Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Systemic Family Therapist

The closing date is 27 October 2025

Job summary

8a Family Therapist - Children and Young Peoples Eating Disorders Service

This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-established & highly experienced specialist service. An enthusiastic Family and Systemic Psychotherapist is being advertised to join our Children, Families and Young People (CFYP) Eating Disorders Service.

As a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist within the service, you would provide clinical input across Suffolk, however we are also be open to a discussion regarding locality preferences if this fits with the service needs. The team operate core hours 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday with a base both in Ipswich and Bury st Edmunds/Newmarket.

The applicant, if successful, will be providing highly specialist multidisciplinary assessment & treatment for children and adolescents with eating disorders. You will provide expert clinical interventions to families and individuals, as well as joining and supporting more junior but experienced colleagues with cases.

Main duties of the job

You will be providing highly specialist assessment and treatment to families and young people within a systemic framework that utilises family therapy models and interventions.

The role includes offering monthly group and individual supervision to the wider practitioners within the team, sharing of systemic thinking within this group supervision and in clinical team case discussions. This is also widened onto systemic consultations and supporting MDT members in formulation, case reviews & discussions and therapeutic skills.

The service has a systemic underpinning with Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa / Bulimia Nervosa (FT-AN/BN) Treatment Model (Family Based Treatment/Maudsley Model) for eating disorders as its core intervention and training will be accessible.

The service takes a holistic whole family approach to assessment and intervention and the MDT consists of clinical team leaders, nurses, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians, assistant mental health practitioners, assistant psychologists, support workers and peer support worker.

The team hold team working and a shared culture and ethos at their core and the team strives to conduct the more complex cases in therapeutic pairs where possible.

The service also operates an Intensive Support Pathway embedded in the team and this can include family therapy sessions during this intense treatment period alongside the Multidisciplinary Team.

About us

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive. In addition to consolidating our NICE-recommended treatment offer, we also welcome innovative treatment approaches to delivering eating disorder care. We will support you to access relevant specialist training and contribute to treatment evaluation.

Recognising the value of our psychological workforce, you will be part of a psychology-led care group, which is currently offering a competitive recruitment incentive.

Benefits included with this role are:-

  • NHS pension
  • a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
  • career progression
  • starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
  • staff physio service

NHS discounts and many more

Details

Date posted

14 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

246-WSU7504849

Job locations

F block

Hospital Road

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 3PX


Job description

Job responsibilities

This post is embedded into the Eating Disorders Senior Leadership Team with ongoing opportunities to play a key role in service development which can include the implementation of Multi Family Group Therapy.

NSFT in Suffolk is eager to establish systemic thinking and practice across the board and your input in this will be really valued. You will be able to work closely with fellow Family and Systemic Psychotherapists in different teams across the trust.

The post holder will have experience of working with a range of complex and challenging behaviours exercising full clinical responsibility for psychological treatment.

You will be utilising skills in complex methods of systemic assessment, intervention and management and possess well developed communication skills. You will be working closely with the already established systemic workforce in the service, as well as the senior leadership teams.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Job description

Job responsibilities

This post is embedded into the Eating Disorders Senior Leadership Team with ongoing opportunities to play a key role in service development which can include the implementation of Multi Family Group Therapy.

NSFT in Suffolk is eager to establish systemic thinking and practice across the board and your input in this will be really valued. You will be able to work closely with fellow Family and Systemic Psychotherapists in different teams across the trust.

The post holder will have experience of working with a range of complex and challenging behaviours exercising full clinical responsibility for psychological treatment.

You will be utilising skills in complex methods of systemic assessment, intervention and management and possess well developed communication skills. You will be working closely with the already established systemic workforce in the service, as well as the senior leadership teams.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Postgraduate qualification in appropriate mental health/social welfare profession
  • Masters or Doctoral level qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy
  • Eligibility for UKCP registration
  • Training in teaching Systematic Psychotherapy

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of continuing professional development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines

Skills

Essential

  • Skills in applying systemic theory to work with individuals, couples, family systems, groups and organisations
  • Ability to support development of profession though participation in professional bodies and activities
  • Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to hold the stresses of others
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Postgraduate qualification in appropriate mental health/social welfare profession
  • Masters or Doctoral level qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy
  • Eligibility for UKCP registration
  • Training in teaching Systematic Psychotherapy

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of continuing professional development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines

Skills

Essential

  • Skills in applying systemic theory to work with individuals, couples, family systems, groups and organisations
  • Ability to support development of profession though participation in professional bodies and activities
  • Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to hold the stresses of others

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Address

F block

Hospital Road

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 3PX


Employer's website

https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Address

F block

Hospital Road

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 3PX


Employer's website

https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Principal Family and Systemic Psychotherapist

Derya Ozcelik

derya.ozcelik@nsft.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

14 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

246-WSU7504849

Job locations

F block

Hospital Road

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 3PX


Supporting documents

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