Job summary
Due to on-going investment, a structure review and subsequent expansion of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Team within West London CAMHS, an excitement opportunity has arisen for a child and adolescent psychotherapist to join Hammersmith & Fulham Tier 3 CAMHS as a Specialist (Band 7) Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. The post is across two teams, Child and Family Team (four sessions/two days) and Adolescent Team (four sessions/two days).
For this post, we are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with a broad range of experience of working in a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and multi-cultural context, including experience of working with children and families who present with a high level of complexity and require skilled assessments and intervention. You will provide psychotherapy assessments and specialist psychotherapy treatment including Short Term Psychotherapy (STPP) and parent work, alongside more generic clinical work.
Child and adolescent psychotherapists who are still in training and are about to qualify are welcome to apply, and the post would be equally suitable for somebody with experience working at band 7 already, but who wishes to take on a new challenge. You will receive regular supervision and line management from the Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. There are excellent opportunities for professional development.
Main duties of the job
The post would be suited to someone who is passionate about delivering high quality and effective services with young people and families, and working with multidisciplinary and multi-agency colleagues on some of the challenges facing mental health services for children and young people.
You will offer an efficient, effective and comprehensive child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy service to children and young people with severe, complex and persistent mental health problems and their families/careers, and liaise effectively with other CAMHS colleagues and others in the network supporting the young person.
Furthermore, you will be a member of the multidisciplinary team, provide consultation to outside agencies, and promote the discipline and practice of child psychotherapy in Hammersmith & Fulham CAMHS.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.
The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good relevant honours degree, or a recognised equivalent.
- Other related professional qualification or equivalent.
- Postgraduate accredited training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.
- Eligibility for full membership of Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).
Desirable
- Keyboard skills (physical skills)
Experience
Essential
- Pre-qualification professional experience with children, adolescents and families (e.g. clinical/educational psychology, teaching, social work).
- Experience of work with complex family situations where there is a threat of abuse and breakdown.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity and across the age range of 0-18, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Substantial experience in working in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, multi-cultural context.
Desirable
- Experience of assessment and intervention with individuals with neurodevelopmental difficulties.
- Substantial experience of work with families where the parents are mentally ill.
- Experience of professional teaching and training.
- Experience of professional teaching and training.
- Substantial experience of work with families where the parents are mentally ill.
Knowledge
Essential
- Good knowledge of relevant theories, practices and research in the field of child and adolescent development and psychotherapy and ability to apply them to relevant work situations.
- Knowledge of adult mental health problems.
- Evidence of continuous professional development as recommended by the ACP.
Desirable
- Knowledge of research methodology.
- Specialist areas of knowledge based on further training and experience.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with patients, staff, administrators and managers about highly complex and sensitive matters in situation of potential conflict or psychological/emotional pain, and where mental health problems affect relationships.
- Capacity to listen to other points of view effectively about highly complex issues through reports, publication or public presentation.
- Good level of analytic skills and understanding of unconscious processes and their impact on the individual, group and institutional processes.
- Ability to remain still and maintain intense concentration in clinical settings with children, adolescents, parents/carers and families where there may be high level of distress, verbal and physical aggression or chaotic activity.
- Ability to integrate available highly complex clinical information into a coherent formulation and to apply it in treatment and clinical management.
- Ability to monitor and assess risk and act accordingly.
- Writes clear records and observes policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Ability to plan and organise own workload and time.
- Ability to plan and organise own workload and time.
- Ability to plan, co-ordinate and organise aspects of service activities.
- IT and internet research skills.
- Ability to conduct audit and research.
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to plan, evaluate, monitor and develop services.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Must be able to contain anxiety without recourse to premature action.
- Personal experience of Psychoanalysis
- Has a good judgement about when to act to ensure safety.
- Works independently but can involve colleagues appropriately.
- Continues to think clearly in situations of high level of emotion and stress.
- Can process own emotional reactions as possible information about the patient's or family's emotional state
- Contains and works with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.
- Familiar with and works within ACP's Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics
- Work autonomously within overall framework of policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good relevant honours degree, or a recognised equivalent.
- Other related professional qualification or equivalent.
- Postgraduate accredited training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.
- Eligibility for full membership of Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).
Desirable
- Keyboard skills (physical skills)
Experience
Essential
- Pre-qualification professional experience with children, adolescents and families (e.g. clinical/educational psychology, teaching, social work).
- Experience of work with complex family situations where there is a threat of abuse and breakdown.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity and across the age range of 0-18, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Substantial experience in working in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, multi-cultural context.
Desirable
- Experience of assessment and intervention with individuals with neurodevelopmental difficulties.
- Substantial experience of work with families where the parents are mentally ill.
- Experience of professional teaching and training.
- Experience of professional teaching and training.
- Substantial experience of work with families where the parents are mentally ill.
Knowledge
Essential
- Good knowledge of relevant theories, practices and research in the field of child and adolescent development and psychotherapy and ability to apply them to relevant work situations.
- Knowledge of adult mental health problems.
- Evidence of continuous professional development as recommended by the ACP.
Desirable
- Knowledge of research methodology.
- Specialist areas of knowledge based on further training and experience.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with patients, staff, administrators and managers about highly complex and sensitive matters in situation of potential conflict or psychological/emotional pain, and where mental health problems affect relationships.
- Capacity to listen to other points of view effectively about highly complex issues through reports, publication or public presentation.
- Good level of analytic skills and understanding of unconscious processes and their impact on the individual, group and institutional processes.
- Ability to remain still and maintain intense concentration in clinical settings with children, adolescents, parents/carers and families where there may be high level of distress, verbal and physical aggression or chaotic activity.
- Ability to integrate available highly complex clinical information into a coherent formulation and to apply it in treatment and clinical management.
- Ability to monitor and assess risk and act accordingly.
- Writes clear records and observes policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Ability to plan and organise own workload and time.
- Ability to plan and organise own workload and time.
- Ability to plan, co-ordinate and organise aspects of service activities.
- IT and internet research skills.
- Ability to conduct audit and research.
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to plan, evaluate, monitor and develop services.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Must be able to contain anxiety without recourse to premature action.
- Personal experience of Psychoanalysis
- Has a good judgement about when to act to ensure safety.
- Works independently but can involve colleagues appropriately.
- Continues to think clearly in situations of high level of emotion and stress.
- Can process own emotional reactions as possible information about the patient's or family's emotional state
- Contains and works with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.
- Familiar with and works within ACP's Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics
- Work autonomously within overall framework of policies and procedures.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
