Lead Counsellor

Lead Counsellor

Location: On-site in any of our Wimborne, Weymouth or Gillingham services
Working Hours: 22 Hours over 3 days per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £41,130 - £55,646 FTE (£24,455.68 - 33,086.22 pro rata)

About Waythrough

Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we’ve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England.

Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services – and it’s all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers.

Make a real difference in your community

Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change.

As the Lead Counsellor within our alcohol and non‑opiate support service, you will play a central role in ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, client‑centred therapeutic support. Working across our Dorset services, you will lead on the clinical integrity of our counselling provision, ensuring that residents receive safe, effective, and compassionate support.

You will oversee the full therapeutic pathway, from assessment through to intervention, ensuring best practice, safeguarding, and quality standards are upheld across the service.

Key Duties

• Provide clinical leadership for the counselling function, ensuring safe and effective therapeutic delivery.

• Recruit, supervise, and support counsellors and trainees working within the service.

• Offer expert guidance on complex and high‑risk cases, supporting decision‑making and escalation.

• Oversee the assessment and referral process to ensure timely, robust, and client‑centred pathways.

• Lead on quality assurance for therapy provision, including monitoring, feedback, and auditing.

• Review and maintain clinical notes and ensure compliance with service policies and professional standards.

• Regularly review and update therapeutic policies, processes, and safeguarding practices.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with external agencies to support safe, coordinated client care.

About You

You will be an experienced and confident counselling professional, capable of leading others and maintaining high clinical standards within a busy community service. You’ll bring strong therapeutic expertise, sound judgement, and a commitment to empowering individuals affected by alcohol or non‑opiate drug use.

You will have:

• A recognised PGDip (or equivalent) in counselling or psychotherapy.

• Substantial face‑to‑face client experience within substance use, mental health, or related support settings.

• Experience providing clinical supervision or supporting the development of other therapists.

• Registration with a PSA‑accredited professional body (e.g., BACP, UKCP).

• A strong understanding of safeguarding practices and the ability to make confident clinical decisions.

• Excellent communication, organisational, and case‑management skills.

• A commitment to delivering high‑quality, person‑centred therapeutic services

What We Offer

We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package:

• 27 days’ annual leave, rising to 32 after 1 year (plus bank holidays)

• Pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, matched up to 6.5%

• Life assurance (3× annual salary)

• Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly pay

• Birthday leave and the option to buy up to 5 extra days’ annual leave

• Professional fee reimbursement for relevant qualifications

• 24/7 online GP access and Employee Assistance Programme

• Recognition and long service awards via our and portals

• £500 bonus

• Cycle to Work scheme and Credit Union membership

• Discounts via Blue Light Card, Charity Discounts, Extras and Tickets for Good

• Free will writing service and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year

Inclusion and accessibility

Waythrough is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience of the issues we support.

We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation.

If you need adjustments or support to apply, please email our recruitment team:

Closing Date:

2026-08-16