Earth Wisdom Ecotherapy Community Interest Company

Student Counsellor

Placement Agreement

Introduction

Earth Wisdom Ecotherapy CIC (EWECIC) provides accessible, inclusive therapeutic support to the community.

This agreement sets out the arrangements for student counsellors undertaking a voluntary, supervised placement providing one-to-one counselling either in the therapy room or online.

Purpose of the Placement

This placement is offered for training and educational purposes. It provides student counsellors with supervised clinical experience that contributes toward the requirements of their counselling or psychotherapy qualification.

During placement, student counsellors provide one-to-one counselling in the therapy room. They do not undertake nature-based, outdoor, or ecotherapy work as part of this agreement.

Students who successfully complete their initial placement year may be invited to apply for a second-year development placement, which may include additional training and supervised experience in nature-based or ecotherapy practice, subject to separate agreement.

The placement does not create any form of employment or self-employment relationship.

Legal Status

• Student counsellors are engaged as volunteers on placement.

• This agreement does not constitute a contract of employment or a contract for services.

• Student counsellors are not self-employed in their role with EWECIC.

• EWECIC retains overall duty of care for clients, volunteers, and students while on placement.

• Student counsellors are required to hold and maintain their own appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance throughout the placement. Evidence of current cover must be provided to EWECIC before client work begins. EWECIC also maintains appropriate organisational insurance cover.

What EWECIC Provides

EWECIC is committed to supporting student counsellors to practise safely and develop professionally. This includes:

• A professional and nurturing environment for client sessions.

• Access to relevant policies and procedures.

• Initial assessment of clients carried out by qualified counsellors.

• Contribution towards the cost of clinical supervision.

• Administrative systems and templates to support safe practice.

• Access to relevant CPD, team meetings and learning opportunities where appropriate.

• Organisational professional and public liability insurance appropriate to EWECIC’s activities.

Placement Duration

The placement will normally run for a period of 12months. The placement may be extended for a second year by mutual agreement, subject to satisfactory performance and organisational capacity.

Either party may end the placement with reasonable notice (4 weeks), except where immediate termination is required due to safeguarding, ethical, or professional conduct concerns.

Role and Scope of Practice

Student counsellors agree to:

• Practise within the limits of their training and competence.

• Work only with clients appropriate for trainee practice.

• Seek guidance and escalate concerns when unsure, overwhelmed, or ethically conflicted.

• Participate in relevant team meetings, CPD and organisational activities where reasonably able.

Supervision and Support

• Students must engage in regular clinical supervision in line with their training provider and governing body requirements.

• Students must bring safeguarding concerns, boundary issues, ethical dilemmas, and wellbeing concerns promptly to supervision and EWECIC’s safeguarding lead.

Payment towards external clinical supervision:

• EWECIC contributes towards the cost of each student counsellor’s clinical supervision at a rate of £20 per active client per month (for example, £60 per month for three clients).

• If the student counsellor’s supervisor charges more than this contribution, the student counsellor is responsible for settling the difference with their supervisor.

• This contribution supports access to supervision but does not remove the student counsellor’s responsibility to meet their training provider’s supervision requirements.

• Continued placement is conditional on maintaining appropriate supervision arrangements at all times.

Expectations of Practice

Client Work

• Students provide indoor, one-to-one talking therapy.

• Continuity of care and planned endings are prioritised at all times.

Timekeeping

• Sessions are normally 50 minutes.

• Late arrivals do not extend session time.

Availability

• Students will share availability clearly to support ethical client allocation.

• Holidays and absences must be communicated well in advance.

Community Participation and Outreach

Earth Wisdom is a community-based organisation and student placements are intended to provide experience of being part of a wider therapeutic service, not solely the opportunity to accrue one-to-one client hours.

Student counsellors are therefore expected to make a reasonable and proportionate contribution to Earth Wisdom’s community outreach activity during their placement. This may include attending community events, wellbeing days, fairs, partnership events or other opportunities where Earth Wisdom is represented.

Community outreach forms an important part of how Earth Wisdom develops relationships with local communities, raises awareness of accessible mental health support and strengthens referral and partnership pathways.

