Volunteer Trainee Counsellor

Emotional Support and Counselling Service

This is a unique opportunity to play a vital role in Action for Blind People's specialist service, whilst fulfilling your requirements for qualification as a counsellor. The service offers face-to-face counselling to adults living, working or studying in Lincolnshire whose lives are affected by sight loss. You will be part of a small team of volunteer counsellors supporting blind and partially sighted people, who are often unable to access main-stream counselling service.

This role is subject to an enhanced CRB check

What will I be doing?

The volunteer training placement is offered in accordance with British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) guidelines.

Volunteer counsellors will deliver face-to-face counselling at designated venues around Lincolnshire and where appropriate in peoples' homes.

You must be willing to attend sight loss awareness training prior to working with clients. This may include visual awareness training, information about registration, low vision and rehabilitation services, and consideration of how disability and sight loss may impact on the therapeutic process.

You will be expected to keep accurate records of the counselling sessions and statistical information in accordance with the counselling service protocols, and attend team meetings, and supervision.

Trainees are encouraged to tape their work for course requirements and supervision purposes.

What skills and qualities can I bring to this role?

We are keen to engage volunteers with good interpersonal skills and with the capacity to bring a respectful, empathic and caring approach to their role with clients. They will need to respect the confidentiality of the client and be committed to comply with the BACP Ethical Framework.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to respond to the specific needs of blind and partially sighted people and are willing and able to acquire the skills necessary for working with this client group.

We will ask volunteers to fulfill their commitment to any counselling agreements they have entered into with clients, in accordance with BACP guidelines. Volunteers must be members of the BACP.

It is essential that the volunteer counsellors have; a minimum of a certificate in counselling and be currently studying on year one or two of an accredited counselling diploma/masters programme.

Volunteer counsellors are expected to arrange and pay for their own individual supervision in accordance with BACP guidelines with an appropriately experienced supervisor.

What is the time frame for the volunteer trainee placement?

We are offering this opportunity on a 44 week placement basis to enable trainee counsellors to achieve at least 150 hours of counselling experience.
Clinical supervision and team meetings will take place as appropriate. We would ask you to volunteer for a maximum of 8 hours a week, to include clinical supervision and team meetings.

Due to the nature of this role and the training involved we are looking for people who feel they can benefit from the 44 week placement.

When will I be needed?

This is open to negotiation with the senior counsellor.

Location

Volunteer counsellors will be based at various locations around the county of Lincolnshire as appropriate, or at clients' homes in Lincolnshire when appropriate.

What will I gain from the role?

This is a unique opportunity for you as a volunteer trainee counsellor to:

• learn about the implications for counselling practice of providing a service for blind and partially sighted people
• to gain experience of involvement with a client group who are often unable to access mainstream counselling services, or even the literature relating to those services.

What support will I be given?

• Action for Blind People will provide group clinical supervision from a humanistic perspective and Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance for volunteer counsellors, in accordance with BACP requirements.

• Volunteer counsellors will be part of the Action for Blind People's "Emotional Support and Counselling Service" and the Senior Counsellor will be responsible for liaising with the college tutors, arranging clinical supervision, team meetings and both managing and supporting the volunteer counsellors placement. They will also undertake the clinical assessments of referrals and allocate clients to counsellors as appropriate.
• Expenses - all out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed including expenses to attend training
• Volunteer trainee counsellors activities will be run in line with Action's Lone Working policies and will be registered with our lone -working security organisation, Forest care.
• Volunteer trainee counsellors will be given a mobile phone to use for the lone working procedure.

The volunteer trainee placement is also supported by the Group Volunteering Team Service which offers further support and training:

• Induction
• Understanding Sight Loss Pack

How do I apply?

If you would like to apply for this role please complete the standard Application form (Word 79KB) and the Additional Information (Word 36KB) and send to volunteering@rnib.org.uk.

If you would like the application form in a different format (such as standard print, large print, Braille or audio) or if you have any general enquiries, please contact the Volunteering Team on: 0845 603 0575 or 01733 375450 or email volunteering@rnib.org.uk

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