Head of Counselling

St Paul's and St George's (Ps & Gs) is a vibrant Scottish Episcopal church in the centre
of Edinburgh with a congregation of around 1,000. At our heart we believe that we
are called to be whole life disciples, sharing the whole of the gospel, with the
whole of society, through churches of grace.

We are invested in wholeness ministries and have a well-established Counselling
Service on site in the city centre of Edinburgh.

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Head of Counselling to lead
and develop this highly-regarded Service. You will lead a team, oversee around
15 committed volunteers and ensure we deliver a safe, professional and effective
service to a range of clients. The role is an excellent opportunity for the right person., Management of people

• Lead and manage Ps & Gs Counselling Service.


• Manage Counselling Staff team.


• Oversee a team of volunteer counsellors.


• Provide support and guidance to both qualified and

student counsellors.

• Ensure all qualified and student counsellors receive

required level of supervision.
Counselling Practice

• Ensure the counselling service has strong

governance and follows best practice.

• With the Support of the Counselling Advisory

group, ensure a pattern of review for governance,
best practice, guidance and procedures.

• Ensure the counselling service follows GDPR

including the approaches to secure storage and
retention of personal information.

• Ensure the counselling service is appropriately

integrated within the church approach to
safeguarding.

• Plan a programme of CPD for the team.


• Encourage counsellors in their Faith and the value

added through counselling supports offered within
the context of a church community.

• Ensure counsellors know how to effectively

signpost to wider church pastoral and discipleship
approaches when appropriate., Up until this point there has been a small counselling
staff team of three part time employees: Head of
Counselling (this vacancy), Counsellor (vacancy) and
a part time administrator together with a team of
around 15 volunteer counsellors. When it is possible to
do so we offer placements to trainee counsellors

The Head of Counselling has a key role:

• Managing and delivering counselling service.


• Ensuring robust governance of the service.


• working with the church leadership team to

ensure there is strong interface with other church
ministries and that the counselling service is
integral part of its vision and strategy.

For more about Ps & Gs Vision and Values, visit our
website www.psandgs.org.uk/vision.

Ps & Gs counselling is member of the Association of
Christian Counsellors and adheres to their statement
of faith and code of conduct.

Managing the service

• Hold a personal caseload.


• Offer supervision as appropriate to Counsellors


• Plan a programme of CPD for the team.


• Take the professional lead in reviewing/updating

counselling policies and practices.

• Maximise the use of the counselling space through

the planning and negotiation of counselling
session times.

• Maintain oversight of counselling requests, patterns

of need and the effective management of waiting
lists and allocation.

• Lead on the recruitment and induction of

volunteer, trainee, qualified counsellors and
volunteer receptionists.
Wider Ps & Gs

• Attend staff prayers, head-to-head and other staff

meetings each week.

• Develop working relationships with the wider staff

team and links to other ministry areas.

• Be responsible for the budgets for the counselling

service, under the direction of the Finance Team.

• Report annually to Vestry on the counselling

strategy and practice and its contribution to the
church's vision
Developing the Service

• Design the service going forward, in consultation

with the clergy and the Vestry, and in line with the
new Ps & Gs strategy which will be developed later
in 2024., The Vestry operate as non-executive trustees and hold theThe staff are responsible for enabling the day-to-day
responsibility for finance, property, safeguarding and theoperational ministry of the church.
overall strategic direction of the church.
The church has a strong volunteer base of over 400 who
The Vestry is made up of elected members of the play an active role in enabling our various areas of ministry
congregation, clergy and Operations Director (ex officio),- a number of which are volunteer led.
and is chaired by the Rector.
See the team: www.psandgs.org.uk/staff


• Registration with a professional body


• Diploma in Counselling


• Supervision Qualification

Desirable

• Accreditation with a professional body


Clinical Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Good working knowledge of ethical polices e.g.

BACP Ethical Framework and ACC Ethics and
Practice.

• Experience of holding a Clinical Governance/

Leadership role (or equivalent).

• Knowledge and experience of working within

Health and Safety guidelines, processes and all
other relevant legislation.

• Experience of working in a highly confidential

setting.

• Well developed therapeutic and theoretical

knowledge of a variety of counselling models.

• Experience of working with a wide range of

presenting issues.

• Ability to lead a team of counsellors balancing

individual ways of working with meeting the
objectives of the service.
Desirable

• Experience of placement supervision of trainee

counsellors.

• Experience of recruitment and oversight of

volunteers.

• Ability to run training events working with

other counselling services in the city and Vital
Connexions.

• An ability to demonstrate a strong understanding

of the Christian basis for counselling and how it
can contribute to the church's wider ministry of
pastoral support and healing.

• Couples Counselling experience and qualification.


• Children and Adolescent experience and

qualification.

• Experience of organising placements for trainee

counsellors.,
• Good IT skills: MS Office.


• Ability to prioritise own workload, that of others

and to ensure delivery of an efficient service.

• Good written and verbal communication skills.


• Ability to design, produce and interpret data

reports.

• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide

range of people in both formal and informal
settings.

• Policy creation and reviewing.


• Budget setting and management.


• Line Management of staff.


• Working as part of a team.

Desirable

• Experience of using medical practice management

software.


