The post holder will work alongside two other systemic therapists, and systemic and clinical psychology trainees in the team. The systemic team is embedded within a psychotherapy service offering a range of therapies for clients experiencing complex, severe and enduring mental health difficulties, including cognitive behavioral therapy, psycho-dynamic therapy, integrative therapy, arts therapy, trauma-focused interventions, and mentalization-based therapy.

The post holder will be responsible for delivering specialist systemic psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, groups and carers; and for offering consultation, training and teaching to colleagues from other professional backgrounds. The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service policies and procedures.

The post holder will join a vibrant team of psychological practitioners and therapists, and contributing to a high quality clinical service using a variety of therapeutic models with an approach which takes into account the social, economic and political context of psychological problems and considers the impact on mental health of socio-economic deprivation, difference, discrimination and racism.

We welcome applications from people who have just qualified and are awaiting registration with UKCP.

Main duties of the job

To provide generic mental health and specialist systemic individual, couple and family assessments of service users, their families and networks, utilising information from a range of systemic methodologies and employing research-based evidence models, in order to formulate and implement treatment plans in the context of professional and wider social systems.

To provide systemic psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, carers and networks. To be able to adjust and refine systemic formulations drawing upon different explanatory models, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses tailored to the needs of the individual, the client system and the context, and the on-going evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention.

To provide specialist systemic psychotherapy, working in ways which are sensitive to the needs of service users & families from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. Competence is required in undertaking systemic psychotherapy through the use of an interpreter where clients do not yet have sufficient understanding of the English language. It is necessary to have an ability to work with clients where communication is challenging

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations

Job description Job responsibilities

Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.

Person Specification Education/ Qualification/ Training Essential

• Professional qualification in a mental health or social welfare discipline or agreed Association of Family Therapy (AFT) equivalent.
• An AFT recognised four-year training leading to a qualification in Systemic Family Psychotherapy
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registration with the College for Family, Couple and Systemic Therapy.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines, leading to continuing registration.

Experience Essential

• Experience of working in psychological therapies at either primary or secondary care level.
• Experience of working with a multi-disciplinary Team.
• Experience of conducting risk assessments, preparing risk management plans and initiating appropriate action where indicated.
• Experience of the application of psychological therapies in different cultural contexts

Desirable

• Experience of working in an Adult Mental Health setting, in either first profession or as a systemic practitioner.
• Experience of working in the NHS.
• Experience of teaching and training Systemic Therapy theory and skills to other professional groups

Knowledge and Skills Essential

• Skills in the use of methods of Systemic Psychotherapy and family-based assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Knowledge and skill in using the variety of approaches and methods within systemic practice, as required in the work with individuals, couples, family systems, groups and organisations.
• Knowledge of conducting literature searches and critically analysing clinical and research evidence. Knowledge of research methodology consistent with systemic practice.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines and in other settings in order to establish effective working relationships and partnerships that support care packages.
• Knowledge of other modalities (e.g. psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural therapy, psychiatry) to a degree sufficient to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients.
• An ability to use systemic skills to manage complex professional networks and processes in relation to individuals and families
• 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
• Ability to provide ongoing treatment in complex, often unstable and frequently changing circumstances.
• Ability to take substantial professional responsibility and to act autonomously in respect of clinical decisions in the area of specialist practice.
• Knowledge of ethical practice; being mindful of issues of power and diversity; and working in a way that is sensitive to issues of difference and clients' cultural backgrounds.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to mental health and the full range of client groups.
• Ability to work effectively through an interpreter where the individual or family does not have English as their first language.
• Knowledge and skills of risk management and ability to perform a clinical risk assessment.
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time and maintain intense focused concentration during clinical tasks, often in pressurised circumstances.
• Ability to withstand high levels of emotionally charged situations
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and an ability to hold the stress of others.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of Systemic Psychotherapy in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. people diagnosed with psychosis or personality disorder).
• Skills in providing Systemic Therapy consultation, teaching and training to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to teach and train others using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Skills in both live and indirect supervision of systemic psychotherapists and/or multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Adequate keyboard skills and understanding of IT packages.

Other Essential

• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to be accountable for your own professional actions within professional ethics and trust policy.
• Ability to understand and implement the Trust's Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.
• Evidence of a sickness (or attendance) record that is acceptable to the Trust.
• Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health Department to the duties of the post.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

363-NEW10964-B