Locum Mental Health Advisor

Hours per week: 28.0

End date: 31/07/2025

Job Description

The post-holder (0.8 FTE) will be part of the Mental Health Support Team & part of our university's multi-disciplinary Counselling & Mental Health Support Team and will have experience and current accreditation as a Mental Health Nurse or other qualified mental-health practitioner.

The post-holder will possess specialist knowledge of issues related to student mental-health, including the assessment & management of risk, mental-health assessment, crisis management, & external referral of cases (into external crisis services, etc.). The post-holder will liaise with a wide range of internal & external stakeholders to ensure the university responds effectively to the mental-health needs of students. They will work closely with the other two sub-teams that make up the Counselling & Mental Health Support Team (the Counselling & the Outreach & Training Sub-Teams) to ensure the appropriate referral of cases and an effective multi-disciplinary approach to all aspects of clinical work.

Key responsibilities

To carry out assessments including risk assessment & management for students referred via the Student of Concern process. Although Student of Concern is not a crisis service, a high proportion of referred students indicate that they are at risk to self, and so the post holder will be expected to following service risk protocols and signpost students to appropriate services & escalate any student to crisis services if the need arises.

To work at least four days/week triaging and managing Student of Concern referrals.

To work with colleagues within Counselling & Mental Health Support Team and Student Services to support students with mental-health conditions, including linking with internal and external organisations.

To act as an advocate for students in negotiating time out/moving to alternative modes of studies. To be responsible for providing an informed opinion and/or verifying students? mitigating circumstances and to support students in requesting extensions for completing work/providing supporting statements for students in academic appeals.

To keep accurate and up-to-date client case notes ensuring that they are compliant with the data protection act. To maintain therapeutic boundaries at all times.

To comply with relevant legislation and regulations, including, for example, our duty of care, safeguarding legislation, data protection legislation (including the General Data Protection Regulation), equality legislation, & health and safety legislation.

Experience / Skills

Knowledge / skills

1. Expert knowledge and skills of undertaking mental health and risk assessment and management, including standardized assessment protocols and relevant clinical outcome measures (such as COREnet)
2. Expert knowledge of the mental health issues & support needs of students and/or young adults 
3. Ability to manage relationships sensitively with distressed clients & tolerate and manage high levels of distress and risk
4. Excellent IT & administration skills, including administrative self-sufficiency (e.g. diary management, letter writing, etc.)

Experience

1. Experience of managing a large complex caseload of clients presenting with a wide range of mental health difficulties
2. Experience of referring cases into NHS & voluntary sector bodies, and working closely with such services on complex cases
3. Experience of balancing the need to share information appropriately to ensure the effective management of risk with the need for confidentiality & data protection legislation compliance
4. Experience of supporting others to maintain effective appropriate boundaries in their work

For further information please contact:

Raquel Jose at raquel.jose@kcl.ac.uk or Anca Alba at anca.alba@kcl.ac.uk 

Qualifications

Professional qualification and current regsitration in the field of mental-health nursing, psychological wellbeing practitioner or other qualified mental-health practitioner

Health & Safety Considerations

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service.

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