Job Purpose

This role supports the University in responding to and supporting student wellbeing by ensuring access to appropriate resources and services that allow students to achieve their academic goals. The role of the Counselling & Wellbeing Team is to assist students to develop skills to manage and maintain their mental health and wellbeing during their programme of study.

The post holder will provide ‘One at a Time (OAAT)’ appointments, short blocks of therapy, and case management to students presenting with a wide range of mental health and wellbeing related challenges.

This involves working autonomously, both independently and as part of a team, to provide mental health assessment and to develop solutions and short model interventions tailored to individual needs. The post holder will provide therapeutic support to students in both individual and group formats. As required, the Senior Therapist will provide assessment/intervention to those at risk i.e. presenting with suicidal ideation and plans and be confident, if appropriate, in liaising with external services.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide highly specialised consultation, assessment and appropriate therapeutic intervention to clients presenting with the wide range of mental health problems, moderate to severe psychological distress and enduring mental health problems.

2. Make recommendations regarding the suitability of interventions, appropriateness and priority of referrals; considering alternative referral options for those cases not deemed suitable for the University Counselling Service. This may involve liaising with GPs, NHS community mental health teams, other clinicians and other university colleagues involved in pastoral care, crisis management and mental health provision.

3. Take responsibility for clinical decisions 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

4. To Provide training, guidance and support to staff of the University on matters concerning student mental and emotional wellbeing.

5. To deliver therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models, and employing a range of modalities (individual/ groups) adapted and tailored to the needs of the student, and in line with current evidence-based practice.

6. To communicate written and orally in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment and treatment plans of clients and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of treatment.

7. Supervise and mentor trainees from professional training programmes.

8. Participate in service development including service policy and practice, working collaboratively with the Service Leads to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.

9. Provide an informed view on students' circumstances in accordance with University procedures, service Code of Confidentiality and Management of Personal Information.

10. Engage in regular clinical and management supervision to evaluate client work in order to ensure competence, fitness to practice and to comply with good practice guidelines and professional standards.

11. Engage with colleges and schools to ensure that frontline staff are equipped to support students and have access to advice and guidance when it is required.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications
Essential:

A1 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, (Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4), or equivalent (including professional accreditation with relevant formal training), and experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).

A2 Accredited with a relevant professional body such as NMC, HCPC, BABCP/BACP or registered with the Health & Care Professions Council as a Counselling/Clinical psychologist.

A4 Thorough knowledge and understanding of the BACP/HCPC ethical frameworks for the professional practice of counselling, psychotherapy, clinical/counselling psychology and supervision.

A5 Demonstrable knowledge of the specific challenges of mental health care within an HE environment.

A6 Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by professional body.

Desirable:

B1 Further accredited training in evidence based psychological therapies (e.g. IOT, CBT, CAT and EMDR).

B2 Training in supervision.

Skills

Essential:

C1 Skills in the use of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.

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 and externally.

C3 Ability to select and administer relevant psychometric measures.

C4 Able to recognise urgency, make clinical judgements on complex cases and take decisive action when required.

C5 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.

C6 Analytical and problem-solving capabilities, ability to work on own initiative.

C7 Able to work flexibly and creatively while maintaining personal and professional resilience.

C8 Competence in providing clinical supervision and development.

C9 Ability to work effectively with students from diverse cultural and social backgrounds.

Desirable

D1 Skills in the use of CORE NET or similar to record the outcomes of therapeutic interventions.

D2 Leadership skills.

Experience

Essential:

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

E2 Proven and comprehensive experience of working in a short-term / brief therapy model.

E3 Proven and comprehensive experience of clinical assessments.

E4 Experience of working with external agencies operating in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

E6 Experience of managing difficult and complex cases.

Desirable:

F1 Experience of working with clients from different ethnic backgrounds.

F2 Online/telephone counselling experience.

F3 Experience of facilitating psycho-educational groups (particularly CBT based) and other workshops.

F4 Experience in public speaking and delivering training.

F5 Experience and understanding of issues facing of counselling students in a Higher Education setting.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £41,064 - £46,049 per annum pro rata.

This post is part-time (21 hours per week), and open ended.

Closing date: 23:45 6th October 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.

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.