Highly Specialist Family and Systemic Family Psychotherapist

Job responsibilities

KR 1 Clinical and Client Care To provide specialist systemically informed psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for Children, Young People, their family and Network where the identified client has complex mental health needs. To provide culturally appropriate, evidenced informed Systemic interventions in partnership with carers, networks or families of referred clients. To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans. To act as care co-ordinator taking responsibility for initiating planning and reviewing care plans, and network meetings. To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information and provide reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions, in order to inform referrers, service users and their families. To promote psychological support for carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients. To ensure that all services provided are accessible, respectful and sensitive to the needs of Lewishams diverse communities.KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically and systemically informed framework in CAMHS. To provide consultations to other clinical staff on the use of family therapy and systemic psychotherapy techniques and, where appropriate, to jointly work with other team members in the provision of therapeutic interventions To take a proactive stance in challenging racism and discrimination and support the development of a culturally competent service. To advise on the development and integration within the team of systemically based assessment and interventions that might at a systems level be incorporated within the teams operational policy, and be applied on a routine basis by other team members. To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans and to arrange and lead network meetings as appropriate. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in clinical work and work with other team members. To participate in helping develop services for families and carers of service usersKR 3 Policy and service development To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes. To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects. To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

KR 4 Care or management of resources To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.

KR 5 Management and supervision To be responsible for the day-to-day supervision or co-ordination of an agreed workload of more junior or trainee family therapists, systemic practitioners and other CAMHS Clinicians. To contribute to the appraisal of more junior or trainee family therapists, systemic practitioners and other CAMHS Clinicians To participate in the recruitment of more junior family therapists, systemic practitioners and other CAMHS Clinicians, as appropriate To provide professional and clinical supervision to junior family therapists, family workers or systemic practitioners, honoraries and trainee family and systemic psychotherapists for all aspects of their work To provide supervision for the systemic and family work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.

• KR 6 Teaching and Training To plan and undertake teaching and training of pre and post- qualification family and systemic psychotherapists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within Lewisham CAMHS by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in the field of systemic practice and by implementing knowledge gained in practice To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles. To provide training in family/social network inclusive practice to multi-disciplinary teamsTo deliver in-service training workshops and seminars on systemic topics for practitioners (e.g. nurses, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatric staff etc.), and to contribute to multidisciplinary training events which may be organised by other staff within the Trust

KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8 Research and development To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits. To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to improved access and outcome to young people in need of risk support. To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior family and systemic psychotherapist according to UKCP and Trust guidelines. To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with AFT and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the UKCP Continual Professional Development guidelines To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies. To comply with UKCP Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Conduct and ensure professional development in line with these. To adhere to the UKCP Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Conduct and Trust policies and procedures

KR10 General To travel to appropriate meetings and as appropriate in community settings and across the trust when required. To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour and follow trust policies relating to its management, including lone working policies. To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc) and to support others involved in such situations through Trust-wide approaches including Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve.

• To work flexibly which may mean offering some regular commitment to late clinks working within overall job plan.

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate qualification in relevant mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (A/I)
• Masters level qualification in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy or equivalent qualification, accredited by UKCP. (A/I)
• Registered with the UKCP as Systemic Psychotherapist and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the UKCP. (A/I)

Desirable

• Completed training course in clinical supervision and/or Accredited by AFT to supervise qualified Systemic and Family Psychotherapists (A/I)
• Additional training in a specialised area of systemic practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, OR an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma. (A/I/R)

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in community mental health services or Social Care setting. (A/I)
• Experience of providing specialist systemic assessment, formulation and interventions with clients across with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in community, social care or acute mental health services. (A/I)
• Experience of providing consultation to a range of staff groups (A/I)
• Experience of working with, and addressing issues of, diversity, including experience of working within a multicultural framework. (A/I)
• Experience of carrying out research, audit or service evaluation projects. (A/I)

Desirable

• Experience of working with service users that mainstream services have struggled to engage, who frequently experience discrimination and present to acute and crisis services with multiple and complex risk presentations
• Experience of providing teaching and training to family and systemic psychotherapists or other professional groups. (A/I/)
• Experience of delivering Specialist interventions and working with complex networks across multiple services and agencies in relation to risk of harm to self and others
• Experience of assessments for neurodevelopmental conditions such as ASD and ADHD
• The Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of family and systemic psychotherapy, psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for a range of diagnostic groups and Mental Health presentations. (A/I)
• Theoretical knowledge of Mental Health presentations and the evidence base for relevant interventions with individuals, families and networks. (A/I)
• Advance knowledge of the barriers experienced by diverse group in accessing mental health services and of the emerging evidence base to improve access.
• Advanced knowledge of a range of systemic models in assessment and treatment, including knowledge of specific family and systemic theories and evidence
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities. (A/I)

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience in risk management in relation to self-harm and harm to others across a range of diagnostic groups
• Knowledge of neurodevelopmental conditions such as ASD and ADHD
• Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis. (A/I)

Skills

Essential

• To deliver psychotherapeutic, psychological and systemic interventions across cultural and other differences. (A/I)
• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information. (A/I)
• To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and for meetings such as CPAs, network meetings and case reviews. (A/I)
• To clinically supervise trainees and qualified systemic Psychotherapists
• Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data. (A/I)

Desirable

• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups (A/I).
• Highly specialist skills in providing consultation to the multi-professional team or other professional groups within own service. (A/I/R)

Abilities

Essential

• Ability to work with a number of clients and systems together, managing the highly complex emotional relationships within and between the component parts of the systems in ways, which maximise the potential for therapeutic outcomes (A/I/R)
• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I)
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate. (A/I)
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings (A/I)
• Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour. (A/I)

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).