Highly Specialist Systemic Family Therapist

Job summary

Are you an experienced or newly qualified systemic family therapist passionate about delivering high-quality clinical interventions within a friendly and established psychological therapies team?

We have two exciting opportunities to join our specialist adolescent inpatient services in secure settings, working with young people and their families.

One vacancy is at Bluebird House; A 13-bedded Medium Secure Forensic Mental Health Unit for male and female young people aged 12 to 18. This is a permanent position for 37.5 hours a week.

The second vacancy is at Austen House: Comprising two co-located services -- a brand-new adolescent Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) opening November 2025, and a Low Secure adolescent service, this is a permanent part time vacancy for 18.75 hours per week.

We invite you to explore our specialist adolescent inpatient services at Bluebird House and Austen House. These roles offer a developmental pathway from Band 7 to Band 8a, providing an excellent opportunity for professional growth.

If the vacancy has closed and you are still interested in applying, we welcome offline applications. Please contact our recruitment team directly to discuss how to proceed.

Main duties of the job

Bluebird House You will work alongside other therapy colleagues (psychologists, systemic practitioners, arts therapists and clinical nurse specialist) and a comprehensive multi-disciplinary team. The post contains a range of duties which include a combination of direct clinical work with young people and families, as well as work with other members of the MDT in promoting a psychologically informed environment through teaching, consultation and supervision.

You should have a good understanding of young people presenting with severe mental health and behavioural difficulties. You will need to be a confident practitioner, ideally with experience in forensic, inpatient or CAMHS services, and be adaptable to ever changing needs and pressures.

Austen House Family therapy is a highly valued provision in the team and wider service. There is strong support from the Team Manager for the successful candidate to utilise their specialist skills and experience to contribute to the team. The successful candidate will be working directly with families and young people alongside another family therapist and also help to influence the units' culture.

You will have the willingness to think creatively, commitment to compassionate care and flexibility to think outside traditional clinical models. Duties include direct clinical work, working with staff teams through providing/participating in formulation and reflective practice sessions, as well as teaching, consultation, and supervision.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bluebird House

Tatchbury Mount, Calmore

Southampton

Hampshire

SO40 2RZ

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

Bluebird House

Tatchbury Mount, Calmore

Southampton

Hampshire

SO40 2RZ

Employer's website

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

---