Family & Systemic Psychotherapist

Main area Family & Systemic Psychotherapy

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 7

Contract: 12 months (fixed term)

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (flexible and remote working possible in line with service need)

Job ref: 220-WHT-2940-A

Employer: Whittington Health NHS Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Whittington Hospital

Town: London

Salary: £54,320 - £60,981 per annum inclusive of HCAs

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 02/04/:59

Job overview The Paediatric Mental Health Team provides integrated care to children, young people and their families at Whittington Hospital. In partnership with our paediatric colleagues, we offer assessment, treatment and consultation across the outpatient services, children's wards, neonatal unit and emergency department.

We are looking for an experienced Family and Systemic Psychotherapist to join our dedicated team for a year, covering a colleague's career break. The role will involve working closely with children, young people and their families who have both physical and mental health difficulties. Skills, experience and passion for working across a range of social and cultural contexts are essential.

Main duties of the job

• Assessment, treatment and consultation with children, young people, families and their networks presenting to Whittington Hospital with physical and mental health problems.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities Clinical:

• To assess, formulate and devise treatment plans for referred children and families.
• To deliver interventions using a range of generic and systemic models, applied in the hospital setting.
• To work autonomously and independently in carrying out assessments and treatments to best meet children and families' needs and in line with service practice, with the support and guidance of the PMHT Lead Clinician, Manager, Lead and multi-disciplinary team.
• To hold and manage a caseload of children and families.
• To provide specialist mental health advice, guidance, and consultation to paediatric colleagues and other professionals/agencies to assist in the formulation, diagnosis, and treatment of children and families.
• To assess and manage risk and safeguarding needs.
• To contribute to and undertake multidisciplinary and joint assessments and treatment, when appropriate and agreed by the MDT.
• To provide reports and communicate in a skilled, sensitive and timely manner concerning the assessment, formulation, treatment plans and needs of children and families.
• Liaise with other health, social care, and education staff, from a range of agencies, in the care provided to children and families from each service.
• To gather outcomes and feedback for the treatment offered.

Teaching, training and supervision:

• To continue to develop skills in systemic psychotherapy through training and clinical supervision.
• To access regular continuing professional development and supervision as appropriate for the role.
• To supervise and manage others, where appropriate.
• To provide training, advice, and consultation where appropriate as part of the paediatric multidisciplinary team, as well as social care, voluntary sector and education staff.
• To take part in research, service evaluation and development.
• To undertake project management, e.g., audit or service evaluation, in line with agreed service and department goals.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and family work, and with other team members and inter-agency colleagues.

General:

• To practice in a culturally competent manner, with understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion factors affecting access to mental health care.
• To ensure the development and maintenance of the highest personal standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder's professional and service managers.
• To work flexibly and with initiative to meet the core aims of service delivery to children and families.
• To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice within the service areas, by exercising the skills of a reflexive and reflective practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the post holder's area of specialism and in child mental health and related disciplines.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with Service and Trust policies and procedures.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and client group.
• To undertake such other duties and responsibilities, appropriate to the grade of the post, as may be agreed with the service managers.
• To attend Community CAMHS meetings and participate in the monthly Family Therapy Discipline meetings as agreed with the Head of Discipline and Service Manager.

Person specification:

• Masters level qualification in family and systemic psychotherapy accredited by UKCP.
• Additional, recognised therapeutic qualification.
• Mentorship/supervision training.
• Skills in delivering psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of systemic assessment, and management of individuals, couples, family systems and groups, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients and their families, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Experience of working with children & young people with physical and mental health difficulties.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of children and families, across the life cycle and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary and multiagency context.
• Experience of psychological assessment, treatment and risk management of children, young people and families with a range of presenting problems of a complex nature.
• Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
• Knowledge of research methods and data analysis in health care.
• Experience of working in an acute hospital setting.
• Lived experience of physical and/or mental health difficulties.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust's Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct.

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Your application form:

• Provide only business email address for your referees - we are unable to request references from yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail accounts.
• Make sure you to include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the jobs description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.

Our processes:

• Closing dates are given as a guide; we are within our right to close adverts early so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.
• If you do not hear from us up to 3 weeks after the closing date of the job unfortunately this means you have not been successfully shortlisted for interview. If you require feedback on your application please contact the appointing manager detailed in the body of the advert.
• Please check your emails regularly as all correspondence from us will be via trac.systems - occasionally these emails will go into your Junk folder.
• Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.

Other important information:

• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.
• In submitting an application form . click apply for full job details