Families Counsellor

Overview

We are The Forward Trust (formerly RAPt and Blue Sky), the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

Clouds House is one of Forward’s residential substance misuse treatment centre in East Knoyle, Wiltshire. Clouds delivers a structured 12 Step treatment programme, designed to help dependent substance users maintain abstinence and develop long term sustainable recovery. Over the last 38 years Clouds has helped over 12,000 clients work towards a life in recovery and helped to create a growing recovery culture through our alumni. Our ambition is to significantly increase this recovery capital, offering treatment to as many clients, irrespective of means, as possible.

What you will be doing?

The Families Counsellor role is part of the  Clouds House Counselling Team which delivers the intensive, structured treatment programme to all clients admitted to Clouds House. The role of Families Counsellor requires knowledge and understanding of supporting family members and significant others of those currently within the residential treatment setting. It requires good understanding of the impact of addiction on families and an ability to work both in individual sessions and within a group setting. The Families Counsellor will be an important part of the therapeutic team who will provide familial context and a systemic perspective to the team in order to support both the client in treatment and their families and significant others with the process of recovery from addiction. The Families Counsellor will be responsible for ensuring that safeguarding concerns are acted upon promptly and sensitively and will support the Clouds House team in ensuring that regulatory compliance is achieved. They will need to model firm and clear boundaries with both clients and staff and have clear communication in order to support the inter-professional team at Clouds House.

The role will be part time, including some Sundays, for 17.5 hours per week, 9am - 5pm. Sunday visitors day is a key day for family contact and facilitated family work at Clouds House and the families counsellor plays a significant part in both supporting and educating clients and their families on addiction and recovery within the family on this day.

What we are looking for?

• Experience of facilitating support groups with family members
• Experience of working in a residential treatment setting
• Knowledge of addiction and its impact on family members
• Ability to work with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint,
• Ability to learn new systems including to input onto electronic record management systems
• Experience of working with at times distressed individuals, listen to their needs and communicate respectfully and clearly
• Knowledge and understanding of 12 step philosophy
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of working in a regulated health and/or social care environment
• Experience of thinking creatively with the team to create meaningful outcomes for clients and family members

What we offer

Alongside Simply Health coverage, and a contributory pension scheme to assist employees with their general health and well-being. We offer:

• Training opportunities and career development
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Person specification

Families Counsellor