Contract: 3 years (renewal subject to funding)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week may include out of hours & weekend working
Reporting to: Lead Therapist (within Partner Project)
This project is led by Recovery Connections in partnership with My Sisters Place, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. It is a much-needed service in support of people on a recovery pathway from addiction who have experienced trauma. The project will provide specialist trauma support offering participants an opportunity to build resilience and work towards recovery.
Applicants will be providing individual gender sensitive, trauma informed, one to one counselling and therapeutic services, including education and therapeutic group work to trauma experienced people with associated substance use within a community and residential rehab settings based in Middlesbrough and Gateshead. The posts include therapeutic delivery and administration support regarding all counselling and therapeutic services/projects.
Applicants will have experience in delivering, brief, mid and long term one to one evidence-based psychological interventions and be able to work from an integrative perspective including humanistic, psychodynamic, psychoeducational, CBT, feminist and trauma informed approaches into their work to meet the needs of the client group and be able to develop and facilitate psychoeducational and therapeutic group work as and when required.
Successful applicants will have an in-depth knowledge and training in a recognized psychological model/s. Have significant experience of working with domestic abuse, substance use and with complex trauma-based presentations in a therapeutic environment with a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience.
All applicants should be registered with an appropriate professional body.
Skills
Essential:
- Good formulation skills to identify treatment for a range of complex psychological presentations.
- Good IT skills.
- Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients and working relationships with colleagues.
- Ability to assess risk and manage appropriately.
- Manage therapeutic boundaries and confidentiality within the setting between clients and project staff.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Skills in delivering brief, medium and long term interventions.
- Good organisational skills.
- Good time management skills.
- Able to work independently and as part of a team.
- A flexible open approach.
- An empathic and non-judgemental attitude.
- Demonstrate the ability to effectively work with people regardless of their ethnic, cultural, social backgrounds, their gender, age, religious belief, disability and sexual orientation.
Desirable:
- Group facilitation skills.
- Insight into the 12-step recovery model within a residential setting.
Experience
Essential:
- Experience of working in a therapeutic/mental health setting.
- Experience of working therapeutically with people who have experienced trauma and substance misuse.
- Understanding the impacts and complexity of issues of trauma related substance use.
- Ability to assess the impacts of trauma and substance misuse to provide collaborative and structured therapeutic interventions.
- Understand effects of trauma on survivors of domestic abuse and substance misuse with particular reference to PTSD and anxiety based disorders and presentations.
- Undertake and keep up to date relevant Safeguarding Training.
- Ability to facilitate and demonstrate effective clinical and therapeutic change.
- Effective and efficient caseload management.
- Able to perform in a demanding specialism.
Desirable:
- Knowledge and experience of working from an integrative perspective with knowledge of approaches including elements of humanistic, psychodynamic, CBT, feminist, attachment based theories, and trauma informed therapy.
- An understanding of current national policies on substance misuse, treatment, and the recovery agenda.
- Previous work within the domestic abuse/addiction/recovery field.
Qualifications
Essential:
- Diploma/Degree or higher award in counselling, psychotherapy or counselling psychology or recognised training / qualification in a major therapeutic approach.
- Membership of or registration with an appropriate professional body.
- Record of Continuous Professional Development
- Awareness or training in trauma informed approaches, domestic abuse and adverse childhood experiences.
- Training in substance misuse and/or addiction and recovery.
Desirable:
- Developing training programmes.
- Delivery of therapeutic group work and educational group programmes.
- Trauma informed training.
- Training in online or telephone counselling.
- BACP registered and accredited or working towards accreditation.
Personal Qualities
Essential:
- Ability to be self-reflective whilst working with clients and in personal and professional development and in supervision.
- Highly motivated and committed to supporting recovery from the impacts of trauma that relates to substance misuse.
- Ability to work within a team.
- Ability to work well under pressure.
- Promote equality and diversity in all aspects of practice.
- Good ethical awareness and ability to deal effectively with ethical dilemmas.
- Manage boundaries effectively, sensitively and ethically.
- Resilience, self-governance, autonomy, good self- management and self-care.
- Understanding of issues relating to substance use and recovery.
- Understanding of social exclusion effects.
- Understanding of the importance of upholding quality standards, performance monitoring and collating appropriate statistical information for funders.
- Knowledge of health and safety, including assessing high-risk situations for clients.
- A caring attitude with an unprecedented belief that people can and do recover from addiction and trauma.
The above is a description of the main responsibilities only. The successful applicant will be required to be flexible in developing the role in line with the changing needs of the client group and the aims and objectives of the project as it develops.
Amendments: This description accurately reflects the present position; it may be amended and reviewed. Any change will be made following a proper period of consultation.
This post is open to Women only: Occupational Requirement (Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1) applies to this post.
This post is subject to a DBS check at an enhanced level.
Please see our website for Application Form
If you would like to discuss the role further or have any questions, please contact:
Ejaye Moran, My Sisters Place Counselling and Therapeutic Service Manager and Clinical Lead: 01642 256036 or email ejaye.moran@mysistersplace.co.uk
Kerri Brems, Recovery Connections Trauma Counselling Service Lead Therapist: 01642 351976 or email kerri.brems@recoveryconnections.org.uk
Please note that this vacancy will close when we receive sufficient applications.
Contact
Ejaye Moran
01642 256036
ejaye.moran@mysistersplace.co.uk
The closing date for this job is 1 March 2021 - 12:00am.

