Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Arts or Creative Therapist

The closing date is 04 November 2025

Job summary

Hello applicants, my name is Ellie Varney and I am the Principal Allied Health Professional for Great Yarmouth and Waveney and a Play Therapist by profession. I am pleased to be advertising this post within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Great Yarmouth and Waveney. Arts and Creative Therapies have been an integral part of the CAMHS Team for many years and the successful candidate will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing assessment and treatment to young people who are experiencing mental health difficulties.

The Team are based at Northgate Hospital in Great Yarmouth and Meridian House in Lowestoft, with some flexibility around hybrid working.

Main duties of the job

The Team are looking for an experienced Arts or Creative Therapist who are interested in working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and are able to support the core functions of the team alongside their specialism.

We would be interested in accepting applications from the following professions;

  • Art Therapy
  • Dance Movement Psychotherapy
  • Drama Therapy
  • Music Therapy
  • Play Therapy

Applicants must have a Master's Degree in the above professions (or a Post Graduate Diploma with significant post qualifying experience working with complex young people/in mental health settings). Applicants must also hold either;

  • HCPC registration or
  • Be on a Professional Standards Authority approved register (i.e. BAPT, ADMP, PTUK, BACP)

The main duties of the job will be;

  • Undertaking assessments of suitability for their area of therapy
  • Working individually with young people
  • Group work or parent child work related to their therapy (i.e. filial therapy, CPRT etc.

Additionally, clinicians within the CAMHS team are required to;

  • Offer initial assessments of young people coming into the service
  • Provide engagement and psychoeducation work with young people and their families where needed.
  • Liaise with external agencies, such as Children's Services and schools
  • Understand and be able to manage risk whilst working with young people who are experiencing suicidal ideation or self-harm
  • Be able to recognise Safeguarding issues and act on these appropriately.

About us

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Details

Date posted

27 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year gross per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

246-GYW7511887

Job locations

Northgate Hospital

Great Yarmouth

NR30 1BU


Job description

Job responsibilities

What you can expect from the Team and Service;

  • A robust induction with clear learning objectives
  • A clinical supervisor within the team as well as supervision for your Arts/Creative Therapy.
  • A supportive and welcoming team who meet together weekly
  • Access to rooms that are suitable for Art and Creative Therapy in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
  • Opportunity to be involved in Service Development, both at team level and within the Allied Health Professional Clinical Networks.
  • Support from the Lead Allied Health Professional and Principal Allied Health Professional within Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

The Team are managed by Clair Szemis who shared that "We are a compassionate and well respected team within the CAMHS service line. We have strong, shared team values and ensure that we maintain and caring and supportive work environment for our staff, maintaining a safe base, from which we can provide high quality care to our young people and their families.

We work with children, young people (0-14 years) and their families, with the principal objectives of providing mental health assessment and short-term therapeutic interventions alongside consultation and training. Our service sits within the 'Getting More Help' of the THRIVE model"

The successful candidate will work in collaboration with colleagues from health, education, social care teams and the voluntary sector as well as other Teams within the Trust - such as the Youth Mental Health Service and the Looked After and Adopted Children's CAMHS Team.

Job description

Job responsibilities

What you can expect from the Team and Service;

  • A robust induction with clear learning objectives
  • A clinical supervisor within the team as well as supervision for your Arts/Creative Therapy.
  • A supportive and welcoming team who meet together weekly
  • Access to rooms that are suitable for Art and Creative Therapy in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
  • Opportunity to be involved in Service Development, both at team level and within the Allied Health Professional Clinical Networks.
  • Support from the Lead Allied Health Professional and Principal Allied Health Professional within Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

The Team are managed by Clair Szemis who shared that "We are a compassionate and well respected team within the CAMHS service line. We have strong, shared team values and ensure that we maintain and caring and supportive work environment for our staff, maintaining a safe base, from which we can provide high quality care to our young people and their families.

We work with children, young people (0-14 years) and their families, with the principal objectives of providing mental health assessment and short-term therapeutic interventions alongside consultation and training. Our service sits within the 'Getting More Help' of the THRIVE model"

The successful candidate will work in collaboration with colleagues from health, education, social care teams and the voluntary sector as well as other Teams within the Trust - such as the Youth Mental Health Service and the Looked After and Adopted Children's CAMHS Team.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters in Art/Dance/Drama/Music or Play Therapy (or PGDiploma with additional experience)

Experience

Essential

  • Experience working with young people with significant complexity or mental health difficulties
  • Evidence of providing all aspects of Play Psychotherapy to clients, carers, and significant others.

Desirable

  • Group work in mental health.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters in Art/Dance/Drama/Music or Play Therapy (or PGDiploma with additional experience)

Experience

Essential

  • Experience working with young people with significant complexity or mental health difficulties
  • Evidence of providing all aspects of Play Psychotherapy to clients, carers, and significant others.

Desirable

  • Group work in mental health.

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

Northgate Hospital

Great Yarmouth

NR30 1BU


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

Northgate Hospital

Great Yarmouth

NR30 1BU


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 Allied Health Professional

Ellie Varney

ellie.varney@nsft.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

27 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year gross per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

246-GYW7511887

Job locations

Northgate Hospital

Great Yarmouth

NR30 1BU


Supporting documents

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