Counselling & Therapy Team LeaderNHS

Job summary

Are you an experienced counsellor or therapist with the ability to bring people together, support professional practice and coordinate a busy service.

We are looking for a compassionate and organised Counselling & Therapy Team Leader to provide visible, day to day leadership to our therapy team. This is an opportunity to combine clinical practice with operational leadership, helping counsellors, therapists, trainees and volunteers deliver high quality support to children, adults, carers and bereaved family members.

You will play a central role in ensuring that referrals, waiting lists, clinical allocations, caseloads and team capacity are coordinated safely and effectively. Working closely with the Clinical Lead / Service Manager, you will translate agreed service priorities into clear and practical arrangements for the team, while promoting an inclusive, supportive and psychologically safe working culture.

The role is working 24 hours per week over 3 days.

Main duties of the job

As Counselling and Therapy Team Leader, you will provide accessible leadership and line management to designated members of the therapy workforce. You will chair team meetings, encourage shared decision-making and ensure that agreed actions are communicated and progressed.

You will allocate referrals and clinical work fairly, considering individual need, risk, practitioner competence, capacity and continuity of care. You will also monitor waiting lists, caseload distribution and service pressures, taking appropriate action within your delegated authority and escalating significant or sustained concerns when necessary.

Supporting and developing others will be an important part of the role. You will coordinate local induction arrangements, provide mentoring and practice guidance, contribute to recruitment and selection, and help identify learning and development needs across the team. You will also ensure that appraisals, objectives, wellbeing conversations, attendance processes and development plans are completed in line with organisational policy.

Job description

Overall purpose To provide visible, day to day operational and practice leadership for the therapy team, ensuring that referrals, waiting lists, clinical allocation, team capacity and safe working are coordinated effectively. The post holder will line manage designated members of the therapy workforce, support consistent standards of therapeutic practice and implement the strategic direction set by the Clinical Lead / Service Manager.

This post leads day to day team delivery and professional practice within the agreed service model. It does not hold overall strategic accountability for the service, budget ownership, organisational governance assurance or final authority for major service redesign. These remain with the Clinical Lead or Service Manager.

Key responsibilities Provide accessible day to day leadership to counsellors, therapists, trainees and volunteers within the agreed team structure.

Translate service priorities, policies and agreed developments into clear operational arrangements for the therapy team.

Allocate referrals and clinical work fairly, taking account of need, risk, practitioner competence, capacity and continuity of care.

Monitor waiting lists, caseload distribution and team capacity, take proportionate action within delegated authority and escalate sustained pressures or risks.

Chair regular therapy team meetings, support shared decision-making and communicate agreed actions.

Promote an inclusive, compassionate and psychologically safe team culture.

Line management and workforce support Provide line management to designated paid staff and ensure that objectives, appraisals, wellbeing conversations, attendance processes and development plans are completed in line with organisational policy.

Coordinate the induction and local orientation of new staff, trainees and volunteers.

Contribute to recruitment and selection processes led or authorised by the Clinical Lead or Service Manager.

Provide mentoring, guidance and practice support; ensure any distinction between line management and independent clinical supervision is understood.

Identify learning needs and arrange team-based skills development within the agreed training plan and resources.

Escalate formal employee relations, capability, disciplinary or significant workforce matters to the Clinical Lead / Service Manager and People team.

Clinical practice and professional leadership Undertake assessments and provide individual or group therapy within the post holders competence and agreed job plan.

Support consistent, evidence informed and ethically sound therapeutic practice across the team.

Offer consultation on complex allocation, risk and practice issues, while recognising when advice or decisions are required from the Clinical Lead, safeguarding lead or another specialist service.

Maintain professional registration, continuing professional development and clinical supervision in accordance with the requirements of the relevant professional body.

Support accurate, timely and confidential clinical records in line with organisational policy, professional standards and legal requirements.

Promote equitable access and culturally responsive practice for children, adults, carers and bereaved family members, according to the service remit.

Safeguarding and risk Act as an accessible first point of practice advice for day to day safeguarding and clinical risk concerns within the therapy team.

Ensure concerns are identified, recorded, discussed and escalated promptly in accordance with Trinity policies and local procedures.

Maintain the required level of safeguarding training and support team compliance with mandatory training.

The post holder does not replace the organisations designated safeguarding leadership or hold sole accountability for high-risk decisions.

Quality, data and service improvement Ensure the team completes agreed outcome measures, activity recording and data collection accurately and within required timescales.

Review operational information with the Clinical Lead or Service Manager and highlight emerging themes, gaps, pressures and risks.

Contribute practice expertise to audits, evaluation, pathway review and improvement work.

Lead delegated, time limited improvement projects within agreed scope, resources and governance arrangements.

Implement approved changes and provide feedback on their impact on clients, staff and service delivery.

Partnership working Work closely with the Clinical Lead or Service Manager, Clinical Psychologist and other professional and service leads.

Liaise with hospice teams, hospitals, primary care, schools, social care, mental health services and community partners where this supports safe and coordinated care.

Provide information, advice and education within the post holders competence and delegated remit.

Represent the therapy team at agreed internal and external meetings, reporting back and escalating matters requiring strategic decision.

Limits of delegated authority May make day to day decisions about referral allocation, caseload coordination, meeting arrangements and deployment within the agreed service model.

May address routine operational issues and agree short term adjustments within approved policy and resources.

Must seek approval for changes to service scope, establishment, budget, policy, strategic partnerships, eligibility criteria or material redesign.

Must escalate serious incidents, significant safeguarding concerns, unresolved clinical risk, sustained capacity problems and matters with organisational or reputational implications.

General responsibilities Work in accordance with Trinity policies, values, statutory requirements and relevant professional codes.

Complete mandatory training and participate in supervision, appraisal and continuing professional development.

Protect the health, safety, dignity and confidentiality of service users, colleagues and volunteers.

Undertake reasonable duties consistent with the purpose, level and scope of the role.

About us

This is a rewarding opportunity to influence the day-to-day quality and responsiveness of our therapy services while continuing to contribute directly to clinical practice. You will support a committed multidisciplinary team and help ensure that people accessing our services receive coordinated, compassionate and professionally sound care.

If you are an approachable and thoughtful practitioner who can balance clinical work, people leadership and service coordination, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Our Staff Benefits Include:

38 days annual leave (pro rata, inclusive of Bank Holidays) Health and wellbeing support Free on-site parking Professional registration fee reimbursement Pension scheme, with NHS Pension transfer options available Enhanced maternity and paternity benefits