Counselling Placements 2024
At New Dawn we are delighted to offer the opportunity for Counselling student placements. The closing date for application is Friday 12 April, 2024.
Placement Details
Your Safety
New Dawn has a long history of providing placements for counselling students. A large proportion of our current team members began as placement counsellors in the centre, so placements are part of our DNA.
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Your safety is of paramount importance to us, so all placement counsellors are covered by our personal liability insurance. And as a placement counsellor, all of your potential clients will be fully assessed by a more experienced counsellor from the team - the assessors then find the best fit counsellor from the team, for the client. Making sure that while you are pushing your growing edges, you are well supported and working with clients that are suitable for your level of experience.​
Client Hours
Whilst we cannot guarantee you client hours, placement counsellors will always be given priority with suitable clients. Working with New Dawn clients will give you a breadth of experience with different issues, allowing you to find your own strengths and growing edges.
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We have a strong reputation within the Christian community in the East Midlands, and as such our client base does include a large number of clients who are Christians, although we have plenty of clients who are from other faiths and none. Counsellors with a living Christian faith will have opportunities to access the full range of experiences that can be gained from working with New Dawn clients. Agreement with our Christian Ethos is a requirement for all placement counsellors, regardless of their faith background.
Costs of Placement
Placement counsellors pay a reduced monthly affiliation fee to New Dawn of £16. We understand the financial investment training as a counsellor demands. To help with this New Dawn contributes a monthly minimum of £20 towards supervision costs.
On top of the £20 per month, placement counsellors will receive an additional £2 contribution towards supervision costs for every client hour they complete within a month.
The centre believes that it is important for clients to pay at least partly towards their counselling, this is an important part of valuing themselves. As part of this process, placement counsellors will take payment for the services they are providing - this money goes back into New Dawn, to help with the running of the centre. This includes payments into the bursary fund which is available to support clients who have financial difficulties accessing our services.
You will also gain experience in working with the financial side of counselling, taking payments for services and giving receipts etc.
​Training and Support
When you begin your placement with New dawn, we will provide full induction training covering relevant policies and procedures to working in the centre. Like, how to take payments, how to sign in and out, communication with the rest of the team - basically all the day to day details you will need to feel comfortable and work confidently at the centre. We also have plans to provide additional specific training to work with our main client base.
We want you to feel supported and stretched at New Dawn, so every placement counsellor is provided with a personal mentor to support you during your placement. Your mentor is there to answer questions about how the centre runs, and to check in on you and make sure you're okay. They do not discuss client information with you, this is for your supervisor only.
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We have an extensive library of books for you to access, and many years of counselling experience within the team which you will be able to draw upon as you develop relationships with everyone at New Dawn.
New Dawn and Your Future
We are looking for people to join us on placement who want to become a part of our team and take the centre forward. So for us, it's not just about getting your hours, it's about learning how the centre works and what role you can play within that.
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We expect placement counsellors to take on other suitable roles within the centre, these can be many different things, like, volunteer receptionist, helping with marketing, learning about the administration of the centre, etc. We like to work with your passions and skills (alongside your commitment to counselling).
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A large proportion of the current team at New Dawn began as placement counsellors, so the opportunity to join the team after a successful placement is one of our hopes for you. This is how we grow the centre - from within.
Placement Requirements
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Readiness To Practice certificate on a level 4 upwards counselling course (diploma, BA, etc.)
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Full DBS
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Student membership of a professional body e.g. ACC, BACP, NCS, UKCP
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Received/receiving at least 20 hours of personal therapy per academic year
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Payment of monthly affiliation fees of £16
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Placement Counsellors will be expected to receive adequate supervision hours for the counselling work they carry out according to the ethical framework of their professional body
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Your supervisor is appropriately trained and working towards, or has a qualification as a counselling supervisor
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Good communication skills
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Good organisation skills - you will be expected to manage your own client caseload, organise adequate supervision, communicate and fulfil any additional tasks you agree to do in a timely fashion.
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In view of the investment of staff time in assisting counsellors in their placement at New Dawn, placement counsellors will only be accepted if they are able to commit themselves to a minimum of one year or 100 supervised counselling hours.
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In line with the Christian Ethos of the centre, its governing body (Association of Christians in Counselling), and the number of our clients who seek a counsellor with the Christian faith, it would be a benefit to applicants to hold a genuine Christian faith and provide references from the church they regularly attend to vouch for this.