• be line managed by the Rector.



• line manage the counselling administrator.


• line manage and have clinical oversight over a

Counsellor.

• oversee and have clinical oversight over a team of

volunteer and student counsellors.

• be part of the Head-to-Head team and meet with

other ministry heads fortnightly.

• be part of the Counselling Service Advisory Group.


• be part of the Safeguarding Advisory Group.


• be part of the Ps & Gs staff team and will build

relationships with the Ministry and Operations
Teams.
A staff organisation chart can be found on page 6 and
you can see the staff team at:
www.psandgs.org.uk/staff, About Edinburgh
Edinburgh is home to Ps & Gs and is Scotland's capital. It is
a vibrant, cosmopolitan, and cultural city with a fascinating
history, a stunning skyline, and a wonderful location on
the Firth of Forth. The city's population doubles during the
summer months as the various Festivals (Art, Jazz & Blues,
Book & Storytelling, Film, Science, International Festival, and
the Fringe) welcome over half a million people from across
the world.

With four Universities, Edinburgh truly lives up to its
reputation as a seat of learning and research. The city is a
thriving centre for finance and commerce. With its UNESCO
World Heritage listing, its famous Military Tattoo and
Hogmanay celebrations, it is known as one of the leading
cities of the world. Lots of green space, the quaint Old
Town and the stunning Georgian New Town contribute to
making this city a great place to be.

We think Edinburgh is a wonderful city in which to live,
work and worship: all the resources and culture of a capital
city, but on a manageable scale. It is a haven for foodies
with an incredible concentration of diverse eateries across
the city. Coast and mountains are nearby, not to mention
Arthur's Seat in the heart of the city. It really has something
for everyone!

It's a great place to be - come and join us...

STRATEGY

Since the end of the pandemic, we have developed a two
year 'Plans & Priorities' strategy which will run until the end
of 2024. It's areas of focus are as follows:


• Growing and deepening in discipleship, community,

sharing our faith, in strategic partnerships, developing
out ministry areas, and in supporting wider ministry and
mission in the UK & overseas

• Exploring and planning church planting and increasing

our social outreach ministries

• Loving and serving with impact caring for refugees and

New Scots, being able to respond quickly to local needs
in partnership with other organisations.

A summary of our strategy is on our website:
www.psandgs.org.uk/strategy, CURATE Emily Ballard Nairn
Jo Twigg Ministry Assistant
Joanne Arton, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR MINSTRY TEAM
Andrew Marrian Rachel Cooney
Director of Children's Ministry

OPERATIONS TEAM INTERNS
OPERATIONS TEAM Position Vacant
Gordon Cooney Chris Drury Children's Ministry Assistant
Facilities Manager Property Manager
David Shanks INTERNS
OPERATIONS TEAM Administration Manager Anna Metcalfe
Denise Padgett Kenny Roy Ellie Lavy
Church Housekeeper & Finance Manager
Counselling Administrator Mairi Simpson MINSTRY TEAM
Finance Assistant Elspeth Noble
CARETAKERS Naomi Chandler Temporary Youth Ministry
6 Casual Caretakers Church Events & Coordinator
and Events Staff Communications Manager
Thea Macdonald
External Events Manager

7. You would either become a member of Ps & Gs
Church or you would be expected to be an active
serving member of another local church.

Please note that we can only accept applications at
this time from people who have a right to live and
work in the UK.




5

About Ps & Gs Church
Built in 1818 and refurbished in 2008, the church building
stands in a strategic location in the heart of Edinburgh's
New Town. We have three Sunday services, a vibrant
community life with nearly 30 ministry areas, and many
opportunities to serve those around us.

We are at an exciting time in the life of Ps & Gs. We have
been continuing to deliver and expand our ministries to
respond to the ever-changing needs of our congregation
and city. As well as Sunday services, we offer a wide range
of courses, activities and ministries.

We are passionate about evangelism and run the Alpha
Course both in person and online. Our Saturday Meal
reaches out to the homeless and vulnerable in our
community by providing a free meal every weekend. Our
Counselling Service is responding to the ongoing challenges
people are facing with emotional wellbeing.

Our Children's Ministry is engaging regularly with families,
whether they attend church on Sundays or through our
midweek Babies and Toddlers group. Our youthwork is
growing and developing.

We are a gathered church, and so encourage people to
become whole life disciples through local Connect Groups.

We ask that anyone who calls Ps & Gs their home church
gets actively involved by regularly praying for the work,
serving as part of a volunteer team, and by giving financially
to keep making church happen. We are hugely thankful for
the generosity of our congregation.

w. ww.psandgs.org.uk
f. Ps & Gs Church
i. @psandgschurch
Charity number. SC005025, 1. The salary for this role is £36,000 - £37,500 (full
time equivalent).

2. You will be entitled to five working weeks holiday
per year, plus five designated public holidays, plus
five public holiday days allocated pro rata. If you
worked 28 hours (4 days) per week, you would be
entitled to 29 days per year (20 + 5 + 4).

3. You will be enrolled in a direct contribution
pension scheme (usually NEST however other
arrangements can be negotiated).

4. You are entitled to prayer and study days. (approx
4 per year)