Volunteer / Placement Counsellors ~ Information
Please read this page before requesting the application form
NEW APPLICATIONS CLOSED- re-open October 2021 for January 2022 intake
Information about Citizen Coaching CIC
What do we do?
Citizen Coaching CIC is a not for profit social enterprise established in September 2005.
Visit the website to get a flavour of the organisation
History
Growing from its origins as a personal development organisation we have developed a number of services that make a positive impact in the local community through the provision of timely, affordable, jargon free, high quality counselling, and coaching that address mental health issues in children, teenagers and adults. We have 65 counsellors on our team.
Today, working with Living Well Consortium we deliver 20,000 counselling sessions a year to children, adults and young people commissioned by both the NHS and Forward Thinking Birmingham
Vision:
The vision of Citizen Coaching is to enable: People Leading Better Lives
Clients Feel that we are ‘on their side’
Mission:
Enabling ‘People Leading Better Lives ’by increasing access to counselling and personal development coaching by breaking down the barriers to access.
Purpose:
People seeking help and support during in difficult times can quickly access free or affordable, jargon free people centred tailored support.
What Ethical Framework do we adhere to?
- We are an organisational member of BACP and abides by the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and Professional Conduct
Application & Selection Process
Volunteer Counsellors and Counsellors in training can apply by completing our application form (and other attachments) and sending it back to us by email.
We operate a policy of non-discrimination.
Applicants will need to:
- Be in the second year of their Diploma or Level 4 Qualification or on a Master’s level or specialist course.
- Complete our application form (and attachments) and return to us as instructed.
Following application there is a selection process. Successful applicants will be asked to:
- Attend an interview via zoom
- The recruitment panel for the interview will comprise of 2-‐3 people one of which will be the Clinical Lead / Chief Executive Officer.
- Supply copies of any certificates or diplomas they have already completed which relate to their counselling
Following the interview selected applicants will
- Be asked to complete a short work placement. These hours can be completed either in a block or over a number of hours per week. The purpose of the work placement is to ensure that all potential volunteer placements are familiar with the service and what we do. The time will also include Induction into the organisation and any necessary
- Provide a DBS We can provide one at cost price if you do not currently have a portable one.
- Be offered a placement subject to satisfactory completion of the induction process &
- Most placements are completed in 10-2 or 2-5pm slots Monday to Friday. We do have very limited evening placements on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Placement counselling sessions are delivered in person, face to face at our Zellig based Counselling Centre. We do not allow placement counsellors to work online for their first 50 hours. If we go back into any kind of lockdown situation, we may review this, subject to your training in these areas.
Benefits for Volunteers
- Counsellors are assigned clients according to their level of experience and specialisms (following client assessment and careful consideration by our senior counsellors and Clinical Lead).
- The opportunity to accrue counselling, supervision and training hours that will count towards course requirements as well as BACP
- Supportive consultation with the Clinical Lead (see above).
- Annual appraisal
- Our best efforts to proper integration into the
- Access to extra training as
- Induction into relevant office
- Honest professional references, should they be
- To attend team meetings
- Potential opportunities for paid work once qualified.
- Although, not guaranteed, many of our volunteers have gone on to become accredited counsellors who are paid employees or sessional workers at the end of their placement.
Counsellors are required:
- To work within our policies and procedures and BACP
- To maintain a caseload of 2-3 clients a This can increase as you progress.
- See clients aged 18+ (unless on a Young People’s qualification) for short term (6 sessions) and longer-term counselling (over 6 sessions).
- To have regular supervision with a supervisor approved by us, agreed by your course provider and financed by yourself.
- To rebook client sessions. If you need to cancel sessions with clients, unless you are unwell, you will be expected to remake these appointments
- To maintain client details and notes on our system.
- To meet regularly with the Clinical Lead.
- To report any client risk to the clinical lead or in her absence, CEO Martin Hogg on mobile
- If something goes wrong with your placement or you are unhappy with any aspect of Volunteering inform us at the earliest
- To attend casework supervision sessions as per requirements.
- To keep to time commitments as far as is reasonable and to inform the office of any impending lateness or
- To ensure that counselling sessions are booked within our opening
- Upon leaving the organisation, all counsellors should seek to ‘wind down’ their caseload, reaching planned endings with as many clients as possible. Any others should be transferred to another counsellor in a sensitive and professional
If you would like to be considered for a position please email Martin Hogg at Martin(at)CitizenCoaching.com for an application form to be sent within 48 hours.
APPLICATIONS CLOSED- re-open October 2021 form January 2022 intake
If you have requested already have an application form please return it by 31st May 2021 to be considered.
Please let us know if you would prefer to start in June or September 2021
No agencies or advertisers please.
How we work- please see this booklet to get a flavour for the way we work.
