Chair to the Board of Trustees

​The Manor House Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling (MHCPC) is an established training centre and clinical service. At a time when mental health provisions have been in increased demand, we have experienced exponential growth of our services and wish to develop these further.

We are ambitious to develop and raise our profile and influence to offer mental health support to those that need it most in our borough. The MHCPC are uniquely positioned to offer low-cost open-ended therapy to those who can least afford it.The MHCPC provide long-term psychodynamic counselling rather than CBT, for those patients in the community for whom the former is more suitable. We provide a service which reduces the impact on NHS mental health provisions and thus supports patients who would otherwise face joining an unrealistically long waiting list for short-term work.The MHCPC sets high training and clinical standards: our training programme is accredited by both the British Association for Psychotherapy and Counselling (BACP) and the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC).
What are we looking for?
The MHCPC seek to appoint an enthusiastic and engaging Chair, with a passion for mental health and supporting the local community.The role of the Chair is to provide leadership and direction to the Board of Trustees. The Chair’s aim is to enable the board to fulfil their responsibilities for the overall governance and strategic direction of the organisation.
The Chair will ensure that the organisation complies with its governing document and any other relevant legislation or regulations and to make sure that the organisation pursues its objectives as defined in its constitution.
The Chair’s role is to work in partnership with the Board of Management, helping them achieve their vision for the organisation.
Personal Qualities

• Demonstrate a strong and visible passion and commitment to the charity, its strategic objectives and cause
• Personal gravitas to lead an organisation
• Exhibit strong inter-personal and relationship building abilities and be comfortable in an ambassadorial role
• Demonstrate tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage effectively
• Strong networking capabilities that can be utilised for the benefit of the charity
• Ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment
• Ability to commit time to conduct the role well, including travel and attending events out of office hours.

Experience

• Experience of operating at a senior strategic leadership level within an organisation
• Successful track record of achievement through their career
• Experience of charity governance and working with or as part of a Board of Trustees
• Experience of external representation, delivering presentations and managing stakeholders
• Significant experience of chairing meetings and events
• Experience of recruiting Trustees

Knowledge and skills

• Broad knowledge and understanding of the charity sector and current issues affecting it
• Strong leadership skills, ability to motivate staff and volunteers and bring people together
• Financial management expertise and a broad understanding of charity finance issues
• Good understanding of charity governance issues

What difference will you make?
The MHCPC has an active Board of Management responsible for the day to day running of the organisation. The Chair’s role is to work in partnership with the Board of Management and, with the support of the Board of Trustees, helping them achieve their vision for the organisation.
We are seeking to appoint a dynamic and passionate Chair of the Board of Trustees to provide leadership to the Board and to ensure that the organisation delivers its charitable purpose in close cooperation with the Board of Management.
A Chair is sought who has a strong empathy with the organisation’s objectives and has some understanding of, or interest in, talking therapies and mental health. We are looking to appoint a Chair who can provide strategic insight and expertise to the Board deliberations and support our growth and development at an exciting time for the organisation as we strategically plan how to expand our provision of affordable therapy.