Counsellor Job Description
Find a trained counsellor to provide confidential one-to-one and group therapeutic support for your service users.
What does a Counsellor professional do?
A counsellor delivers evidence-based therapeutic interventions, assessments and psychoeducation to support clients’ mental health and wellbeing.
Counsellor job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Counsellor
About the role
[Organisation name] is recruiting a Counsellor to deliver high-quality therapeutic support to adults (or specify client group) across [location or setting]. You will carry out assessments, provide individual and group sessions using recognised approaches (for example person‑centred work, CBT), manage caseload records and work closely with partner professionals to safeguard clients. This is a [full-time/part-time] post, [hours], with an entitlement to clinical supervision and continuing professional development. To apply, send your CV and a short covering note to [contact details].
Key responsibilities
- Conduct initial assessments and develop clear, person-centred care plans with measurable goals
- Deliver regular individual counselling sessions and facilitate therapeutic group work as required
- Assess and manage risk, including safeguarding concerns and referrals to specialist services
- Maintain contemporaneous, confidential client records in line with data‑protection and organisational policy
- Provide psychoeducation and practical coping strategies to clients and their carers where appropriate
- Liaise with multidisciplinary teams, external agencies and GPs to coordinate care
- Participate in regular clinical supervision and contribute to team meetings and service development
- Engage in ongoing professional development and maintain professional registration or accreditation
Essential skills and experience
- Recognised counselling qualification (diploma or degree) or equivalent professional training
- Professional accreditation or membership with a recognised body (for example BACP, UKCP) or demonstrable progress towards it
- Practical post-qualification counselling experience working with the specified client group (typically minimum 1 year)
- Knowledge of safeguarding procedures, risk assessment and confidentiality requirements
- Ability to maintain accurate case notes and work with electronic record systems
- Right to work in the UK and ability to obtain an enhanced DBS check where required
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a commitment to reflective practice
Desirable
- Experience delivering specific modalities (CBT, trauma‑informed approaches, EMDR, etc.)
- Experience facilitating therapy groups or workshops
- Supervision experience or readiness to progress to supervisor training
- Experience working with specialist client groups (e.g. young people, bereavement, addiction)
- Additional safeguarding or mental‑health first‑aid training
- Ability to offer flexible hours including some evenings
What we offer
- Pension contribution (employer scheme or stakeholder pension)
- Paid or subsidised professional supervision
- Annual continuing professional development (CPD) allowance
- Flexible or hybrid working where appropriate
- Generous annual leave entitlement
- Employee assistance programme / wellbeing support
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Counsellor role?
A counsellor provides therapeutic support to people facing emotional, psychological or behavioural difficulties. The role includes assessment, delivering evidence-based one-to-one and group interventions, risk assessment and record-keeping, and working with other professionals to ensure joined-up care. Counsellors typically maintain professional registration and attend regular clinical supervision to ensure safe practice and ongoing development.
Client-focused care
Deliver tailored therapy sessions and psychoeducation to help clients develop coping strategies and reach agreed goals.
Therapeutic approaches
Use evidence-based methods such as person-centred work, CBT and trauma-informed practice according to service needs.
Safety & governance
Conduct risk assessments, follow safeguarding protocols and maintain confidential, auditable records.
Typical Counsellor responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Conduct initial assessments
Conduct initial assessments and develop clear, person-centred care plans with measurable goals
Deliver regular individual counselling sessions
Deliver regular individual counselling sessions and facilitate therapeutic group work as required
Assess
Assess and manage risk, including safeguarding concerns and referrals to specialist services
Maintain contemporaneous
Maintain contemporaneous, confidential client records in line with data‑protection and organisational policy
Provide psychoeducation
Provide psychoeducation and practical coping strategies to clients and their carers where appropriate
Liaise with multidisciplinary teams
Liaise with multidisciplinary teams, external agencies and GPs to coordinate care
Participate in regular clinical supervision
Participate in regular clinical supervision and contribute to team meetings and service development
Engage in ongoing professional development
Engage in ongoing professional development and maintain professional registration or accreditation
Counsellor skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Recognised counselling qualification (diploma or degree) or equivalent professional training
- Professional accreditation or membership with a recognised body (for example BACP, UKCP) or demonstrable progress towards it
- Practical post-qualification counselling experience working with the specified client group (typically minimum 1 year)
- Knowledge of safeguarding procedures, risk assessment and confidentiality requirements
- Ability to maintain accurate case notes and work with electronic record systems
- Right to work in the UK and ability to obtain an enhanced DBS check where required
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a commitment to reflective practice
Useful where relevant
- Experience delivering specific modalities (CBT, trauma‑informed approaches, EMDR, etc.)
