Are you an experienced family/systemic therapist who wants to have the time and opportunity to offer high quality systemic input in a national specialist service? We are looking to recruit a Family Therapist with experience, passion and flexibility to join our specialist adolescent inpatient services. Family therapy is highly valued you will work directly with families and young people, and also help to influence the units' culture, values and philosophy.

Our ideal candidate will have the willingness to think creatively, commitment to compassionate care and flexibility to think outside traditional clinical models. Duties include direct clinical work, and work with staff teams through teaching, consultation and supervision. You will be part of the Psychological Therapies Team which also includes Creative Therapists and Psychologists and works alongside Occupational Therapy, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Social Work and Nursing.

As families are from a wide geographical area, the role will involve travelling to see families/video conferencing as well as working in the unit.

Bluebird House provides a 13 bedded Secure Forensic Mental Health Service for young people aged 12 to 18. Bluebird is set on the edge of the New Forest in a tranquil rural setting, but within a few miles of the city of Southampton. Informal enquiries are welcome and visits to the unit are encouraged.

Main duties of the job

To provide highly specialist and generic discipline specific assessments of referred clients, using interview, and other assessment methods as appropriate.

To formulate and devise systemic treatment and management plans for a highly complex client group and to provide systemic family therapy, using a range of generic and discipline-specific specialist psychotherapeutic family therapy interventions appropriate to the service.

To provide specialist family systems advice, guidance and consultation to other NHS professionals and to external agencies. To assist in the formulation and treatment of clients.

The psychological model of care is based on attachment and trauma, and incorporates Non Violence Resistance (NVR), promoting a relational approach to the therapeutic work within the unit. The the family therapist will take a lead on the development and implementation of NVR (training will be provided).

To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation, treatment plans and needs of the client.

To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant, trainee, and qualified staff.

Develop, deliver and maintain a multidisciplinary Systemic Family Therapy Service.

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members and inter-agency colleagues.

About us

Southern Health is one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK, specialising in mental health and learning disabilities, as well as offering physical health community-based services.

With a workforce of more than 7000 and a footprint that spans more than 200 sites across Hampshire, we're committed to providing the best possible healthcare, reaching a range of diverse communities, whilst placing patients and staff at the forefront of all our endeavours.

We are currently working closely with other NHS Trusts to combine all our collective community, mental health, and learning disability services, with the plan to create a new larger, more integrated and accessible organisation.

The transformation will happen in stages Hampshire CAMHS, part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust joined Southern Health in February 2024, with Isle of Wight NHS Trust mental health and community services transitioning across in May 2024. The final combination of Southern Health and Solent NHS Trust services is expected in late 2024, when our new organisation, to be known as Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, will be formed.

Our new Trust will continue to cater to the unique needs of different communities, making healthcare across the county more accessible, as well as offering staff more opportunities for career development, training and partnership working.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare in Hampshire.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• The Post-holder must possess dual qualifications:
• a core professional qualification within Education, Health, Social Work or Management and
• a post-graduate clinical Diploma/Masters Degree in Systemic Family Therapy from a training institute recognised by the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT) or equivalent (e.g. the equivalence criteria laid down by UKCP for & quot grandparent& quot and & quot APEL& quot qualification as Family Therapists).
• The Post-holder must possess an active registration as a Systemic Psychotherapist with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

Desirable

• Systemic supervision qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Post-qualification supervised clinical experience with young people/adults with complex presentations, including risk to self and others, and their families.

Desirable

• Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
• Experience of the application of mental health in different cultural contexts.

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Knowledge of Systemic Psychotherapy, drawing on a wide range of models as appropriate to the needs of adolescents, carers and families presenting with multi-complex difficulties
• Ability to use this knowledge and skills with a highly complex client group.
• Knowledge of systemic psychological interventions that 'fit' with families.
• Knowledge of problems faced by families whose children have severe psychiatric difficulties.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of mental health assessment, intervention and management.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Skills in the assessment of developmental, family, school based, intrapersonal and mental health factors
• Skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practiced within the clinical field of child mental health
• Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary and multi-agency setting.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice.
• Can demonstrate effective team work
• Flexible and adaptive working style
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of families from a wide geographical area.
• Calm under pressure
• Self-motivated and able to work without supervision
• Diplomatic and empathetic manner
• Able to maintain confidentiality
• Attention to detail
• Full driving licence with access to a car.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of systemic psychotherapeutic family therapy in specific difficult to treat groups
• Current knowledge of relevant legislation and ethical issues e.g., Child Protection/Safeguarding Children with the specialist knowledge and skills needed for working with families where there are children at risk and in need of protection.
• Interest and ability to contribute to service development.

Employer details

Employer name

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bluebird House

Tatchbury Mount, Calmore

Southampton

Hampshire

SO40 2RZ

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

348-SS-5757