Student Placement - Counsellor

As a student counsellor, you’ll support patients, their families and carers take on board the challenges they face, and support bereaved individuals who access the service. Providing this support is an invaluable part of hospice care and your role will be guided and supported by the Bereavement Services Lead.

Who we’re looking for

As a student counsellor you will need to:

• Be 21 years of age or over
• Be on a recognised and/or accredited counselling course at Level 4 Diploma or higher
• Work in a way which is compatible with the person-centred philosophy of the counselling service
• Be willing to be part of a team, reliable and flexible and use your own initiative
• Be discreet and maintain confidentiality
• Have an awareness of boundaries, being able to recognise your own, and knowing when to seek support
• Be able to recognise the limits of your skills, and seek support appropriately
• Be able to cope with emotional distress in a healthy manner
• Be balanced and comfortable in your own life – especially if you have personal experience of loss, bereavement and grief, resilience to deal with your own emotional distress
• Be empathic, transparent and non-judgemental in your approach
• Work without direct supervision and be comfortable relying on your own initiative and common sense, as lone working will be required
• Be reliable, flexible and committed to the role

What you’ll get out of it

This rewarding role will give you the opportunity to use your experience and develop new skills while helping others in a valuable way. Volunteering within the counselling team will allow you to meet new people and make friends, and you’ll contribute to your local community by making a difference to those you support.

We offer training in bereavement specific approaches, and regular one-to-ones with the Bereavement Services Lead to ensure that you get the most out of your role and are happy and confident in it. We also offer regular opportunities for you to engage in peer support sessions with other volunteers and staff.

To apply for this role, please fill in the form below or get in touch on:

0115 910 1008 option 4
volunteering@nottshospice.org

You’ll need to be aged 21 or over to apply and some roles will require a DBS check prior to you starting, to ensure there is nothing on the record which may make you unsuitable. If a check is needed it will be mentioned when you apply.

Nottinghamshire Hospice is fully committed to supporting and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion best practice within our staff and volunteer workforce, as well as with our patients and supporters. We warmly welcome those from all backgrounds – this diversity is important for our journey and values and enriches the services we offer.

We particularly welcome applicants from minoritised ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ communities, applicants under the age of 40, applicants with disabilities, and male applicants for clinical roles, as they are currently under-represented within our workforce.