Music Therapist

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

• To provide Music Therapy including assessment, treatment and evaluation of group and individual work for service users within a specialist personality disorder programme and focused treatment programme for people with psychosis.
• Undertake the supervision of students and/or honoraries.
• Undertake arts therapy/psychotherapy research/audit as per the Trust research strategy for the arts therapies/psychotherapies and participate in research and audit.

Overview of Main Responsibilities:

1. To plan and develop Music Therapy for service users who are referred to the psychological therapies service/ arts psychotherapies.
2. To assess referred service users in an adequate timeframe with respect to formulating and planning treatment taking into account risk factors, complexity of presentation, service user need, and service priorities.
3. To develop a high level of specialist clinical skill relevant to the fields of personality disorder and psychosis.
4. To contribute specialist knowledge from Music Therapy assessment and treatment to the overall treatment of each service user through contribution to clinical meetings.
5. To work in conjunction with the Community Arts Psychotherapies service, accepting and forwarding referrals as necessary.
6. To contribute to the development of the arts therapies within the Trust by facilitating placements for arts therapy students/honoraries, offering opportunities for participant observation. And participating and developing research.
7. Clinical supervision of students.
8. To be responsible for clinical input to the Trusts research strategy for the arts therapies supervising allocated staff.
9. To be responsible for the completion of accurate and appropriate clinical notes and recording these appropriately and in a timely manner on electronic patient databases.
10. To contribute to MDT in responding to service users crises, answering enquiries, making presentations or attending meetings as required.

Education and qualifications

Essential

• oGood honours degree in Music or equivalent performing/work experience
• oMA/MSc or equivalent in Music therapy
• oEligibility for State Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• oTraining in risk assessment, breakaway, health and safety, child protection or willingness to complete this in the first year of employment.
• oEvidence of CPD since qualifying.

Desirable

• oOther related academic qualifications
• oAdvanced keyboard skills
• oTraining in breakaway/de-escalation techniques
• Further training in Personality Disorder/Psychosis/Trau ma

Previous experience

Essential

• oExperience of offering autonomously group and individual arts therapy/psychotherapy with this client group
• oExperience of working with a Psychiatric in-patient setting
• oExperience of working with people with disturbed and challenging behaviour
• oEvidence of participation in research (can be as part of MA/MSc training).
• oExperience of personal psychotherapy.
• o Experience of working with people with a diagnosed personality disorder(s)

Desirable

• oExperience of being sole arts therapist/psychotherapist in a MDT.
• oExperience of working in a PICU

Other

Essential

• oThe postholder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.
• oAbility to work to professional standards and guidelines.

Desirable

• oAbility to support the development of the profession through participation in professional bodies and activities.

Attitudes, aptitudes

Essential

• oHigh degree of self-awareness from art therapy/psychotherapy training and post-qualifying supervision/personal therapy.
• oAbility to assess risk and be able to work face to face with acutely unwell patients without other staff nearby.
• oAbility to work in a healthy and constructive way with a multi-disciplinary team and/or external departments
• oFlexible approach; Ability to adapt to physical environment e.g when dedicated therapy rooms are not available i.e. transporting art materials/equipment/musical instruments etc and willingness to manipulate furniture to set up room (within Health and Safety parameters)

Skills, knowledge, abilities

Essential

• oHigh degree of concentration and skill in continually pursuing emotional connection with the client in potentially difficult or distressing circumstances, providing an acute experience of being listened to without resorting to distractions or escapes.
• oSkills in sensitively drawing out the client to gain a collaborative understanding of the psychological processes underlying their behaviour/creative expression
• oAbility to carry out the above with people who may traditionally be considered to lack the capacity for insight.
• oSkills in planning, organising and prioritising own workload
• oKnowledge of and skills in assessing clients for arts therapy/psychotherapy.
• oKnowledge of and skills in assessing risk and contributing to diagnosis.
• oAbility to work autonomously with people with complex needs i.e. aggressive/ unstable/suicidal patients, including those with a mixed diagnosis.
• oAbility to engage and maintain a working therapeutic relationship with non-verbal clients or clients for whom using English is a major difficulty.
• oHigh standard of verbal communication skills including the ability to provide concise, clear and relevant feedback to a ward round/team meeting
• oKnowledge and understanding of a broad range of mental illnesses.
• oAbility to demonstrate therapy/supervision experience and capacity and willingness to use clinical supervision.
• oSkills in applying psychotherapy theories to work with individuals, groups and teams.
• oKnowledge of evidence based practice, clinical governance and related knowledge of research and audit.
• oKnowledge of relevant legislation and its implication for clinical practice.
• oEvidence of Continuing Professional Development as required by arts therapies professional bodies.
• oComputer literacy and high standard of written communication skills including the ability to produce reports detailing progress of therapy.
• oAbility to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
• oAbility to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.

Desirable

• oCommitment to and enthusiasm for further training opportunities and CPD

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).