Lead Counsellor (37.5 hours)
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St Peter & St James Hospice Lead Counsellor (37.5 hours)
The closing date is 15 November 2026
Job summary
Are you an experienced and compassionate counsellor with a passion for supporting people facing life-limiting illness, loss and bereavement? As our Lead Counsellor, you will lead and develop our counselling service, ensuring patients, families, friends and the bereaved receive timely, responsive and high-quality psychosocial support. You will provide clinical leadership to our counselling team, supervise staff and volunteers, and play a key role in shaping and developing counselling and bereavement services across the hospice. If you are an accredited counsellor with leadership experience and a commitment to person-centred care, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Provide counselling and psychosocial support to patients, families, friends and those who are bereaved. Manage counselling referrals and assessment processes, ensuring a timely and effective response in line with organisational standards and key performance indicators. Triage incoming referrals and allocate support appropriately across the counselling team. Lead, supervise and support qualified counsellors and volunteer counsellors. Recruit, train and develop volunteer counsellors to meet service needs. Provide counselling supervision and professional guidance to members of the counselling team. Oversee the coordination and ongoing development of bereavement support groups and identify opportunities for additional group services. Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and contribute to holistic patient care planning. Deliver psychosocial and counselling-related training to colleagues and external stakeholders as required. Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records using designated electronic systems. Ensure counselling practice adheres to professional standards, codes of conduct, policies and procedures. Lead on service development initiatives and contribute to the review of clinical guidelines and working practices. Work closely with the Head of Supportive Care to monitor service performance and development. Support audit, evaluation and research activities to promote evidence-based practice.
About us
We are a highly regarded hospice team dedicated to delivering outstanding specialist palliative care. We offer a supportive working environment, opportunities for professional development, involvement in education and service improvement projects, and the chance to make a meaningful difference to patients and families when they need it most.
Details
Date posted
28 October 2026
Pay scheme
Other
Salary
£37,463 to £41,635 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
STP1245414
Job locations
North Common Road
North Chailey
Lewes
West Sussex
BN8 4ED
United Kingdom
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lead and manage the counselling and bereavement support service, providing psychosocial support to patients, families and those who are bereaved. Oversee referrals, assessments and service delivery, while supervising and developing counsellors and volunteers. Contribute to multidisciplinary care, deliver training, maintain professional and clinical standards, and support service development, audit and evaluation to ensure a high-quality, evidence-based service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lead and manage the counselling and bereavement support service, providing psychosocial support to patients, families and those who are bereaved. Oversee referrals, assessments and service delivery, while supervising and developing counsellors and volunteers. Contribute to multidisciplinary care, deliver training, maintain professional and clinical standards, and support service development, audit and evaluation to ensure a high-quality, evidence-based service.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Counselling qualification (Dip/MA/BA in Counselling).
- BACP/UKCP accreditation (or working towards this).
- Counselling Supervision qualification (MA/PGDip/Level 6 Cert.
Experience
Essential
- Excellent counselling, supervision and interpersonal skills.
- Proven ability to work both independently and in a multi-
- professional team/framework.
- Understanding of bereavement, grief and loss and their impact
- on individuals, families and their social networks.
- Evidence of on-going CPD and proactive approach to own
- personal development.
- Confident in the use of working with technology and IT system.
- Experience of working with loss, grief, attachment, life-limiting
- illness.
- Experience of working with/managing volunteers.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a health/social care setting.
- Experience of working in a palliative care setting.
- Working knowledge of multi-cultural needs.
- Experience of delivering counselling related training to others.
- Experience of using client record systems.
- Experience of undertaking audits/research.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Integrity and discretion.
- Flexible and willing to adapt to changing hospice needs.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Current driving licence and access to own vehicle for community.
Qualifications
Essential
- Counselling qualification (Dip/MA/BA in Counselling).
- BACP/UKCP accreditation (or working towards this).
- Counselling Supervision qualification (MA/PGDip/Level 6 Cert.
Experience
Essential
- Excellent counselling, supervision and interpersonal skills.
- Proven ability to work both independently and in a multi-
- professional team/framework.
- Understanding of bereavement, grief and loss and their impact
- on individuals, families and their social networks.
- Evidence of on-going CPD and proactive approach to own
- personal development.
- Confident in the use of working with technology and IT system.
- Experience of working with loss, grief, attachment, life-limiting
- illness.
- Experience of working with/managing volunteers.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a health/social care setting.
- Experience of working in a palliative care setting.
- Working knowledge of multi-cultural needs.
- Experience of delivering counselling related training to others.
- Experience of using client record systems.
- Experience of undertaking audits/research.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Integrity and discretion.
- Flexible and willing to adapt to changing hospice needs.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Current driving licence and access to own vehicle for community.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
St Peter & St James Hospice
Address
North Common Road
North Chailey
Lewes
West Sussex
BN8 4ED
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://stpjhospice.org/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
St Peter & St James Hospice
Address
North Common Road
North Chailey
Lewes
West Sussex
BN8 4ED
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://stpjhospice.org/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Head of Supportive Care
Phillippa Jones
Details
Date posted
28 October 2026
Pay scheme
Other
Salary
£37,463 to £41,635 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
STP1245414
Job locations
North Common Road
North Chailey
Lewes
West Sussex
BN8 4ED
United Kingdom
Privacy notice
St Peter & St James Hospice's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)
Support links
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