Placement - St Martin's Counselling Service

Join the team at
St. Martin's Counselling

Trainee & Volunteer Opportunities

Our commitment to you

St. Martin’s Counselling is committed to providing professionally supported placements for trainee & qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, counselling psychologists and those working towards professional accreditation.

Here for you

Our team have successfully supported over 2000 trainees in obtaining clinical hours and are able to offer you a challenging and varied caseload of clients.

We have training agreements with over 20 Universities and training providers and are keen to develop relationships with new training organisations.

What we can offer you

Open 60 hours a week—Monday to Saturday, you will have the opportunity to deliver both remote and face-to-face therapy.
For face-to-face sessions our purpose-built therapy centre is conveniently located in the heart of Birmingham, just minutes walking from New Street Station.
Our large counselling team offers a welcoming community to share experiences, socialise, and learn from each other.
We provide a wide variety of ‘presentations’, and a challenging caseload, depending on your level of experience.

Are you ready to join us?

Thank you for considering practising with us. We work hard to maintain the highest of professional standards on behalf of our clients.

You will need to be qualified or studying Counselling and/or Psychotherapy at Level 4 and above, have some clinical experience or a fitness-to-practise or similar from your training provider.

Preference is given to candidates with a minimum of 15 hours of professional practice delivering core counselling competencies (as defined by their training body or professional framework).

These hours may be accrued through paid, voluntary, or placement-based roles, provided the work involved:

Direct client contact
Application of core counselling skills (e.g. contracting, assessment, relational work, ethical decision-making)
Appropriate supervision and governance
Where direct counselling hours are limited, we may also consider applicants who can demonstrate core professional competence through related roles such as social work, teaching, healthcare, youth work, or similar people-facing professions, provided this experience evidences appropriate relational skills, boundaries, safeguarding awareness, and reflective practice.

This ensures that all practitioners joining our service are able to work safely, ethically, and confidently with clients in a real-world therapeutic setting.

You must commit to at least 2 remote and 2 face-to-face clients each week for a minimum of 12 months.

We interview all prospective therapists and, if successful, you also will need to provide the following information before you can begin client work.

We will need you to provide evidence:

Of your Identity – Photo ID such as a Passport or Driving License
You are on a valid therapy training course
Of your registration with a recognised governing body
Of £2million professional liability insurance covering you to practice as a therapist
You have a supervisor
On the DBS Update service, or willing and able to complete a new DBS
Of a Prevent Certificate: Link
Of a Level 3 Adult safeguarding certificate: Link
Contact details for two people we can approach for references

At St Martin’s Counselling, we’re not just offering counselling.

We’re creating a community of care where everybody deserves to be heard and supported, without delay and judgment.