STUDENT COUNSELLOR PLACEMENTS
Train where your work matters.
Join an Essex suicide prevention charity supporting adults before crisis, and build real clinical confidence doing it.
ABOUT OUR PLACEMENTS
At Reach Out For Mental Health, we welcome student counsellors ready to take the next step in their professional development. If you have completed a minimum Level 4 qualification in counselling or psychotherapy, you're invited to apply for a placement with us.
We're an Essex based counselling and suicide prevention charity. We support adults (18+) experiencing mild to moderate mental health needs, with low to moderate current risk, who have current or historical suicidal thoughts or ideation. This is the heart of our work: steady, compassionate support for people who are finding life difficult but are not in crisis. We are not a general wellbeing or low-mood service.
As a placement counsellor, you'll support adults navigating distress, bereavement, and life transitions, where suicidal ideation can be safely held within a short-term therapeutic model. It's meaningful, well-supervised work — and a rare chance to develop genuine confidence in suicide-aware practice.
We offer placements both face-to-face at locations across Essex and online via Microsoft Teams, so you can choose the setting that best supports your learning.
Our Commitment
What you get:-
Ongoing support from our Student Coordinator, Clinical Assessor and Head of Clinical Services
Regular client allocation — a minimum of 3 clients per week
Training and peer-focused CPD
Regular case management meetings to support your clinical development
A genuine partnership between your training provider, supervisor, you and ROFMH
What We Ask From You
Requirement
A commitment to suicide-aware, ethical practice.
Current BACP student membership.
Capacity to deliver a minimum of 3 counselling sessions per week (essential).
A genuine commitment to supporting adults experiencing suicidal thoughts and emotional distress.
HOW TO APPLY
Things You Need To Know
Trainee counsellors are expected to arrange their own external supervision.
A valid enhanced DBS check, or active registration on the DBS Update Service, is a mandatory requirement.
No previous placement experience is required. We will need evidence of formal Fitness to Practise from your training provider.
Our clients have low to moderate current risk. Clients presenting with active suicidality or unmanageable risk are referred to crisis services and are not allocated to placement counsellors. Your supervisor and our Clinical Assessor manage suitability and allocation throughout.
Interested in a placement with us? Complete the online application form below and we'll be in touch.
Information For Training Providers
We value strong, collaborative relationships with training providers and are committed to offering a supportive, well-governed placement experience for student counsellors.
Our Student Counselling Coordinator and Head of Clinical Services work closely with each provider to ensure alignment with your training requirements, safeguarding expectations, and governance frameworks.
We're always keen to build meaningful partnerships that benefit both students and the communities we serve. To discuss a placement partnership, contact us at counselling@reachoutfmh.co.uk.
