We are offering an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, ambitious, and motivated Systemic & Family Psychotherapist to join Hammersmith & Fulham CAMHS. Hammersmith & Fulham CAMHS is a well-established multidisciplinary Specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service which is based at 48 Glenthorne Road, London, W6 0LS.

West London CAMHS employs family therapists across many specialties including generic CAMHS, Crisis CAMHS, Eating Disorders, Neuro-developmental Conditions and Learning Disabilities. This means there is ample opportunity for networking with colleagues and sharing expertise.

As a systemic & family psychotherapist within West London CAMHS you will be offered good opportunities for continuing professional development and you will be supported in your career progression.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will join the Child & Family Team and carry out specialist assessments of children and young people with complex mental health presentations and will document the outcome of these assessments, providing formulation, diagnosis, and recommendations for interventions. They will offer a range of individual, family and group systemic therapy interventions, including risk management, for children and young people attending the Service. The successful applicant will work with other family therapists in a family therapy clinic in addition to holding an individual caseload. You will receive regular clinical, professional and management supervision from the Principal Systemic & Family Psychotherapist. In turn you will provide supervision to b7 Systemic & Family therapists. We offer a wide range of in house and external training opportunities e.g. Narrative therapy NVR. We have good relationships with FT training providers and we offer specialist placements to trainees.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We'rerated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

The regulations mandating vaccination for in-scope roles in the NHS have now been removed. The Trust does however continue to encourage and support staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19. Vaccination data will be collected by our recruitment team during your on-boarding if you are happy to provide a copy of your COVID pass.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will join the multidisciplinary mental health team in the delivery of mental health care to children and young people and provide highly specialist systemic psychotherapy input to children and young people and their families in the Child & Family Team. They will support systemic thinking within the multi-disciplinary team.

They will participate in Service User Initiatives.

The post holder will also take part in the service wide Duty rota.

They will provide highly specialist systemic assessment and therapy at the same time as offering advice and consultation to CAMHS colleagues and to other professionals involved with respect to systemic psychotherapy.

They will undertake complex multi-agency work with outside agencies (for example education, social services, G.P.s) and colleagues within West London Mental Health Trust.

The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of systemic practice within the service, including taking responsibility for contributing to audit, policy and service development in line with clinical governance.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Post-graduate training in systemic family therapists as accredited by IFT or AFT.
• Professional registration with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• Previous qualification in a relevant profession such as social work, nursing, teaching, psychology or counselling.

Desirable

• Training in CYP/IAPT
• Systemic supervision training

Experience

Essential

• Substantial length of practice in relevant first profession
• Significant experience of work with children and adolescents in a mental health or equivalent setting
• Experience of teaching, supervision and/or consultation
• Experience of research and audit

Desirable

• Experience of other treatment approaches
• Experience of teaching and training systemic psychotherapy
• Experience of NVR (non-violent resistance) approach.

Knowledge

Essential

• Evidence base in relation to child and adolescent mental health
• Research and research methodology at post-graduate level in relation to children and adults with mental health and social problems
• The impact of abuse, trauma and other adverse experiences on children, young people and families.
• Legislation and DOH guidelines relevant to child and adolescent mental health e.g. Mental Health Act 1983, Children Act 1989
• Child protection policies and procedures
• Child development in relation to mental health difficulties.
• Knowledge of other modalities (i.e. psychoanalytical, biological, cognitive, behavioural etc.) sufficient to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients

Desirable

• Specialist knowledge in one or more areas of systemic therapy.

Skills

Essential

• Skills in working with children and families with mental health and social problems using a variety of approaches coherent with a systemic perspective.
• Ability to apply analytical skills to multi-layered complex cases.
• Ability to formulate comprehensive assessments and offer effective treatment based on systemic principles.
• Ability to provide ongoing treatment in complex, often unstable, and frequently changing circumstances.
• Ability to liaise with and manage complex professional networks in relation to individuals and families.
• Skills in consulting to professional colleagues within and outside CAMHS
• Ability to withstand high levels of emotional distress and think clearly in emotionally charged situations.
• Ability to manage the risk of verbal and physical aggression. Ability to manage and plan own workload of complex cases.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable

• Ability to adhere to and promote equal opportunities in the development of the service.
• Willingness and ability to work in co-operation with others.
• Physically able to withstand the effort of working in conditions of stress

Administration and Record Keeping

Essential

• Competent in the use of clinical recording systems such as RIO.
• Understands the process for keeping safe, secure and relevant clinical records Understands and is able to use online incident reporting systems.

Attitude, Aptitude and Personal Characteristics

Essential

• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.
• Treats service users with respect and dignity at all times.
• Enthusiastic, flexible and confident approach to working.
• Able to prioritise own workload.
• Willingness and ability to learn new skills and adapt to change.
• Honesty, enthusiasm and a sense of loyalty Conducts self in a professional, courteous manner at all times.

Employer details

Employer name

West London NHS Trust

Address

17405 H& F T3 Children & Family

Hammersmith & Fulham

UB2 4SA

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

222-LS-CAMHS-434