arrange assessments and determine suitability for counselling.

Professional Practice and Ethics

• Work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and any other relevant professional guidance or codes of practice.
• Attend regular clinical supervision in line with BACP requirements, maintaining confidentiality in accordance with KEMP policy.
• Maintain high standards of accurate, confidential and up-to-date clinical record keeping and documentation.
• Undertake and evidence continuing professional development (CPD) to maintain and enhance clinical competence.
• Keep up to date with current practice, therapeutic approaches, legislation and guidance relevant to palliative care, bereavement and children’s mental health.
• Use a trauma-informed and inclusive approach, sensitive to intersectionality, cultural difference, neurodiversity, developmental stage and individual need.

Safeguarding, Risk and Personal Safety

• Actively risk-assess concerns relating to health and safety, confidentiality, safeguarding, mental capacity or risk of harm, and share concerns appropriately with line management and relevant statutory agencies.
• Take appropriate steps to ensure personal safety in practice settings, adhering to lone-worker policy and wider organisational procedures.
• Comply with all statutory safety regulations and KEMP policies and procedures, including data protection, information governance and safeguarding.

Collaboration, Service Contribution and Development

• Work collaboratively with KEMP Hospice teams and services, external health, social care and voluntary sector agencies to support holistic and person-centred care.
• Participate in and contribute to internal team meetings, clinical discussions and external meetings relevant to the role.
• Support service evaluation, outcome measurement and continuous improvement activity — including routine outcome tools, audits or data collection where required.
• Take on additional duties and responsibilities as agreed with the Line Manager in line with service need.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Hold a minimum Level 4 (or equivalent) recognised adults counselling qualification.
• Hold a minimum Level 4 (or equivalent) Children and young person’s recognised counselling qualification.
• Be a registeredmember of the BACP or similar recognised body.
• Enhanced DBS disclosure (can be applied for on appointment).

Desirable

• Be an accredited(or working towards) member of the BACP or similar recognised body.

Experience

Essential

• Extensive professional experience of working with adults, children and young people, preferably in a therapeutic or support setting.
• Experience of counselling adults.
• Experience of counselling children and young people aged 5 to 17.
• Experience of assessing children, young people and families.
• Demonstrable experience of providing significant levels of bereavement-specific support.
• Working with distressed individuals.
• Understanding of mental health problems in adults.
• Experience of providing bereavement support following an unexpected death.

Desirable

• Experience of working with case management systems (e.g. EMIS) and using data to support service planning or quality assurance
• Experience and qualifications in training.
• Experience of working with families and groups.
• Working in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Insight into palliative care and knowledge of the Hospice environment.

Skills, knowledge, and personal attributes

Essential

• Strong understanding of safeguarding legislation and ability to assess and respond appropriately to risk in adults and CYP
• Ability to deliver constructive feedback and manage difficult conversations with compassion and professionalism
• Supportive, empathic nature with the ability to relate to clients with varied personal circumstance.
• A good working understanding of the importance of GDPR.
• Ability to organise self, prioritise varied workloads, plan effectively and work to deadlines.
• Evidence of commitment to professional training.
• Effective team player.
• Self-awareness; respectful of individual differences.
• Respect for KEMP’s underlying ethos and Values.
• Ability to work unsupervised and work to own initiative.
• Effective computer literacy skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

Desirable

• Ability to compile reports and collate service figures.
• Confidence in using client information systems and maintaining data accuracy
• Knowledge of child safeguarding and Gillick competence.
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development.
• Experience of working within a Hospice or charity setting
• Be able to work weekends and evenings if required (e.g. annual CYP Christmas event/s or similar)

Licence/Certification:

• Min. Level 4 recognised adults counselling qualification (required)
• BACP (or similar) registration (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

How to Apply

Please apply for this position online via Indeed

Closing date for all applications: Sunday 11th January 2026.

Please note, KEMP Hospice reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications for the role are received.