- Experience facilitating therapy groups or workshops
- Supervision experience or readiness to progress to supervisor training
- Experience working with specialist client groups (e.g. young people, bereavement, addiction)
- Additional safeguarding or mental‑health first‑aid training
- Ability to offer flexible hours including some evenings
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Counsellor job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Specify the client group
State whether the role works with adults, young people, couples or a specialist population to attract relevant applicants.
Be clear about required qualifications
Name the level of qualification and whether professional accreditation (BACP/UKCP) is essential or desirable.
Outline supervision and CPD
Experienced candidates expect details about clinical supervision frequency and CPD support—include these if available.
Describe typical caseload and working pattern
Give an indication of average caseload, session length and expected hours to reduce unsuitable applications.
Counsellor salary considerations
Pay for counselling roles varies widely. Employers should set salaries based on qualifications, experience, client group and the funding model for the service rather than a single national figure.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Counsellor candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What is a typical caseload?
Experienced candidates will want to know number of clients, average session length and expected administrative time.
What safeguarding and risk-support is in place?
Describe local safeguarding procedures, clinical supervision arrangements and access to emergency referral pathways.
How much supervision and CPD is provided?
State frequency of formal supervision, any paid CPD allowance and support for accreditation or specialist training.
Where will sessions be delivered?
Clarify whether work is face-to-face from a clinic, in community settings, remotely, or a hybrid of these.
What record systems and administrative support exist?
Candidates want to know which clinical records system you use and how much admin time is built into the role.
Are flexible hours or evenings required?
Be explicit about any requirement for evening or weekend work and whether time-off-in-lieu is offered.
Where to post a Counsellor job
For counselling roles, combine broad UK job boards with sector-specific and professional channels to reach suitably qualified applicants. Use professional networks and association job lists (for example membership bodies), local mental‑health charities and NHS / community health vacancy pages. Consider targeted advertising to university counselling courses and local voluntary-sector networks if you need candidates with specific community experience.
Counsellor job description FAQs
Is professional accreditation mandatory?
Accreditation with a recognised professional body is not legally mandatory in the UK for all counselling roles, but many employers require or strongly prefer registration (for example BACP or UKCP) as evidence of standards and adherence to ethical codes.
Do I need an enhanced DBS check?
Most counselling posts that involve working with vulnerable adults or children will require an enhanced DBS check. Employers should state DBS requirements in the advert and cover arrangements for obtaining checks.
What supervision should I provide?
Provide regular clinical supervision (commonly fortnightly or monthly depending on caseload and risk) delivered by an appropriately qualified supervisor and make time within the role for reflective practice.
Can counselling be delivered remotely?
Yes. Remote working is common, but your advert should specify whether sessions are expected face-to-face, remote or hybrid and confirm any IT or privacy arrangements.
How do I check qualifications and professional status?
Ask candidates to submit certificates and membership details. You can verify registration through the candidate’s professional body where public registers are available.
Should I include a rate for private or sessional work?
If recruiting sessional or private practitioners, state whether you are offering a fixed hourly/session rate or room rental arrangement and outline invoicing or payroll arrangements.
Ready to recruit a counsellor?
Use this template to create a clear vacancy and share it through the recommended channels. If you need help reaching accredited candidates, consider distribution via professional job lists and targeted community networks.
