Counsellor/Psychotherapist

About Us: At Dublin Simon Community, we're dedicated to making home a reality. We empower individuals to access and sustain housing through services like prevention, addiction treatment, emergency response, and targeted interventions, in collaboration with our partners.

If you share our values and want to make a difference, we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for client-focused, friendly, and adaptable individuals to join our team.

We prioritise best practices in HR, including staff training, communication, and involvement in decision-making, to create a supportive and effective work environment.

Job Purpose:

To provide female-specific counselling, psychotherapy, mental health and emotional/psychological support to women accessing Dublin Simon Community and external services who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, many of whom may present with complex needs, complex trauma, suicide ideation, mental health difficulties, domestic violence, coercive control, sexual violence and significant psychosocial stressors.

Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Type of Contract: 1 year Fixed-Term

Location: Ellen Hall Inchicore

Reporting to Counselling Service Manager.

Requirements Specific to the Role:

Clinical

• To conduct assessment and provide individual counselling/psychotherapy with adults, with a strong emphasis on women experiencing homelessness, complex trauma, mental health difficulties and complex presenting issues. The Counsellor/Psychotherapist is required to maintain a clinical caseload in proportion to other duties of the role and to assist in the development and delivery of group facilitation, psychoeducational and training programmes.
• To establish appropriate contracts in relation to clients to facilitate the counselling process
• To attend for regular external clinical supervision in accordance with professional code of ethics and organisational policy.
• To support clients to access appropriate mental health, emotional, psychological, addiction, and social supports, ensuring referrals and signposting are trauma-informed and responsive to women's needs.
• To provide trauma-informed emotional and psychological support to women presenting with complex needs, including experiences of gender-based trauma, domestic violence, coercive control, sexual violence, homelessness, bereavement, addiction, relationship difficulties, isolation, mental health distress and other psychosocial challenges.
• Facilitate informal drop-in counselling clinic programme as directed by manager.
• Maintain accurate, confidential records of clinical practice in line with code of conduct, ethics and to operate within the organisations policies and procedures.
• Support clients who may be presenting with suicide ideation, self-harm risk, acute emotional distress or complex trauma responses, in line with organisational policies, safeguarding procedures and professional codes of ethics.
• To work collaboratively within multidisciplinary supports, including internal Dublin Simon services and relevant external agencies, to ensure women receive coordinated, trauma-informed and person-centred responses to their therapeutic, emotional, psychological, housing, addiction, health and social support needs.
• To support suicide prevention freephone on an on-call basis 5.30pm-10pm Mon-Fri & 4.00pm-10pm Sat and Sunday (Phone on call duty monthly)
• To work closely with the women's health clinic in UI, providing onsite support in UI for women who may need support following appointment
• To work closely with the women's health team working across STA housing services to provide psychological support to women accessing emergency services

Organisational

• To attend meetings, conferences etc., as required by counselling manager
• To liaise with relevant statutory and voluntary agencies
• In the exercise of his/her duties the counsellor therapist will endeavour to implement the aims, objectives and policies of the organisation.
• To assist in & undertake research projects as directed by counselling manager.

Administration & Accountability

• To prepare reports as required by the counselling manager.
• To engage in in-service and other relevant training opportunities and to keep up to date with new developments in the area of counselling
• To compile weekly statistics as required
• To implement counselling software systems as per service requirements
• To utilise impact measurement instruments as per service requirements.

Service Development and Evaluation

• To play an active role in the promotion and development of the service
• To engage in clinical audit, quality initiatives and service evaluation
• To engage in administrative duties as required for the delivery of the service
• To liaise with referral agents and relevant others to ensure appropriate referral to the service, manage communication regarding queries about referrals etc.

Person Specification

Qualifications:

• Full accreditation with a professional accreditation body.
• A degree in counselling/psychotherapy

Or

• A Diploma in counselling and a Degree in Psychology, Social care or Social Work

Knowledge/Skills:

• Understanding of the impact of childhood abuse and trauma
• Understanding of homelessness as a sector and of why and how women may become homeless, including the impact of trauma, poverty, domestic violence, coercive control, sexual violence, mental health difficulties, addiction, social exclusion and other structural and personal factors
• Assessing clients' suitability for counselling/psychotherapy
• Working within a range of therapeutic approaches
• Providing short and long term therapy contract
• Working within a range of therapeutic approaches
• Working effectively and confidently with challenging client processes
• Working with traumatised clients in one-to-one and group settings
• Responding appropriately to a range of mental health issues
• Operating notification procedures in relation to child protection
• Assessing risk and manage it appropriately
• Incorporating relevant legislation, agreed policy directives and professional guidance into work practice
• Operating professional and personal boundaries
• Appreciation of the importance of professional and personal support system
• Working effectively as part of a team including working independently
• Managing client records effectively and to produce counselling reports as required
• To evaluate information and make effective decisions
• Working therapeutically with women presenting with complex trauma, complex psychosocial needs and multiple co-occurring issues in one-to-one and group settings.
• Responding appropriately to a range of mental health issues, emotional distress and psychological support needs, including anxiety, depression, trauma responses, grief, shame, isolation and suicidal ideation.

Experience:

• Full or part time experience providing counselling in a social or care setting.
• Experience of supporting clients experiencing suicide ideation.
• Experience of providing emotional and psychological support to women with complex presenting issues, including complex trauma, mental health difficulties and homelessness-related stressors.
• Experience of supporting women affected by domestic violence, coercive control, sexual violence, gender-based trauma and related emotional or psychological distress.
• Experience of counselling evaluation tools & management software applications.
• Experience of developing and delivering a range of clinical & psychoeducational groups.
• Experience of conducting client assessments

Desirable for the role:

Masters in counselling/psychotherapy

Over one year full accreditation with accreditation body

Full driving licence

Ability to speak Polish or Russian would be an advantage.

12 months full time providing counselling in a homeless service. Experience of providing outreach and in reach informal counselling.

Experience of facilitating groups to clients who are vulnerable to homelessness.

Knowledge of the CAMS approach to suicidality

Client Centeredness:

Promoting choice, independence, health and well being.

Focused on outcomes

Effectiveness & Professional Practice:

Commitment to effective Professional Practice and adherence to code of ethics

Planning and organising

Analysis & problem solving

Initiative and taking responsibility

Working Together:

Leadership

Influencing and negotiating

Resilience and positive outlook

Please note: If you are unsure of any of the requirements, please contact the Recruitment Team at (01) 6354860. Shortlisting will continue throughout the recruitment process.

Dublin Simon Community is an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals.