Volunteer Creative Counsellor and Play Therapist (or similar)

What will you be doing?

We’re urgently looking for a Creative Counsellor and Play Therapist volunteer for our Community Interest Company.  We need help to:

Meet the continued increases in demand for our therapeutic service.  Realise our ambition of being a service for our community and beyond. Develop our out-reach provision at  new nurseries, schools, colleges and organisations.

  We’d love a therapist or counsellor volunteer who has experience of face to face and, possibly, remote working with children, young people and families.  Alongside us, you’ll:

Be working alongside children and young people aged 3-19, and their families, in a holistic person-centred, humanistic or similar way. Have experience of working effectively with, and understand the barriers that children, young people and their families who are from priority and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds may face. Build strong therapeutic relationships with families. Have a good depth of knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and may have lived-experience of ACEs and use Attachment and Trauma Informed practice. Use creative interventions, such as, play, art, drama, movement, dance, music, sand as appropriate, as well as talk-based approaches as appropriate. Have experience of face to face and remote working: Be committed to supporting the child, young person and their family under Cocoon Kids CIC for the duration of their work

  Work with us us to make this role your own - we're a responsive organisation, we'll be glad to listen to your great ideas

What are we looking for?

Why apply? Join us, and you’ll be part of our small, friendly team. You’ll be able to organise your time around your own schedule, whilst making a real and immediate difference to children, young people and families in difficult times. What are we looking for in a volunteer? We would love a volunteer who:

Keeps children, young people and their families central in counselling/therapy. Believes in children, young people and families being the expert of their experiences. Has the ability to quickly understand the needs and challenges faced by our families and our organisation. Believes that there’s no such thing as ‘hard to reach’ communities, and uses our user-informed procedures to make sure that our service is accessible, and asks and feedbacks ways that our community shares we can further improve.  Is aware of/is willing to inform themself of the latest research, thinking and approaches around Trauma Informed approaches and the impact of multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and personalised therapy and personalised care approaches.

  Skills

BACP, BAPT, PTUK, BAAT or other membership/registration. Accurate and up to date knowledge, experience and therapeutic practice skills set, including Safeguarding and Child Protection. Self-motivated and able to work on your own initiative, with clear communication skills.

  Specific skills and experience  We expect all of our team to have knowledge and experience in the following areas: 

Mental health and wellbeing challenges and its impact. Living with or have experience of socio-economic deprivation and/or marginalised communities. Understanding of the impact that housing insecurity may bring to a child, young person and their family’s mental health and wellbeing.

What difference will you make?

You’ll have the opportunity to make a real and tangible difference to the lives of priority children, young people and families. You’ll make sure families can access fully-funded and appropriate longer-term sessions - for as long as is therapeutically right for them, providing long-term positive mental health equity and outcomes and improved social mobility. Ultimately, you'll be ensuring our long-term sustainability beyond the challenges of Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, growing our service from local, to regional and beyond.