Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Art Therapist - Community Learning Disabilities

The closing date is 28 May 2025

Job summary

We are recruiting an Art Therapist to join our Community Learning Disabilities team on the Isle of Wight.

The successful candidate will provide specialist art psychotherapy assessment and treatment, including risk assessment and appropriate models of group/individual work to adults with learning disabilities, referred to the Isle of Wight Community Learning Disability Team.

Working and communicating with other members of the MDT, other agencies, professionals, families and/or carers, offering consultation on client's psychological care and being part of the CPA process.

You will also be involved with research and audit within the areas served across the Trust.

We are looking for the right person who can contribute towards changes in service delivery, work autonomously, recording and working within professional and state registered guidelines.

Main duties of the job

1.To provide specialist art therapy assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests and assessments, psychotherapeutic knowledge and engagement with creative materials.

2.To work in partnership with service users, parents/carers, home managers and other statutory and non-statutory organisations.

3.To work with the art therapy model of assessment and treatment developed within the service, using supplementary leaflets and resources.

4.Carry out assessment and consultancy when diagnosis and need is uncertain for service users who present with unclear symptoms and complex mental health presentations.

5.The assessment and interventions undertaken will be embedded within the framework of: The MDT principles of working; the holistic model of care (Four Tier Model) and the Clinical Areas of Practice.

6.To be responsible for implementing art psychotherapeutic interventions for individuals, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

7.To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Date posted

14 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year Based on full time hours

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

348-IOW-7969

Job locations

The Barracks

The Barracks and Civic Centre Offices, Broadway

Sandown

Isle of Wight

PO36 9EA

Job description

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Substantial pre-qualification experience.
Honours Degree in Fine Art/Social Sciences
MA/MSc or equivalent in Art Psychotherapy.
Eligibility for state registration with the Health Professions Council.
Engage in own ongoing arts practice in line with HCPC standards.

Desirable

Membership of BAAT
Professionally registered Clinical Supervisor
Further post qualification training

Experience

Essential

Significant experience of working with people with learning disabilities in the areas of mental health and challenging behaviour.
Significant experience of working with multidisciplinary teams.
Significant experience of own personal therapy.

Desirable

Experienced in the language of Makaton.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Substantial pre-qualification experience.
Honours Degree in Fine Art/Social Sciences
MA/MSc or equivalent in Art Psychotherapy.
Eligibility for state registration with the Health Professions Council.
Engage in own ongoing arts practice in line with HCPC standards.

Desirable

Membership of BAAT
Professionally registered Clinical Supervisor
Further post qualification training

Experience

Essential

Significant experience of working with people with learning disabilities in the areas of mental health and challenging behaviour.
Significant experience of working with multidisciplinary teams.
Significant experience of own personal therapy.

Desirable

Experienced in the language of Makaton.

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.

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

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

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Barracks

The Barracks and Civic Centre Offices, Broadway

Sandown

Isle of Wight

PO36 9EA

Employer's website

https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Barracks

The Barracks and Civic Centre Offices, Broadway

Sandown

Isle of Wight

PO36 9EA

Employer's website

https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)