Counsellor

As a Safe Space Counsellor, you will be part of a team of 25 Counsellors and Senior Counsellors and work alongside school colleagues and other health professionals to support 10 - 20 clients per week (offering between 8-12 sessions to each young person, although this can be longer). Sessions are usually held at the same time and day each week, in a school/college setting, and last between 40-50 minutes.

This is a dynamic role which involves excellent communication skills (with young people, parents/carers, school colleagues and other professionals) and good level IT skills.

Safe Space counsellors are largely school based and could be in a single school for a full day (or more) each week, or need to travel between schools, perhaps visiting up to 4 in one day. Diary and time management is a key skill for this role, and we offer flexibility, autonomy and any support required, when it comes to planning your travel and caseload (bearing in mind school hours and room availability).

Safe Space is a county-wide service which may mean you will be required to travel to different locations depending on the needs of the service. For this reason, a driving licence and car (plus business insurance) is essential to the role.

As a Safe Space counsellor, you will be part of a highly supportive team, reporting directly to one of our Senior Counsellors, and will have access to clinical supervision (both individual and group).

If you are a qualified counsellor and see yourself as part of a team making a real difference to children and young people, then this may be the role for you and we would welcome your application.

Interview date(s): 4th and 5th November 2026

For an informal discussion please contact: Sally Gubb- Safe Space Manager sally.gubb@hertfordshire.gov.uk/ 01992 588251 or Debra Gee- Safe Space Clinical Manager debra.gee@hertfordshire.gov.uk

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 10. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Health and social care

Benefits of working for us

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

We are changing

Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), creating a unique opportunity to help shape the future of local services. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required

You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.