project manager

mental health technician

school counselor

counselor

area manager

Place2be

What was a typical day at work:
I did enjoy working with my clients and had experienced working with a variety of issues and age ranges. I would usually have client appointments following on from each other, with a ten minute break between each client, however this changed when I worked under a different line-manager who would leave one hour gaps between clients, which was far from ideal. Supervision would take place after each day, however this was on many occasions a box ticking exercise and not very enriching/helpful or productive for me. Often the line-manager would be rushing to a meeting and squeezing supervision in.
What did I learn?
I worked with a wide variety of presenting issues which was excellent experience for me and the role was very fulfilling. It was really useful to put my academic learning into practice in a counselling setting.
Workplace Culture:
This is non-existent at this company in my experience. You often work in isolation and the counselling rooms at my placement venue left a lot to be desired. Other than my line-manager who I had a maximum of 30 minutes conversation per day with, was quite detached and often distracted. The area manager has minimal contact during placement and following 5 terms I was not even thanked for the time I had with them, which was extremely disappointing as I worked considerably hard with all of my clients and gave a lot of myself to the work.
Management:
The management is poor. I was left on several occasions towards the end of my placement on my own with no line-manager present. The management is also very autocratic and have poor management skills. They are counsellors in a management position without the skill set of a professional manager. 
The most enjoyable part of the job:
Was working with the clients.


I loved working with primary aged children and had a really lovely supervisor.

I found the interview process intrusive. Very personal questions were asked without providing a clear explanation on the reasoning for this. There was a lack of acknowledgent about the power difference between a paid staff member interviewing and a trainee counsellor seeking a placement.

Place2be as an organisation is accredited by BACP but you have clinical supervision with your line manager which isn't in keeping with BACP ethical guidelines as it is a conflict. It is best practice for line management and supervision to be separate. 

It is also good practice when running a counselling service in a school to keep a sense of separateness and maintain boundaries. The Place2be setup can embed itself into the school. The problem is that this makes it more difficult for instance if the spm needs to challenge a school around their handling of safeguarding or bullying for example. 

It concerns me how reliant Place2be is on trainee counsellors to provide frontline services. It limits the opportunities for counsellors, art therapists and play therapists to have paid work working with primary aged children. Most of the paid roles are spms where you don't do clinical work though lots of spms would like to.

Working as a School Project Manager at Place2Be has been an incredibly rewarding and meaningful experience. The organisation is genuinely committed to improving children and young people’s mental health, and that mission is reflected in every level of the company.

Throughout my time here, I have felt well supported by both regional managers and central teams. Communication is clear, safeguarding is prioritised, and there is a strong culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Training opportunities are high quality and ensure we remain informed about best practice within school-based mental health services.

Place2Be also values the voices of schools and families, encouraging us to build strong partnerships and tailor support to each setting’s needs. While the role can be demanding, the impact on pupils’ wellbeing makes it incredibly worthwhile.

I would recommend Place2Be to professionals who are passionate about children’s mental health and want to work for an organisation with strong values, purpose, and integrity.

There is a lack of accountability from the Executive Board on decisions across the organisation. Place2Be operates with a very hierarchical structure which means there are lots of support staff but not enough resource dedicated to delivery robust and efficient counselling services.

There is a lack of professionalism in all levels of the organisation and a no opportunity for the employee voice to be heard. It is very autocratic in nature and when concerns are raised they are responded to by senior management with raised voices and the ethos of if you do not like it you should resign.

The organisation needs to adopt strategic workforce planning and to implement a fair and transparent benchmarking process to ensure organsational funds are spent correctly.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I had the best time, my supervisor was the most inspirational person I have met. So informative and helpful. The training I received was great and have gave me the foundations I need to start a caree in counselling young people and children 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Managing Imposter syndrome due to being a newly qualified counsellor. 

Understanding the enormity and responsibility our job carriesj

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Positive and encouraging. I worked in a school environment and managing the many challenges that can bring. Like dealing with other students how would like to enter my counselling space out of curiosity

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy but fun. You never know what you client will bring to a session so being mental relaxed and ready was key

I would have my own little people to council. My supervisor would have them already organised to be collected from their class room at certain times.

The rooms were set out al the same so no child was any different to the next.

I always had support when I needed it, and regular supervision at the end of each day to talk about the sessions.

I was challenged on areas that I did not recognise myself so help with my self-development.

Place2Be has a very positive outlook on supporting children and it shows through the staff work ethics. The schools welcome PLace2 Be and it is a good positive environment to work in.

The hardest part of the job is sometimes you may have to travel and no fuel is paid. I travelled 34 mile a day.

The most enjoyable part is that it is very rewarding to see children benefit from a service you are providing.

It's all about the work, delivering therapy to children who need it.  Schools want to get  lot for very little. This understandably causes stress when you give a lot of yourself because you care. Teachers feel it, all staff feel it. Schools are relentless places devoid of team spirit at the level of staff and external services.
If Schools want counsellors in then it needs to be embedded in the school culture and respected for what it is there for. Counsellors work in schools to help children remain open and able to access their education. Teachers are not all things to all students. Not should they be. Team work should always be at the heart of our kids development.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There is so much support from my manager and supervisor. Part-time fits in perfectly for me too.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I found it difficult at the beginning to navigate the online systems and have enough time to complete them properly especially when I was so busy counselling students.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There’s a lot to do, but it’s a supportive community of people who advocate strict boundaries and working to your designated hours.


What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Emails, counselling, talking through possible referrals with staff, meetings with pastoral staff and managers.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Christmas closure was a bonus apart from holiday entitlement 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Politics and favouritism are a common choice with management & heads of departments. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stressful with constant changing dynamics in management roles & no job security. Employees tend to remain within their friend circle groups in the head office and  don’t get involved with school based staff when they drop in for trainings. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It was an isolated experience, I was left to get on to do my job (which was welcomed during certain periods of times)

Workplace culture is very positive. 
School Based Staff is  supported throughout the onbording process with care and consideration.
Candidate must have clinical training and be well organised to work/manage school projects pro actively.
Training, CPD and Supervision given.
Sometimes schools budgets cannot sustain projects overtime, so there is risk of redundancy. However, Place2Be will always facilate process of helping staff find a new position within the organisation whenever positions are available. (Internal applications)

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Project manager 36 salaries reported	£33,194 per year
Mental health technician 1 salary reported	£29,409 per year
School counselor 2 salaries reported	£5,837 per month
Counselor 2 salaries reported	£29,536 per year
Area manager 3 salaries reported	£49,998 per year

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