North London NHS Foundation Trust

Child and Adolescent psychotherapist – under 5s team

The closing date is 06 July 2025

Job summary

We are looking to recruit an innovative energetic child psychotherapist to our growing under 5's provision. The postholder will be part of newly formed 0-5 BEH CAMHS, undertaking complex specialist assessments, formulating, managing risk, providing specialist interventions, teaching and consultation to partner agencies:

To provide BEH 0-5 CAMHS with a high-quality evidence based Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic service to children, their families, carers, and professional networks, including assessment and therapy to patients and their families.

To provide specialist advice and consultation regarding diagnoses and treatment to CAMHS

colleagues, external agencies, working both autonomously within professional guidelines and the

overall framework of the team's policies and procedures

Main duties of the job

To formulate and implement plans for the treatment and/or management of the child and their family's mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the presenting problem(s), and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings, in consultation with the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT).

To reflect upon assessments and treatment formulations adjusting and refining them, drawing upon different explanatory models, and maintaining several provisional hypotheses.

To be responsible, in consultation with the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service Lead, for implementing a range of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic models of interventions for children and their families/carers, within and across teams.

To provide assessment and discharge care planning to families of young children and infants as part of a local protocol and rota.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual child/young person, family, or group.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

  1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
  2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
  3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
  4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

Why NLFT?

  • We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
  • We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
  • NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
  • Excellent internal staff network

The post holder will be aligned with our values:

  • We Are Kind
  • We Are Respectful
  • We Work Together
  • We Keep Things Simple
  • We Empower
  • We Are Proudly Diverse

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Details

Date posted

23 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£59,490 to £66,239 a year per annum pro rata inclusive of HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0197

Job locations

Barnet

Wellhouse Lane

Barnet

EN5 3DJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of children and families whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

To provide specialist advice from Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic models/attachment-based models, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

To ensure that all members of the multi-disciplinary team have access to a therapeutically based framework for understanding the care needs of children and their families from a Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic perspective, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory and specifically from the perspective of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic models.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and their families and to provide general advice to other professionals regarding risk assessment and management.

To act as care coordinator, where no other team member is involved, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.

To communicate complex and potentially highly contentious information in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with children and thei

Job description

Job responsibilities

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of children and families whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

To provide specialist advice from Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic models/attachment-based models, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

To ensure that all members of the multi-disciplinary team have access to a therapeutically based framework for understanding the care needs of children and their families from a Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic perspective, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory and specifically from the perspective of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic models.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and their families and to provide general advice to other professionals regarding risk assessment and management.

To act as care coordinator, where no other team member is involved, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.

To communicate complex and potentially highly contentious information in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with children and thei

Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Doctoral level training in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
  • Current professional membership/ registration to the Association of Child Psychotherapists

Desirable

  • Post-qualification training in one or more additional specialized areas of therapeutic practice
  • Specialist training in supervision that has led to 'approved' clinical supervisor status

Skills

Essential

  • Advanced skills in using a wide variety of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic theories and interventions and the ability to use these appropriately in relation to client need and work setting.
  • Advanced skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention, and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • Advanced Knowledge of child development particularly in preschool children and the perinatal period.
  • Advanced skills in professional supervision; skills for offering live supervision of multi-disciplinary colleagues.
  • Ability to work with a racially and culturally diverse community in a wide variety of contexts including advanced specialist skills for working therapeutically in family homes.

Desirable

  • Knowledge of research methodology consistent with Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic practice.

Experience

Essential

  • Must have significant experience of working as a qualified Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, including experience within the designated specialty where the post is located (0-5 CAMHS).
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
  • Experience of specialist Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic assessment, formulation and intervention with individuals and families.
  • Experience of self-harm assessment and intervention with both individuals and their families.
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Doctoral level training in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
  • Current professional membership/ registration to the Association of Child Psychotherapists

Desirable

  • Post-qualification training in one or more additional specialized areas of therapeutic practice
  • Specialist training in supervision that has led to 'approved' clinical supervisor status

Skills

Essential

  • Advanced skills in using a wide variety of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic theories and interventions and the ability to use these appropriately in relation to client need and work setting.
  • Advanced skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention, and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • Advanced Knowledge of child development particularly in preschool children and the perinatal period.
  • Advanced skills in professional supervision; skills for offering live supervision of multi-disciplinary colleagues.
  • Ability to work with a racially and culturally diverse community in a wide variety of contexts including advanced specialist skills for working therapeutically in family homes.

Desirable

  • Knowledge of research methodology consistent with Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic practice.

Experience

Essential

  • Must have significant experience of working as a qualified Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, including experience within the designated specialty where the post is located (0-5 CAMHS).
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
  • Experience of specialist Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic assessment, formulation and intervention with individuals and families.
  • Experience of self-harm assessment and intervention with both individuals and their families.
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.

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

North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Barnet

Wellhouse Lane

Barnet

EN5 3DJ


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Barnet

Wellhouse Lane

Barnet

EN5 3DJ


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Team Manager Under 5 service

Jason Clarke

jason.clarke9@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

23 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£59,490 to £66,239 a year per annum pro rata inclusive of HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0197

Job locations

Barnet

Wellhouse Lane

Barnet

EN5 3DJ


Supporting documents

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