Therapeutic Practitioner

Dorothy House; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A hospice care organization in the UK is seeking a compassionate Therapeutic Practitioner to join their Family Support Team. This part-time role (18.75 hours a week) involves providing therapeutic support to patients and families affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement. Key responsibilities include facilitating one-to-one sessions, supporting group work, and managing volunteers. Essential qualifications include a professional background in counselling or psychotherapy and experience with therapeutic groups. Competitive benefits are offered, including leave and training opportunities.

Benefits

27 days plus bank holidays, increasing with service

Excellent industry-leading training

Pension with Life Assurance

Colleague discount across retail stores

Mileage reimbursement at 45p per mile

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in counselling or psychotherapy.
• Experience facilitating therapeutic groups.
• Demonstrated ability to respond to safeguarding concerns.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one therapeutic and counselling sessions.
• Support parents and carers of children affected by terminal illness.
• Line manage and support Family Support Team volunteers.

Skills

Experience supporting individuals and/or families affected by life-limiting illness

Excellent collaboration skills

Ability to work flexibly and manage workloads

Education

Professional qualification in counselling or psychotherapy

Job description

Overview

At Dorothy House Hospice Care, we are dedicated to delivering outstanding, holistic emotional and psychological support to patients and families across every stage of palliative and end-of-life care.

We are excited to be looking for a compassionate and skilled Therapeutic Practitioner to join our Family Support Team, helping individuals and families navigate some of life's most complex and emotionally challenging moments.

This is a meaningful opportunity to provide therapeutic support to adults, children and families affected by life-limiting illness and bereavement, working closely with our wider team. You will play a vital role in supporting healthy coping, grief and adjustment, while also contributing to the development of volunteers, students and colleagues.

THERAPEUTIC PRACTITIONER | Band 5 | £15.88 - £19.33 per hour

Role and Collaboration

As part of our Family Support Team, you will work collaboratively with social workers, psychological support colleagues, creative therapists, volunteers and clinical teams - ensuring compassionate, safe and personalised care is delivered consistently across hospice and community settings

The role will include:

• Providing one-to-one therapeutic and counselling sessions for patients and family members. Assessing emotional and psychosocial needs, offering interventions that promote healthy coping and grieving.
• Holding a therapeutic caseload of individuals and families with complex emotional needs, delivering safe, compassionate and person-centred support.
• Facilitating and supporting group work with adults, children and families, including bereavement and peer support groups.
• Supporting parents and carers in relation to the needs of children affected by terminal illness or bereavement.
• Working closely with the Family Support Team and wider MDT to ensure integrated, holistic care.
• Recognising when onward referral to statutory and non-statutory agencies is appropriate and working in partnership with external professionals.
• Line managing and supporting Family Support Team volunteers, helping develop their skills and confidence.
• Contributing to safeguarding, clinical governance and quality improvement processes.
• Participating in supervision, reflective practice, service development and hospice-wide initiatives.

See our full detailed Job Description on our website for more information.

Hours of Work

This is a Part-Time position working 18.75 hours a week (Monday to Friday).

About You

Due to the role also working out in our community, we require all applicants to hold a UK driving licence with access to a vehicle.

Essential requirements:

• Professional qualification in counselling or psychotherapy
• Experience supporting individuals and/or families affected by life-limiting illness, death or bereavement
• Experience supporting or facilitating therapeutic groups
• Excellent collaboration skills working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Can demonstrate a detailed experience recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns
• Can demonstrate prioritisation skills with the ability to work flexibly, manage workloads, and oversee complex family dynamics sensitively

Desirable requirements:

• Experience delivering training to colleagues, students or volunteers relating to bereavement, emotional wellbeing or palliative care
• Previous experience working within a hospice or specialist palliative care service

About the Benefits

Dorothy House is an incredible place to work, these are just a few of our benefits that we offer to our staff:

• 27 days plus bank holidays, increasing to 29 days and then 33 days with length of service
• Excellent industry leading training with a focus on career development!
• Pension with Life Assurance.
• Colleague discount across our 30 retail stores.
• 45p per mile for work travel.
• Mindful EmployerPlusCharter -supporting our colleagueswithaccess to impartial, confidential advice when you need it most.

If this sounds like your ideal job, then we'd love to see your application.

Please note that our vacancies can close at any time once sufficient applications have been received. We therefore encourage early submission of your application.

Interviews

Interviews for the role are aiming to be held week commencing the 2nd March 2026.