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Purpose of Role:

Heriot-Watt University, in common with all other Higher Education Institutions, has seen a significant rise in both the extent and severity of mental health difficulties in the student community.

The role focuses on assessing the needs of students referred to the service who present with emotional difficulties in order to ensure that appropriate interventions are delivered for students. The successful candidate will carry a caseload of students who need ongoing support. This will range from providing on-going counselling; providing therapeutic support; making referrals to external agencies; and liaising with external professionals to ensure appropriate care and support.

The successful candidate will work alongside the other members of the Wellbeing team to contribute to the development of a psycho-educational programme of workshops and other proactive support initiatives. They will also work closely with other teams from across the Student Life Division, in particular the Student Engagement and Student Council teams.

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide information, advice and guidance services to students on the Dubai Campus
• Undertake initial assessments of students presenting at the counselling and support service and assess their needs
• Where indicated, provide appropriate interventions (including counselling and support or referral to another agency) to individual students to address the presenting emotional or psychological issues, including those who may have severe or enduring mental health difficulties, ensuring appropriate risk management at all times
• Identify where there is a need for formal counselling or ongoing Psychological or Psychiatric services and make appropriate referrals to external agencies.
• Organise and contribute to case conferences as appropriate
• Assess and advise individual students regarding their support needs, including dealing with cases of student harassment or emergencies such as student death
• Develop effective working relationships with others in the Wellbeing teams and the Student Life Division globally
• Work alongside the Student Life Dubai team to contribute to and develop general wellbeing strategies and initiatives to support the student community
• Provide consultation and professional advice for academic and administrative staff on how to deal with situations relating to mental health
• Develop relevant literature, resources, policies and procedure in relation to the service, working in an integrated way with other colleagues
• Develop and deliver workshops for students on wellbeing and mental health topics
• Supporting the \'Thinking of Leaving\' Service for students at risk of non progression
• Supporting students with Mitigating Circumstances requests if reason for request is related to mental health
• Maintain appropriate records and make use of the IT based systems and provide written reports as directed by Student Life Manager (Dubai) or Head of Student Wellbeing
• Work with colleagues in the Wellbeing team to deliver training to staff as directed by the Student Life Manager (Dubai)
• Undertake continuing professional development as appropriate and engage in clinical supervision with the Head of Student Wellbeing
• Engage in external clinical supervision with a supervisor approved by the Head of Student Wellbeing
• Any other task as requested by the Student Life Manager (Dubai) or Head of Student Wellbeing
• Provide support and coverage of cases for Students of Determination/Disability as needed
• Work closely with colleagues at other campus to ensure consistency of service provision

Education, Qualifications & Experience:

These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made:

Essential * Educated to first degree level or equivalent or equivalent practical experience in the workplace

• Experience of working within a similar environment as outlined above
• Competent in the use of relevant IT packages
• Proven relevant experience in enhancing the student wellbeing experience, which will have been acquired over a number of years, with a basic understanding of the relevant theory
• Good knowledge and understanding of relevant legal, statutory and governance applications and turning them into good practice
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and presentation skills, able to understand and communicate complex issues effectively
• Demonstrable excellent customer service
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment
• Experience of working closely with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation
• Ability to research, analyse and present complex information effectively with good attention to detail
• High level organisational skills with the ability to prioritise major developments and to function effectively in a pressured environment
• Demonstrable professional and proactive approach
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team

Desirable

• Experience of working in Higher Education
• Experience of working in wellbeing within a higher education institution
• Experiencing of developing and using online resources to support wellbeing development, including social media
• Sound knowledge of the Higher Education sector and current issues surrounding employability

Special Factors

• Occasional requirement to work at weekends or out of hours

At Heriot-Watt we understand that being diverse makes us better which is why we support a culture of respect and equal opportunity, and value diversity at the heart of what we do. We want to increase the diversity of our workplace to underpin a dynamic and creative environment.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities, and the start date will need to be delayed if the employment visa is not in place.

Heriot-Watt University