Job summary
- Main area
- Family Therapy / Systemic Psychotherapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 18.75 hours per week
- Job ref
- 333-J-BR-0646
- Employer
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Fairfields House
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £49,178 - £55,492 pa pro rata inc HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/06/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Family Therapist / Systemic Psychotherapist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Job overview
We are looking for an innovative, motivated and enthusiastic family/systemic psychotherapist with an interest in working in adult services to join us in the Brent Integrated Psychology & Psychotherapy Service (BIPPS). This would be an excellent opportunity for a newly-qualified Systemic Family Therapist with a background in another mental health training such as Social Work, Occupational Therapy or Mental Health Nursing. The post-holder will be located across the three BIPPS specialist psychological therapies pathways: Complex Mental Health (CMH), Complex Emotional Needs (CEN), and Psychosis. They will also have some input into the Early Intervention in Psychosis service.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a team committed to improving the lives of the population we serve and we are looking to recruit someone who is equally committed to supporting people with their recovery.
As a colleague in BIPPS, the post-holder will be attached to a particular MDT whilst under the management and support of an integrated psychological therapies service. As such they will have contact with colleagues who deliver individual, group and family therapies from a wide range of interesting theoretical models working across the three pathways.
Main duties of the job
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
The post-holder will be expected to work across the psychological therapies pathways, supporting clients and their families/systems using established systemic family therapy interventions/approaches to assess and treat difficult dynamics and relational problems. They will work alongside the senior family therapist in the running of a family therapy clinic, involving colleagues from across the CMHT.
Alongside direct clinical work, the post-holder will also work with the MDT, providing systemic consultations alongside colleagues from other professional groups, as well as supporting teams through reflective practice. They will provide systemic thinking to the different psychological therapy pathways to encourage the whole team to 'think family'.
Working for our organisation
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) is one of the largest trusts in the UK, caring for people with a wide range of physical and mental health needs. We have approximately 7,000 staff who provide healthcare to a third of London's population and across wider geographical areas, including Milton Keynes, Kent, Surrey and Hampshire.
Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference.
CNWL is recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.
Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. Candidates shortlisted for interview will be informed via the email address registered with NHS Jobs.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical responsibilities
- To provide specialist assessment and clinical systemic formulation to individuals, couples, families and social networks where the identified client has severe and highly complex mental health needs, including (but not limited to) emotional and behavioural disturbance, parenting difficulties, acute and chronic mental and physical illness, deliberate self-harm, suicide risk, experiences of violence and trauma, and adult and child safeguarding.
- To select and administer specialist assessments as appropriate through the use of a range of systemic assessment tools. This would include analysis and assessment of multiple levels of contextual meaning, deconstruction of current interactional patterns of behaviour and meaning around mental health issues and complex relationships.
- To provide reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions to inform referrers, service users and their families.
- To select and deliver specialist therapeutic interventions, drawing from a broad spectrum of systemic models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, couple, family or group.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
- To act as lead professional where necessary, taking responsibility for the planning and reviewing of care plans for service users.
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with service users. carers and colleagues taking account of communication needs.
- To ensure that all services provided are acceptable and accessible to the diverse communities which make up the Borough of Brent. At all times to work in ways that are sensitive to and appropriate for the needs of families from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, and to be aware and sensitive to the different contexts that shape different families experiences, beliefs and perceptions. This will include working with interpreters.
Contributing to the wider service
- To contribute to the effective working of the team and to a psychologically and systemically informed framework for the service.
- To provide consultations to other clinical staff on the use of family therapy and systemic psychotherapy techniques and, where appropriate, to jointly work with other team members in the provision of therapeutic interventions
- To take a proactive stance in challenging discrimination and support the development of a culturally competent service.
- To provide systemically informed advice and consultancy to local teams and services for clients.
- To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals to develop and review care plans and to arrange and lead network meetings as appropriate.
- To use theory, evidence-based literature and research to support clinical practice and work with other team members.
Policy and service development
- To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.
- To identify aspects of the service that could be improved and initiate and implement service development projects.
- To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the team.
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users and their families in planning and delivering
Management of resources
- To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
Management and supervision/consultation
- To be responsible for providing consultation to mental health practitioners developing systemic skills.
- To contribute to the appraisal of trainee family therapists, and other mental health practitioners developing systemic skills.
- To participate in the recruitment of trainee family therapists, and other mental health practitioners developing systemic skills..
- To provide consultation for the systemic and family work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
Teaching and training
- To contribute to the teaching and training of family and systemic psychotherapists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Brent Integrated Psychology and Psychotherapy Service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in the field of systemic practice and Adult Mental Health and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
- To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
- To provide training in family/social network inclusive practice to multi-disciplinary teams as appropriate
Record-keeping and information governance
- To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
Research and development
- To contribute to service evaluation and audits
- To contribute to appropriate research within the service.
- To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same
- Initiate and participate in evaluating systemic approaches within particular areas of the service.
Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
- Regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior family and systemic psychotherapist will be available according to AFT, UKCP and Trust guidelines.
- To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with AFT and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the UKCP ‘Continual Professional Development’ guidelines
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
- To adhere to the UKCP ‘Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Conduct’ and Trust policies and procedures
General
- To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour and follow trust policies relating to its management.
- To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and to support others involved in such situations.
This is not intended as an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities of the role. The postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with their manager.
This job description will be reviewed regularly and may change from time to time to meet the changing needs of the Trust and Department.
Person specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Postgraduate qualification in relevant mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field.
- Masters level qualification in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy or equivalent qualification, accredited by UKCP.
- Registered with the UKCP as a Systemic Psychotherapist (or equivalent) and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the UKCP.
Desirable criteria
- Additional qualification in a specialised area of family or couple therapy such as Open Dialogue, EFT or ABFT.
- Recognised qualification in another psychotherapy modality or application, such as psychodynamic psychotherapy, EMDR, MBT, DBT, CBT etc.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of providing specialist systemic assessment, formulation and intervention with clients across with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
- Experience of conducting general psychological assessments and an ability to think broadly about the needs of clients.
- Experience of working with, and addressing issues of, diversity, including experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Significant experience in a relevant first profession (in Health and/or Social Care settings).
Desirable criteria
- Post-qualification experience working as a family/systemic psychotherapist in adult services.
- Experience of providing consultation to a range of staff groups.
- Experience of having worked in an adult mental health context
- Experience of offering clinical supervision.
- Experience of carrying out research, audit or service evaluation projects.
- Experience of having worked in an adult mental health context
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Significant knowledge of the theory and practice of family and systemic psychotherapy relevant to an Adult Mental Health setting.
- Advanced knowledge of a range of systemic models in assessment and treatment, including knowledge of specific family and systemic theories and evidence relevant to an Adult Mental Health setting.
- Knowledge of a range of psychotherapeutic modalities used in an Adult Mental Health setting.
- Knowledge of racial and other diversity issues and factors affecting access to mental health care.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to an Adult Mental Health setting including Adult and Child Safeguarding.
Desirable criteria
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality difficulties, complex and chronic mood and anxiety disorders, and behaviours that challenge etc.)
Other
Essential criteria
- Ability to identify provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
- Ability to identify, and employ as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
- Ability to self-manage within a busy and often emotionally clinical environment.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of multi-agency working
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Alex Fowke
- Job title
- Principal Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0208 937 6314
- Additional information
Maggie Usher, Senior Family Therapist - [email protected]
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