Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist to join our East Cheshire Children and Young People's Mental Health Service (CYPMHS 0-18).

The post-holder will work closely with the Trust-wide Consultant Child and Adolescent psychotherapist, local Clinical Co-ordinator, Operational Team Manager and Specialist CYPMHS Clinicians in East Cheshire CYPMHS 0-18 to lead on the delivery of a high-quality child and adolescent psychotherapy and psychoanalytically informed service to our local children, young people and families.

With the support of the Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist it is anticipated that the post-holder will offer placements for Trainee Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists from the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (NSCAP), and clinical supervision to qualified Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists.

Our main clinic base is in Macclesfield, only minutes from the Peak District National Park. The post-holder would also be expected to offer some clinical input to our team in Crewe where there would be an opportunity for some joint working with the Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist while settling into the post.

Please note that the post is advertised at 0.7 WTE and you must be a full member of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) in order to be considered for shortlisting.

Main duties of the job

The Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist will offer highly specialist psychoanalytic assessment and treatment of children and young people presenting with severe and complex mental health difficulties.

It is anticipated that the post-holder will offer placements for Trainee Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in the near future to promote a culture of learning in the team, and further embed the provision of a psychoanalytic offer for the children and young people who access our service. It is also anticipated that the role will involve offering clinical supervision to qualified Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in time.

In collaboration with other senior members of the team, they will be responsible for a range of leadership, supervision and clinical governance activities.

This is an exciting time to join CWP's Children and Young People's Mental Health Services, to be part of a developing multidisciplinary team, and to join a small but innovative group of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists across the wider Trust.

About us

CWP provides health and care services for local people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care - including the provision of three GP surgeries.

Our aim is to help people to be the best they can be, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We were recently rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission with a Good rating overall.

We offer a variety of roles at all levels, so whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your skills and experience in a new role, CWP is the right employer for you.

CWP are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences.

To support this, we offer up to three weeks induction, dependent on role, with our Prepare to Care programme for all new starters. This programme welcomes you to CWP and provides you with information and training to support you in your role.

We welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please download a copy of the job description for full details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust's Values and Behaviours in their everyday life. Therefore, if you are invited to interview, you will be undertaking a Values Based Interview/Assessment, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's Values and Behaviours which are the 6 Cs Communication, Competence, Courage, Care, Compassion and Commitment. The supporting information section in your application should therefore reflect your understanding of the Trust's Values and associated behaviours. You will be expected to provide us with examples from work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviour.

An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website here. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email cwp.recruitment@nhs.net or by calling 01244 393100.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

CWP is proud to be an accredited Veteran Aware organisation helping to provide and share best practice in NHS care for our armed forces community. As a veteran aware organisation, CWP is committed to delivering on the principles of the Armed Force Covenant and has a Silver award with the MOD Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (DERS).

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

If you experience any technical difficulties or need help when making an application please contact our Recruitment Team on 01244 393100.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Post-graduate diploma or Master's degree (pre-clinical training recognised by the Association of Child Psychotherapists).
• Professional qualification as a Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist recognised by the Association of Child Psychotherapists (doctoral-level training or equivalent).
• Full membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

Desirable

• Post qualification training in clinical supervision.
• Relevant post-qualification training for specialist clinical, research, professional teaching/supervision or equivalent.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERTISE

Essential

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of child and adolescent psychotherapy, including psychoanalytic theories and models of development, psychopathology, family and institutional dynamics and models of intervention and practice.
• A minimum of 4 years post-qualification experience of working in the role of a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist offering psychoanalytic clinical assessment/intervention with children/young people presenting severe and complex difficulties (and their families, parents/carers) in a CAMHS (or equivalent) setting.
• Substantial/extensive experience of psychoanalytic assessment and therapeutic work with difficult, disturbed and challenging children and young people (and their families, parents/carers) requiring skilled and complex psychotherapeutic understanding and interventions.
• Experience of the service supervisor role for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in doctoral training.
• Extensive/substantial experience of working with professional networks and awareness of issues for networks and teams.
• Extensive/substantial experience of providing consultation and support to professionals in health, education and/or social care.
• Significant experience of representing child and adolescent psychotherapy within the context of multidisciplinary and multi-agency treatment and care.
• High level ability to communicate effectively, (in written and verbal forms) complex, technical and clinically sensitive information to children, young people and their carers and families, and a wide range of professionals within and outside of CYPMHS.
• Knowledge of legislation and national guidance in relation to the needs of children and young people and to mental health (including safeguarding procedures) and its implications for clinical practice.

Desirable

• Experience of designing and implementing audits.
• Experience of supervising and/or facilitating development of qualified child psychotherapists.
• Post-qualification experience in developing a relevant area of special interest (e.g., brief under-5s work, STPP, consultation to CLA networks).
• Experience of contributing to service developments.

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to convey highly complex and clinically sensitive information to children, young people and their families and to a range of professionals within and outside the NHS.
• Capacity to communicate clearly with a wide-range of multidisciplinary team colleagues.
• Highly-developed skills in the use of complex psychoanalytic methods of assessment, intervention and management in work with infants/children/ young people, parents/carers and families.
• Highly-developed skills in co-working, liaison and consultation with others.
• Capacity to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team context.
• Ability to assess risk, manage risk and make complex judgment about risk issues.
• Ability to work with people from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicity from one's own.
• Ability to cope with stressful interpersonal situations, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical aggression, and to communicate in situations in which there may be barriers to the acceptance of communications.
• Capacity to prioritise complex tasks and organise workload to meet service needs.

Employer details

Employer name

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Elm House

Lea Bank Close

Macclesfield

SK11 8HE

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

373-CYP1330