Location: St Barnabas Counselling Centre, Norwich, NR2 4PU
Salary: £38,000–£45,000 FTE depending on experience (£15,200–£18,000 pro rata)
Hours: 2 days per week
Working arrangements: Office-based
Reports to: Clinical Director
Probation: 6 months
About St Barnabas Counselling Centre (St Bs)
St Barnabas Counselling Centre is a BACP-accredited, community-focused low-cost counselling service committed to making quality mental health support accessible to all, regardless of financial means.
We support a diverse client base and provide counselling placements and supervision for trainee therapists, alongside a dedicated team of 25–30 volunteer counsellors. Our ethos is rooted in inclusivity, compassion, affordability and ethical, trauma-informed practice.
Role Summary
The Clinical Operations & Development Lead will work closely with the Clinical Director to support the safe, ethical and effective delivery of St Barnabas Counselling Centre’s services.
This is a senior clinical leadership role combining clinical oversight with operational and service development responsibilities. The post-holder will provide support to counsellors and trainees, contribute to clinical governance and quality assurance, and take an active role in the development of the service.
The role will also contribute to St Bs’ longer-term development by identifying opportunities for partnership working and developing a small number of wellbeing and mental health workshops for corporate and community settings. This aspect of the role will be undertaken alongside the core clinical and operational responsibilities and according to capacity and service priorities.
The successful candidate will be an experienced, accredited practitioner who is confident working independently, managing complexity and clinical risk, and providing supportive and effective leadership within a small yet dynamic charitable organisation.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Clinical Leadership
· Provide clinical leadership and ad hoc supervisory support to qualified and trainee counsellors, promoting safe, ethical and effective practice.
· Provide clinical consultation and support around safeguarding, risk, complexity and professional boundaries, with appropriate escalation where required.
· Support continuous clinical development through reflective, trauma-informed and culturally competent practice, including contributing to clinical policies and procedures.
· Support counsellors with client allocation ensuring clients are appropriately matched.
2. Supporting the Clinical Director: Clinical Operations & Quality Assurance
· Work collaboratively with the Clinical Director to support the effective clinical and operational running of the service, deputising on agreed matters or in their absence.
· Contribute to quality assurance, service evaluation and continuous improvement, including maintaining BACP accreditation standards and compliance with relevant policies, procedures and professional standards.
· Support robust clinical governance and risk management, helping to develop effective systems for identifying, assessing and responding to clinical and operational risks.
· Maintain high standards of documentation and information governance in line with St Bs’ policies, GDPR requirements and professional standards.
3. Recruitment, Induction and Practitioner Development
· Lead on recruitment and the induction of new counsellors and trainees.
· Identify learning and development needs across the counselling team to develop and coordinate an annual CPD program.
4. Partnership and Service Development
· Contribute to strategic discussions about the future development of the service.
· Build and maintain relationships with selected community, voluntary, statutory, educational and corporate partners.
· Lead on the development and occasional delivery of a small number of workshops on mental health & wellbeing with the support of the Clinical Director to foster St Bs’ longer-term sustainability, when clinical and operational priorities allow.
5. Limited Clinical Practice
· Maintain a limited clinical caseload where appropriate, provided this is compatible with and does not compromise the post-holder’s clinical leadership, safeguarding or wider operational responsibilities.
Person Specification
Essential
· Accredited counsellor or psychotherapist and registered with an appropriate professional body, such as BACP, UKCP or equivalent.
· Minimum 5 years’ post-qualification experience in counselling/psychotherapy.
· Significant experience of clinical supervision, clinical leadership and supporting or managing practitioners, with the ability to provide effective professional guidance and oversight.
· Strong experience of clinical risk management, safeguarding and responding appropriately to complex clinical situations.
· Strong understanding of trauma-informed, culturally competent and anti-oppressive practice.
· Experience of contributing to service development within a counselling, mental health, charitable or voluntary sector setting.
· Ability to work independently and exercise sound professional judgement.
· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
· Ability to lead, motivate and support others in a collaborative manner.
· Strong organisational and time-management skills.
· Commitment to the values and ethos of a low-cost, accessible counselling service.
Desirable
· Experience working within a low-cost counselling, charitable, voluntary or social enterprise model.
· Experience of working with clients from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds, or an understanding of the clinical and cultural considerations involved.
· Experience contributing to compliance and governance processes, including safeguarding and GDPR.
· Familiarity with clinical outcome measurement and impact evaluation.
· Qualification in clinical supervision.
· Experience of developing and/or delivering mental health or wellbeing workshops.
· Experience of partnership development or collaborative working with community, statutory and corporate organisations.
What We Offer
· The opportunity to play a significant role in the development of an established, reputable BACP-accredited charitable counselling service.
· A varied and creative senior clinical leadership role with genuine opportunity to influence the future development of the service.
· The opportunity to work alongside a committed, vibrant and social justice-minded team of volunteer counsellors, trainees and supervisors.
· A supportive, collaborative and values-led working environment.
· Heavily discounted CPD
· BUPA Health Plan
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role to [email protected] by 30 September 2026.
We particularly welcome applications from candidates who share our commitment to accessible, inclusive and trauma-informed counselling provision.
Pay: £38,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
