School Counsellor

7.5 hours per week term-time only / £33,795 per annum pro rata / permanent / working pattern to be discussed at interview / the role will commence at the beginning of September 2025.

Our mission is to help children and young people have a fair chance to be who they want to be. We do this by providing a safe home, increasing life skills and self-confidence, and improving emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Established in 1996, Dialogue School Counselling is a BACP accredited school counselling service covering Sussex and Surrey.

We are recruiting for qualified counsellor or therapist with experience of working with primary age children to join our team and deliver our service at Peacehaven Heights Academy from September 2025.

We are seeking candidates who are passionate about making a difference to lives of the children and young people they work with. You will have a keen interest in and experience of working with children of primary age.

Key responsibilities

You will provide an ethical, professional counselling service at Peacehaven Heights

Run a suitable appointment system flexible to the needs of the school, offering students appropriate assessments and counselling appointments

Manage the tight time boundaries of the role and the often complex and varied workload

You will establish good professional working relationships with key school staff. This will include discussion of referrals, waiting lists and appointments, managing a session timetable within the school day and agreeing a process for students coming to and from sessions

Carry out initial clinical and risk assessments and establish appropriate referral pathways with other services where appropriate. Continually assess risk throughout each student s counselling

You will be required to undertake assessments with parents/carers and counselling sessions, complete all associated admin and attend regular clinical supervision and line management meetings

Follow YMCA Dialogue safeguarding procedures; to know who the School s Designated Safeguarding Officer/s is and how to contact them when a safeguarding concern arises

Work at all times within the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and maintain individual membership of the BACP (or other professional body such as HCPC)

If you re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable. You may be just the right candidate.

Qualifications, knowledge, and experience

• You will have counselling or psychotherapy qualification minimum Level 4 and ideally Level 6, with 2 years post qualifying experience in individual counselling or therapy with children preferred, to include working with risk issues
• You will have a BACP Membership; BACP Registered or Accredited. Or other professional body e.g. HCPC
• You will also have a sound understanding of child protection and vulnerable adult safeguarding issues, policies, and procedures
• You will be confident in identifying and responding to safeguarding concerns and have experience of working in a school setting
• You will have a keen interest in working with children and will be familiar with using creative therapeutic approaches, along with experience of working in a school setting
• You will have a professional, flexible attitude with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to manage your time well