Job Purpose

The University of Glasgow is committed to the wellbeing and success of its students. As a key member of the Student Wellbeing and Inclusion Team, the Head of Counselling Service will lead a multi-disciplinary team of counselling and mental health professionals.

This is a key leadership position requiring an experienced manager to lead the implementation of new systems and processes which support the ongoing development of a student-centred service, offering a range of support designed to enable students to engage successfully with their learning. It is essential to have experience of line management, service development and working within a complex organisational setting, together with a willingness to embrace and develop a broad range of counselling and wellbeing support models. The job requires high levels of professionalism and leadership, and well-developed management skills.

Working with the Wellbeing & Inclusion Leadership Team and in partnership with students, staff and external agencies, the Head of Counselling Service plays a critical role in delivering services and initiatives which promote good mental health amongst students.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

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

2. Ensure a focus on staff engagement through a coordinated approach to internal communications and CPD/Team building events throughout the academic year.

3. Develop and promote creative and innovative approaches to supporting student mental health, which reflect the needs of the University’s student community.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

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

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

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

12. 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.

13. 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.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications 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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

C7 Analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

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

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.

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

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

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

E5 Experience of researching and leading new developments and projects.

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

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 Conditions

Salary will be Grade 8, £50,253 - £58,225 per annum.

This post is full time and open ended.

Closing Date: 23:45 9th 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.

Please note that 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.

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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 Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme member prior to appointment. This check is necessary to ensure that the University of Glasgow fulfils its legal duties under the Act.

If you are successful in your application, the offer of employment will be subject to PVG Scheme membership. Further information is available at: https://www.mygov.scot/pvg-scheme/

Please note that under Section 34(1) of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 it is a criminal offence to apply to carry out or to carry out regulated work from which that individual is barred.

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

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

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

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

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.