Job Summary

The Adult Counsellor will provide compassionate, person‑led emotional support to patients, families and carers affected by life‑shortening illness, grief and bereavement. Working within the Ayrshire Hospice Counselling and Bereavement Support Service, the post holder will assess individual needs, offer therapeutic counselling before and after bereavement, and support people as they navigate the emotional impact of illness, dying and loss.

As part of the multidisciplinary team, the post-holder will deliver high‑quality one‑to‑one, family and group support throughout all stages of the bereavement journey. They will contribute to the development of resources and programmes that enhance emotional wellbeing across the community, while working closely with the Spiritual Care Team and other hospice professionals to ensure holistic and integrated care.

By creating a safe, supportive and inclusive therapeutic space, the Counsellor will help individuals express their feelings, build coping strategies and move forward in a way that feels right for them.

Main Responsibilities

Reporting to the Spiritual Lead, the responsibilities of the post holder is to:

Clinical

• Offer counselling to patients and family members in a person-led and pluralistic way, both pre and post-bereavement

• Assess the needs of those referred to the service and match to the services offered, ensuring they receive a comprehensive assessment

• Carry out risk assessments and needs assessments for all clients and mitigate against these risks where necessary

• Support the individual in decision making and problem solving to develop strategies to manage their grief

• Keep accurate records of work with clients within the Hospices patient record system

• Provide a service that is inclusive of diversity, including age, gender, sexuality, identity, and ethnicity

• Use evidence based ongoing assessment tools throughout the counselling process

• Work in line with evidence-based practice

• Develop models of family work to support clients and recognise the impact of bereavement on the wider family

• Establish and develop group support programmes to enable family members to benefit from shared experience

• Ensure seamless and timeous collaboration with other professionals, and participate in the delivery of effective communication strategies both verbal and written with all members of the inter-disciplinary team

• Work flexibly to meet the demands of the service, supporting colleagues across all departments of the Hospice when necessary

• Refer and signpost clients to internal and external agencies and liaise where appropriate

• Confidently use relevant IT systems to support effective record‑keeping and communication

Educational

• Be proactive in identifying and addressing own education and development needs undertaking PDR (Performance Development Review) in line with Hospice policy

• Participate in the educational programmes aligned to PDR, taking an active role in the delivery of education in the specialist field of palliative and end of life care

• Be involved in providing education in-house and externally on needs of those who are bereaved, as required

Professional

• Practice within the ethical framework of the relevant registered body, e.g. BACP, COSCA or NCPS

• Participate in the hospice professional development and review process to promote personal and service developments

• Participate in education and learning education courses and study days to be aware of developments in own professional field and in the wider bereavement discipline

• Actively engage with external supervision as per professional body guidelines.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

• Diploma in Counselling

• Registered with BACP / COSCA / NCPS

Knowledge / Experience

• Previous experience of bereavement work (Desirable)

• Previous experience of counselling in a healthcare setting (Desirable)

• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team (Desirable)

Ability / Skills (Essential)

• Excellent interpersonal skills

• Good organisational ability

Personal Qualities

Qualities required to fulfil this post include:

• Strong alignment with hospice values

• Positive, motivated and enthusiastic

Closing Date

Wednesday 25th March