About Resources for Autism (RfA)
Since 1997 when we started as a small playgroup set up by parents dismayed at the lack of provision for their autistic children, Resources for Autism (RfA) has grown into a major deliverer of services and support in London and the West Midlands with a turnover of around £2.5m per year. Our mission is to support and enable autistic people to live happy and fulfilling lives. We want to change society’s attitude to autism whilst also providing essential services and enriching opportunities to autistic people. We are a values-driven organisation which employs values-driven people who want to make a difference. Our values are: Inclusion, Creativity, Compassion, Courageousness and Expert. You will play a vital part in ensuring that we can resource and sustain this amazing work.
Our Services
All of our services across children and adults and parent/carers, mirror the wider organisational mission of providing safe, fun and meaningful support that enables personal development. We provide this support by ensuring our staff are skilfully trained, meet the highest safeguarding expectations and are encouraged to develop and upskill throughout their career with Resources for Autism.
The Role
We are seeking a skilled and compassionate Specialist Counsellor to join our team in the West Midlands. This role involves delivering structured, time-limited counselling support to autistic children, young people and adults both diagnosed and undiagnosed, many of whom could also be experiencing poor mental health. The sessions will be free for the clients as this project is fully funded.
The postholder will provide person-centred, autism-informed therapeutic interventions, supporting individuals to improve wellbeing, build coping strategies, and enhance their quality of life. You will manage your own caseload of clients and attend triage meetings and supervision.
This service is part of a wider project, partnering with two other specialist organisations to improve all-round holistic support for this cohort of vulnerable people. You will be responsible for keeping your own notes and monitoring outcomes and evaluations. Some sessions will be delivered from community spaces across Birmingham and Solihul, ideally you will be able to drive and own a car.
Main Responsibilities:
Responsibilities will also include but are not limited to:
· Deliver one-to-one counselling sessions to autistic children, young people and adults up to the age of 25. (up to 12 clients per week) · Provide structured therapeutic support of up to 16 sessions per client · Deliver sessions at the BACY site and at identified, accessible community centres across Birmingham · Apply appropriate, evidence-based therapeutic approaches adapted for autistic individuals.
· To access the shared referral system with our partner organisations and complete all relevant documentation
· Maintain accurate, confidential, and timely client records · Monitor client progress and adjust interventions accordingly · Work collaboratively with internal teams and our external partners to support holistic care and good communication.
· Attend regular clinical supervision
· Adhere to safeguarding, equality, and professional practice standards at all times
· Uphold and adhere to the values of RfA at all times
· Ensure there is always compliance with RfA’s safeguarding policies and procedures
· All staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in our services
· Undertake any other duties asked of you that are commensurate with your grade
Flexible working:
Some flexibility with hours / evening availability may be required.
Person Specification
Skills and experience
Essential
Recognised counselling qualification (e.g., Level 4 Diploma or equivalent)
Membership (or eligibility for membership) with a professional body (e.g., BACP, UKCP)
Significant experience working with autistic people
Experience supporting individuals with co-occurring mental health difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma)
Ability to adapt therapeutic approaches to meet the needs of neurodivergent clients
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Ability to work independently across multiple locations
Good understanding of Safeguarding
IT skills: proficient with Office 365
Self-starter and able to work independently, using own initiative
Non-judgemental, compassionate
Desirable Skills
Additional training in autism, neurodiversity, or related fields
Experience within community-based or outreach services
Familiarity with local mental health and support services
Understanding of sensory, communication, and accessibility needs in therapeutic settings
Confidentiality
You will have access to confidential information concerning families and other service users and will be required to maintain confidentiality at all times.
Staff Benefits
90% of our staff say that Resources for Autism is “a great place to work”.
Not only will the work you do ensure we are making vital differences and inspiring others, but our other benefits also include:
· flexible working patterns with the option to work in a hybrid way (only available for some roles)
· 25 days of leave (pro rata for part time roles) each year plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 Celebration days that could be used between Christmas and new year, but may be used for other religious days or significant days such as your birthday
· access to ongoing training and progress in the areas that interest you
· access to our wellbeing initiatives and an Employee Assistance Programme
· enrolment on to our pension scheme
· a supportive, warm and fun working environment made up of values driven people who are passionate about changing the world for autistic people
Application process:
In order that we adhere to Safer Recruitment processes, all applicants are required to complete an application form which must include your full employment history with clear details, any gaps in employment need to be outlined and explained. You are also required to provide details of your education history.
In your personal statement we would like to see how you feel you meet the and the of the role.
If for any reason, such as due to accessibility, you feel you would struggle to complete an application form you can contact us via the below email and we may explore other options with you.
To discuss the role informally or if you need to contact us you can contact the HR team via [email protected]
We particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates, because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at Resources for Autism. We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for our community.
As you would expect, we are a neuro-affirming employer, with a strengths and rights based approach to neurodiversity which affirms neurodivergent identity – we don’t want to “fix” or “cure” autism, and we don’t see it as a “disability” however we do recognise it can be “disabling”. We are working to improve the ways in which we recruit and support neurodiverse employees and those with lived experience of neurodiversity.
RfA is a Disability Confidant employer and candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria, that have a disability will be guaranteed an interview.
Application deadline: Ongoing until the position is filled.
Interviews: Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.
Pay: £18,720.00-£21,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Do you have a recognised counselling qualification (e.g., Level 4 Diploma or equivalent)?
- Do you have at least one years experience supporting individuals with co-occurring mental health difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma)?
- Do you have demonstratable ability to adapt therapeutic approaches to meet the needs of neurodivergent clients?
Experience:
- Working with individuals with autism: 1 year (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
