Senior Family Therapist/Systemic Psychotherapist

Family Therapist/ Systemic Psychotherapist

Band: 8a

Main area: CAMHS

Grade: Band 8a (or 7)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37.50 hours per week

Site: The Cove

Town: Heysham

Newly qualified Family Therapists and Trainee Family Therapists can also apply for this post on a Band 7 development post.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Family Therapist to join our inpatient (Tier 4) CAMHS unit for young people and their families. We have the option of appointment to the 1.00 wte 8a post for suitably qualified and experienced candidates, or appointment to a Band 7 development post (also 1.00 wte) for a newly qualified Family Therapist or a Trainee Family Therapist.

This is an exciting post which has been developed and established by the previous postholders as part of the multidisciplinary team at The Cove. The Cove is our Tier 4 Unit which opened in Heysham in 2017 and achieved a rating of Good when assessed by the CQC in May 2019. It achieved accreditation again by QNIC following a visit in April 2023. It provides an Inpatient Mental Health service for young people aged 13-18 to be treated and cared for on a single site.

Main duties of the job:

The postholder will work as a member of the multidisciplinary team to provide assessments and interventions for children, young people, and their families who have been referred to the service. This will include young people who are experiencing identity, personality, and attachment difficulties, who have experienced trauma, loss, and complex adversities in their lives and who are presenting behaviour which challenges us including self-harm, eating disorders, and psychosis. At present, a specific pathway for young people with eating disorders has been developed and the post holder will be an important part of this new initiative.

Specifically, the post holder will be responsible for the provision of systemic practice and family therapy to these young people at The Cove and their families, as well as contributing to the development of the whole staff team to become psychologically and systemically informed and to the development of a reflexive culture and community across the whole system of staff and service users. The Cove is working towards constant improvement in the safety and effectiveness of its service as well as enhancing the experience of those who use its service - actively supported, guided, and informed by a group of experts by experience called The Crew comprising of past service users and parents/carers of past service users.

About us:

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health, and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria, and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working; we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time, and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job description:

Job responsibilities:

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

The postholder will form part of an expanded Psychology and Psychological Therapy Team at The Cove comprising of a Consultant Clinical Psychology lead (who is also a qualified Systemic Psychotherapist), a Clinical Psychologist, and an Assistant Psychologist, in addition to this post. The successful postholder will be based at The Cove in Heysham. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic team to provide the best possible care for young people and their families.

An enhanced DBS check is required for this post.

Person Specification:

Education:

Essential:

• Professional postgraduate qualification in a mental health or social welfare discipline or agreed Association of Family Therapy (AFT) equivalent.
• Professional postgraduate qualification as a Systemic Psychotherapist or agreed Association of Family Therapy (AFT) equivalent.
• Registration as a Systemic Psychotherapist with UKCP or equivalent body.

Experience:

Essential:

• Substantial practice in relevant first profession.
• Substantial experience of working as a family and systemic psychotherapist within Children and Young people's Mental Health Services (or with children and young people in an all-age eating disorder service).
• Experience of working within a Multi-disciplinary Team.

Knowledge:

Essential:

• Skills in the use of methods of Systemic Psychotherapy/Family based assessment, intervention, and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• High level of relationship and communication skills to work with clients, families, and/or professionals where the atmosphere might be highly emotive with clients and families expressing anger and hostility.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.

Employer details:

Employer name: Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address: The Cove, Morcambe, LA3 2SL

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

351-SPS1290-CLK