Specialist Maternity Counsellor

Transformationunitgm; Manchester; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Specialist Maternity Counsellor to join their team at Saint Mary's Hospital in Manchester. The successful candidate will provide psychological support to families dealing with complex issues throughout pregnancy and postpartum. This role entails conducting assessments, offering individual and couple counselling, and collaborating with healthcare professionals. Applicants should possess a relevant counselling diploma and BACP accreditation, along with significant experience in the perinatal field.

Qualifications

• Accreditation with a recognised professional body is essential.
• Experience in managing crisis situations is required.
• Understanding of bereaved parents' needs is crucial.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological support to families facing complex issues.
• Assess and establish treatment appropriateness for patients.
• Carry a caseload for individual and couple counselling.

Skills

Perinatal experience

Counselling experience

Video and telephone counselling

Group facilitation

Education

Diploma or above in counselling or psychotherapy

BACP accreditation

Job description

Employer Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Saint Marys Hospital ORC Town Manchester Salary £47,810 - £54,710 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 27/01/2026 23:59

Specialist Maternity Counsellor

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

An Exciting opportunity has risen for an individual who would like to work as part of the specialist maternity counselling services at Saint Mary's managed clinical service as part of the specialist hospital clinical group. The post holder will be working within a team to develop and co-ordinate the counselling service across the MCS, for parents who have suffered major complications of pregnancy and delivery. In addition to the clinical service, they will also be responsible for balancing, liaison, and administrative aspects of the counselling service. The post holder must demonstrate a commitment to providing psychological and therapeutic interventions for mothers/fathers and couples on a range of complex and sensitive issues specific to pregnancy, for example (not exclusive to) traumatic birth, tokophobia (fear of labour) pregnancy loss (including termination of pregnancy for foetal/maternal conditions and stillbirth, miscarriage and neonatal loss pregnancy loss), issues surrounding surviving twins/triplets, and support with next pregnancy.

Main duties of the job

· The post holder will offer face to face or virtual psychological and emotional psychological support to identified families in line with MFT Values and behaviours.

· Undertake assessments of all patients referred at any stage of pregnancy or postpartum, many of whom present with multiple and complex issues (e.g. mental health concerns, psychiatric histories and/or safeguarding concerns) in order to establish appropriateness of treatment including emotional support as and when this is required and risk assessment.

· Carry a caseload of individual (in-patient and out-patient) and couple counselling, providing short, medium and longer term counselling and support as required

· Deliver specialist therapeutic counselling to patients including bereavement and pregnancy loss, next pregnancy support.

· The post holder is responsible and accountable for matters of professional clinical judgement. They may seek advice and guidance as required and appropriate, from liaison psychiatry or other accredited psychotherapy/clinical psychology colleagues and other healthcare specialists

· Maintain professional standards of competence, confidentiality and conduct consistent with those set out in the professional code of conduct as drawn up by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or other recognised professional counselling/psychotherapy body and appropriate ethical frameworks

Working for our organisation

Join Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and become part of a 30,000 plus strong team, delivering exceptional care to over 1 million people every year. As the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe, we are forward-thinking, committed to clinical excellence and driven to deliver innovation, and continuous improvement.
Whether you’re beginning your career or taking the next step, MFT offers a stimulating and supportive environment where your contribution truly matters. Our Hive Electronic Patient Record system enables safer, smarter, and more efficient ways of working - empowering you to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients.
You’ll be part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary community, working alongside professionals from a wide range of clinical backgrounds. Together, we push boundaries, share knowledge, and deliver care that transforms lives.
At MFT, you’ll find a workplace where everyone is respected, supported, and encouraged to thrive. We offer clear clinical pathways for professional development, helping you grow your skills and achieve your ambitions.
Your journey at MFT is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to make a lasting impact. We’ll support you as you shape the future of healthcare, one patient at a time.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Supporting Documents’ heading. So that you’re even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you’ll need to take time to read the ‘Candidate Essentials Guide’ that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how ‘we care for you as you care for others’. Most importantly, it also contains critical information you’ll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application
Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU—for our patients, our communities, and each other.
As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application—especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions—is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.
Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.
Diversity Matters
MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Person specification

Qualifications

• • Diploma or above in counselling or psychotherapy.
• • BACP accreditation or accreditation with other recognised professional counselling/psychotherapy body
• Qualification in counselling supervision

Training & Experience

• • Significant perinatal experience in NHS, public or voluntary sector including short, medium and longer term work.
• • Experience in counselling on a wide range of problems to individuals, couples and families eg anxiety, depression, bereavement, psychosexual issues, trauma, PTSD
• • Experience in managing crisis orientated and trauma situations
• Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary setting
• • Experience in Obstetrics and Neonatology.
• • Training and development of doctors, midwives and nurses in psychological care of patients in Obstetrics and Neonatology and couple counselling

skills & abilties

• • Experience in video and telephone counselling
• • Understanding of the complex and sensitive psychological needs of bereaved parents
• • Knowledge of the specialist psychological issues linked to pregnancy loss(stillbirth, miscarriage and neonatal death) termination of pregnancy ,surviving of twin/triplet
• • Group facilitation and teaching skills with staff
• • Understanding of audit process and ability to present findings at senior management meetings

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.