Head of Counselling Service

OverviewThe University of Glasgow invites applications for the role of Head of Counselling Service within the Student Wellbeing and Inclusion Team. This is a key leadership position leading a multi-disciplinary team of counselling and mental health professionals to provide a student-centred service that supports successful engagement with learning. The role requires experience of line management, service development and working within a complex organisational setting, with a broad range of counselling and wellbeing support models. A commitment to high professional standards and leadership is essential.

Responsibilities

Provide visible and dynamic leadership to a team of counsellors and mental health professionals, ensuring effective service delivery and appropriate training, development and supervision.

Ensure staff engagement through internal communications and CPD/Team-building events throughout the academic year.

Develop and promote creative approaches to supporting student mental health reflecting the needs of the University’s student community.

Take responsibility for escalated decision making, support multi-disciplinary working and convene case conferences where necessary to agree strategies for supporting students who are considered to be a risk to themselves and/or to others.

Work collaboratively with the student bodies, academic and professional services colleagues in the centre, colleges and schools, to devise and deliver campaigns which improve mental health and wellbeing.

Provide expert advice and guidance on student mental health to members of the University community and, in particular, engage with colleges and schools to ensure that frontline staff are equipped to support students and have access to support when it is required.

Develop and implement strategies for the collection and analysis of relevant data to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of service provision, identify needs and inform service improvement and investment decisions.

Build good working relationships with the key external agencies (e.g. Campus Medical Practice and local CMHT), to facilitate effective collaboration and the exchange of good practice.

Ensure effective collaboration and team working between Counselling staff and the Safeguarding team in the management of risk and concern.

Lead the recruitment and induction of counsellors and volunteer counsellors as well as the initial screening and subsequent mentoring of trainee counsellors on placements.

Coordinate ongoing audit and review to ensure service quality and compliance, and to inform service development.

Work collaboratively with the Wellbeing Lead to oversee the triage process provided by the Wellbeing Team, ensuring cover is maintained during leave/absence and providing support for staff and guidance around the management of high-risk cases.

Monitor and review the service and its resources, ensuring high standards in efficiency of service delivery are maintained at times of high demand. This will include developing new strategies to meet the increase in demand on the service.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

A1 Scottish credit and Qualification Framework level 9, 10 or 11 (Ordinary/Honours Degree, Post Graduate Qualification) including being professionally qualified in a relevant discipline e.g. Counselling or Psychotherapy or other relevant field.

Essential:

A2 Registered with a relevant professional body e.g. HCPC, BABCP/BACP or registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Essential:

A3 Thorough knowledge and understanding of the BACP/HCPC ethical frameworks for the professional practice of counselling, psychotherapy, clinical/counselling psychology and supervision.

Essential:

A4 Detailed knowledge and understanding of mental health support models in Higher Education, including ‘One at a Time’, short term therapy options and group work.

Essential:

A5 Demonstrable knowledge of the specific challenges of mental health care within a Higher Education environment.

Essential:

A6 Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the Equality Act 2010 and its application in an education setting.

Desirable:

B1 An understanding of issues of fitness to study and practice as they relate to a Higher Education setting.

Desirable:

B2 A good understanding of multidisciplinary mental health teams and the interface/integration between different working practices and support services.

Skills - Essential:

C1 A credible and authoritative approach, which reflects a passion, concern and deep empathy for the student situation.

Skills - Essential:

C2 Excellent interpersonal, oral presentation and communications skills, with the ability to form positive working relationships with a wide range of staff within the University community.

Skills - Essential:

C3 The ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to clients, senior management and a range of lay and professional persons within and outwith the University, in a variety of situations including those in which there is the possibility of a hostile response.

Skills - Essential:

C4 Able to provide support and direction to colleagues in difficult roles and challenging support situations.

Skills - Essential:

C5 Able to recognise urgency, make clinical judgements on complex cases and take decisive action when required.

Skills - Essential:

C6 Able to manage risk and adapt approaches to suit the HE setting, demonstrating clinical competence in assessment and working with a breadth of client problems using a range of therapeutic interventions and techniques.

Skills - Essential:

C7 Analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Skills - Essential:

C8 Able to work flexibly and creatively while maintaining personal and professional resilience.

Skills - Essential:

C9 Competence in providing clinical supervision and development.

Desirable:

D1 Skills in the use of CORE or similar to measure and manage the outcomes of therapeutic interventions.

Experience - Essential:

E1 Extensive experience of providing counselling and/or mental health care, including working with people with complex difficulties/experiencing crisis, ideally in an educational setting.

Experience - Essential:

E2 Experience of working with external agencies operating in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

Experience - Essential:

E3 Experience of policy development in the area of mental health and wellbeing.

Experience - Essential:

E4 Experience of developing and delivering training where the audience has different levels of subject knowledge.

Experience - Essential:

E5 Experience of researching and leading new developments and projects.

Experience - Essential:

E6 Experience of managing difficult and complex cases, and investigating complaints.

Experience - Essential:

E7 Experience of managing and leading a clinical team, including providing clinical supervision.

Desirable:

F1 Experience of working with clients from different social and ethnic backgrounds.

Terms and ConditionsSalary will be Grade 8, £50,253 - £58,225 per annum. This post is full time and open ended.

Closing Date: 23:45 9 September 2025.

The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship. This post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

The post for which you are applying is considered “registered work” in terms of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Act. It requires the successful applicant to become a PVG Scheme member prior to appointment. This check is necessary to ensure that the University fulfils its legal duties under the Act. If successful, the offer of employment will be subject to PVG Scheme membership. Further information is available at: https://www.mygov.scot/pvg-scheme/

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension and discount packages.

A flexible approach to working.

A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University.

We are committed to equality and diversity. Applications are welcome from across our communities, particularly people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and other protected characteristics underrepresented within the University. Read more on equality and diversity here: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/

We endorse Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University. For more information visit: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/

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