Part-time Strategic Advisor

Wessex Counselling and Psychotherapy is a charity established in 1983, which provides low-cost open-ended counselling in Frome and beyond and offers psychodynamic training leading to an accredited qualification.

We need an autonomous, self-employed professional from the psychological services or recently retired from that field to provide a strategic overview of the charity and be in a consultative role. You will offer support and guidance to the senior training and counselling staff as well as the office manager. You will also chair Wessex Management Committee (WMC) four to six times per year, as well as providing monthly one-to-one professional supervision for the senior staff. You will be appointed by and be answerable to the trustees.

WMC comprises the chair; chair of training executive committee (TEC); the internal and external clinical services leads; the office manager; trustees and two elected Wessex members of the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC). Up to three other members can be co-opted.

Key tasks of the post:

• Provide a formal setting where senior staff can be accountable for the day-to-day activities of WCP.
• Provide strategic support and consultative advice to the senior staff.
• Provide a forum for senior staff to develop strategies and report progress.
• Provide continuity across all departments.
• Ensure that the senior staff adhere to WCP’s policies, procedures and constitution.
• Provide one-to-one professional supervision for the senior staff.
• Be involved with recruitment of the senior staff.
• Liaise with Wessex’s post-graduate group affiliated to the BPC and ensure that their ethics committee and Wessex professional standards committee work effectively to address all ethical issues in line with BACP and BPC requirements.
• Chair all WMC meetings; set dates for meetings; issue agendas and ensure accurate minutes are recorded.
• Oversee senior staff disciplinary concerns.
• Carry out annual appraisals of the senior staff.
• Ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Person specification

• Have expertise in the counselling and psychotherapy profession.
• Be a strategic thinker and have experience managing teams and providing supervision.
• Have advanced leadership, delegation and teambuilding skills.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Be adept at holding and containing the organisation.

Salary c.£4,000pa

For more information please contact Robert Kelso, chair of trustees:
robert.k@wessexcp.co.uk; phone 01373 451047