Guardian Jobs
Senior lead therapist / clinical manager, Grief Encounter
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Counselling Manager
Grief Encounter | London,, with some hybrid working considered | Full time
Salary: £50,000–£58,400 per annum, dependent on experience
Contract: Permanent | 5 days per week | 40 hours per week, including a one-hour rest break per day, some flexibility needed.
About Grief Encounter
Grief Encounter is a specialist bereavement charity supporting children, young people and their families after the death of someone close. Our vision is a world where no child grieves alone, and our services help families find hope and healing through counselling, therapeutic support, group work, resources, training, and in school support when needed.
We are looking for an experienced, compassionate and organised Therapeutic Manager/ senior therapist to lead the effective, safe and high-quality delivery of our therapeutic service, including online support, through a team of staff, freelance counsellors, arts psychotherapists, supervisors and students and volunteers.
About The Role
Reporting to the Director of Clinical Services, the Counselling Manager will play a key role in service delivery, clinical governance, safeguarding, referral pathways and practitioner support. The post holder will help implement and develop therapeutic projects, contribute to service planning, and ensure that children, young people and families receive timely, appropriate and sensitive bereavement support and therapeutic intervention.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage and support a cohort of freelance counsellors, lead practitioners, therapists, students, and supervisors, ensuring adherence to Grief Encounter policies, procedures, and standards.
- Monitor the quality and consistency of clinical work through case reviews, line management oversight, invoice reviews, assessment paperwork, case notes, and ending documentation.
- Carry out assessments with families, allocation, and triage, ensuring appropriate referral pathways.
- Support practitioners with complex cases, liaising with supervisors and senior colleagues where appropriate.
- Contribute to the development of therapeutic services, including groups, workshops, online support, and new service initiatives.
- Act as part of the safeguarding team, responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns and ensuring practitioners understand and follow safeguarding responsibilities.
- Build effective relationships with therapists, supervisors, families, schools, partner organisations, and internal teams.
- Deliver or support training for staff, practitioners, volunteers, and external professionals where required.
- Contribute to service planning, reporting, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
- Have a small caseload of some complex cases.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
About You
You will be a qualified and experienced therapeutic practitioner with strong clinical judgment, excellent communication skills, and a clear commitment to supporting bereaved children, young people, and families. You will bring confidence in managing practitioners, supporting safe practice, handling complex cases, and contributing to a reflective, compassionate, and professional service culture.
Essential Experience And Qualities
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- A recognised counselling, psychotherapy, arts therapy, social work, or relevant therapeutic qualification. Registered with a professional body, e.g., HCPC, UKCP.
- Experience of working therapeutically with children, young people, and families.
- Experience of bereavement, trauma, loss, or complex family work.
- Experience supervising, managing, or supporting practitioners, clinicians, volunteers, or freelance staff.
- Strong understanding of safeguarding practice and responsibilities.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to remain calm, boundaried, and compassionate when working with sensitive or complex situations.
- Commitment to confidentiality, professional boundaries, inclusion, and non-judgmental practice.
- Confidence using systems, records, and reporting processes to support safe, accountable service delivery.
How to Apply
To apply, please send your CV and a short covering letter outlining your relevant experience and motivation for the role to Karen Fenna, Director of Clinical Operations, at karen.fenna@griefencounter.org.uk.
Website: www.griefencounter.org.uk
Closing date: Please apply as soon as possible. We may interview on a rolling basis and reserve the right to close the advert early if an appointment is made.
Grief Encounter is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and families. The successful candidate will be required to complete appropriate checks in line with the responsibilities of the role.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location