We recognise that students have differing availability, caring responsibilities, health needs, employment and training commitments, and students are not expected to attend every event. However, students should be willing to support outreach periodically where reasonably able as part of their wider participation in the Earth Wisdom community.

Safeguarding and Duty of Care

Students must follow all EWECIC safeguarding, and health & safety policies and immediately report any safeguarding concerns to their supervisor and the designated safeguarding lead.

Failure to follow safeguarding procedures may result in immediate termination of placement

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Students agree to:

• Treat all client and organisational information as strictly confidential.

• Follow EWECIC’s Confidentiality Policy and Data Protection procedures.

• Comply with the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR.

• Use EWECIC systems for all placement-related records and communications.

Any data breach or accidental disclosure must be reported to EWECIC immediately.

Record Keeping

Students are responsible for completing session notes and required documentation accurately and promptly, including:

• session notes

• cancellations

• CORE-10 outcome measures

All records must be completed using EWECIC templates and systems.

Ethical Standards

Student counsellors are expected to uphold the ethical framework of their professional body (for example BACP, NCPS, UKCP) and EWECIC’s values of respect, inclusivity, and integrity.

This includes:

• Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries

• Declaring conflicts of interest

• Engaging in reflective practice

• Prioritising self-care and seeking support when emotional capacity is stretched.

Respectful Communication and Professional Conduct

Students are expected to:

• Communicate professionally with clients, supervisors, and peers.

• Raise concerns constructively through supervision or the Therapeutic Leadership Team.

• Avoid behaviour - in person or online - that could reasonably undermine clients, colleagues, or EWECIC.

Use of EWECIC Information and Resources

All client data, referral information, and organisational materials remain the property of EWECIC and must be used only for placement purposes.

Students agree to:

• Not copy or retain materials for personal or external use.

• Return or securely delete all materials at the end of placement.

Referrals and Partner Relationships

All client referrals, enquiries and professional relationships introduced through EWECIC remain within EWECIC’s organisational framework.

Student counsellors must not independently redirect EWECIC referrals, arrange private work with EWECIC clients, or enter into separate professional, voluntary, contractual or financial arrangements with partner organisations introduced through their placement without prior discussion and written agreement from EWECIC.

This is intended to maintain clear professional boundaries, protect existing organisational partnerships and ensure that any opportunities arising through the placement are managed transparently and appropriately.

Client Relationships and Boundaries

To protect clients and uphold ethical practice:

• Students must not solicit EWECIC clients for private work during placement.

• Following placement, students must not actively seek to transfer EWECIC clients into private practice for 6 months, unless agreed in writing.

• Any post-placement client contact must be discussed with EWECIC.

Intellectual Property

Any materials created specifically for EWECIC during placement remain the property of the CIC unless otherwise agreed in writing.

This does not restrict students’ use of learning for academic, reflective, or professional development purposes.

Ending the Placement

Students agree to support ethical endings with clients wherever possible, including:

• planned final sessions

• appropriate handovers

• following EWECIC’s Ending with Clients Policy.

Client wellbeing remains the priority at all times.

Placement Review

Student placements will be reviewed periodically to support learning, safe practice, and a positive placement experience.

An initial placement review will normally take place at around three months, with further reviews arranged as appropriate throughout the placement.

Reviews may include discussion of:

• progress and development

• client work and caseload

• supervision arrangements

• training and placement requirements

• record keeping and organisational processes

• participation in team, CPD and community outreach activity

• any support or development needs

• suitability for continued placement and, where relevant, progression into a second-year development placement
  

Reviews are intended to be supportive and developmental and provide an opportunity for both the student counsellor and EWECIC to reflect on how the placement is progressing.

Review and Termination

EWECIC may end the placement immediately where there are concerns relating to:

• safeguarding

• breach of confidentiality

• professional misconduct

• fitness to practise

Students may withdraw if the placement no longer meets training needs or wellbeing is significantly affected.

EWECIC will aim to act fairly, transparently, and in line with ethical standards.

Acknowledgement

By undertaking placement activity with EWECIC, the student counsellor confirms that they:

• understand this agreement

• agree to abide by EWECIC policies and procedures

• commit to practising safely, ethically, and within the limits of their training.

Please sign to acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms of this volunteer agreement.

Thank you for your valuable contribution. We appreciate your support and look forward to working alongside you.