Trainee Family & Systemic Psychotherapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Assess families for suitability for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy. Where the problems appear to be too complex or severe to be appropriate for a trainee therapist, refer to manager/supervisor for advice on how to manage the case.

2. Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the agreed protocols, and where unsuitable refer on to the relevant service or back to the referring agent as necessary.

3. Participate in and help develop the on-going work of the Family Therapy Clinic.

4. Formulate, implement and evaluate Family and Systemic Therapy for children, young people & their families/carers, taking account of aspects of social difference.

5. Work collaboratively with family members and others, conveying systemic formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language.

6. Work in ways sensitive to the needs of families from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as to issues of sexuality, disability, class and age.

7. Assess and manage risks as part of all ongoing treatment, referring to manager/supervisor for advice when appropriate.

8. Work with complex networks, communicating effectively at the interface with other services and negotiating effectively relationships with other care agencies.

9. Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible.

10. Attend multi-disciplinary meetings, work collaboratively with the team and recognise when to draw on the resources of other disciplines.

11. Provide advice, support and consultation to colleagues in the team about systemic frameworks and approaches useful for understanding the children/young people and families who come to our service. This will be underpinned by a sound knowledge of research findings and evidence-based practice.

12. Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.

13. Ensure timely liaison with referrers, GPs and other relevant networks, verbally and in the form of written reports as appropriate.

14. Communicate and discuss information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of families under the post-holder's care in a skilled and sensitive manner.

15. Monitor and evaluate progress, through effective use of feedback from members of the family.

16. Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.

17. Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.

PROFESSIONAL

1. Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the Trust and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. UKCP, BPS, HPC, Social Work, NMC, BABCP), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the department of health (e.g. Future in Mind).

2. Ensure that client and family confidentiality is protected according to Trust policies.

3. Be aware of, and keep up to date with advances in the spheres of Family and Systemic Psychotherapy and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

4. Actively and consistently engage in reflexive practice and incorporate it fluidly into all work contexts.

5. Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with supervisor/professional lead on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.

6. Participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives.

7. Keep up to date all records in relation to Continuous Professional Development and ensure personal development plan maintains up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.

8. Attend and contribute to the Family and Systemic Psychotherapy Professional Group meetings.

9. Attend relevant conferences / workshops in line with identified professional objectives.

TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION

1. Attend and fulfil all the requirements of the training element of the post.

2. Apply learning from the training programme in practice.

3. Attend all Trust mandatory training as required.

4. Receive supervision from educational providers in relation to course work to meet the required standards for accreditation.

5. Attend clinical/managerial supervision on a regular basis as agreed with manager/professional lead.

6. Prepare and present clinical information for all families on their caseload to clinical case management supervisors within the service on an agreed and scheduled basis, in order to ensure safe practice and the clinical governance obligations of the post-holder, supervisor and service are delivered.

7. Contribute to systemic teaching and training programmes in the service as appropriate in collaboration with other systemic colleagues.

GENERAL

1. To contribute to the development of best practice within the service.

2. To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and procedures in relation to children's mental health and social care needs.

3. All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health and safety of colleagues, patients and the general public.

4. All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the Data Protection Act (1998) and Security and Confidentiality Policies.

5. It is the responsibility of all staff that they do not abuse their official position for personal gain, to seek advantage of further private business or other interests in the course of their official duties.

6. This Job Description does not provide an exhaustive list of duties and may be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder in light of service development.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A degree level qualification from a UK university or equivalent at second-class or higher.
• Relevant first professional qualification recognised by the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT).
• *Arts Therapists (art, drama, dance and movement and music therapists), qualified and registered with the Health Care Professions Council, HCPC.
• *Counselling -- three-year minimum training, full BACP accredited membership (MBACP Accred) and experience in the public or voluntary sector is considered essential to establish equivalence.
• *Nursing -- mental health nursing and other nursing specialities which require counselling skills. It is also noted that nursing is now a graduate profession.
• *Occupational Therapy -- qualified and registered with Health Professions Council.
• *Psychiatry and other medical specialities -- for qualifying level training speciality training registrar level or staff grade is required.
• *Psychology -- clinical psychology, educational psychology and counselling psychology qualifications are considered relevant.
• *Social Work -- the generic professional qualification is sufficient whichever training route was undertaken (e.g. undergraduate, postgraduate, or the employment based without an academic award attached). It is noted that social work is now a graduate profession.
• *Speech and language therapy -- qualified and registered with the Health Professions Council.
• *Teaching -- where individuals have had substantial experience in which they have worked with pupils and families in a counselling capacity.
• Registration with a professional body as appropriate according to first professional qualification.
• Evidence of continuous post-professional qualification development.
• Intermediate/CYP-IAPT Systemic Family Practice qualification.

Desirable

• Membership as a Systemic Practitioner with AFT.
• Training/experience in delivery of an additional evidence based mental health and/or family-based intervention.

Experience

Essential

• Post-professional qualification experience working therapeutically with children and young people in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
• Experience of working systemically with children, young people and their families/carers.
• Experience of working and liaising with networks/agencies.
• Experience of using Routine Outcome Measures (ROMS)
• Commitment to anti-discriminatory/ anti-oppressive practice and equal opportunity.

Desirable

• Experience of delivering group interventions with children, young people and/or their families.

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Knowledge of systemic theory and practice.
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues.
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence.
• Knowledge of child development.
• Knowledge of a wide range of evidence-based treatment/therapeutic interventions.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice and the ability to demonstrate how this influences clinical practice.
• Ability to evaluate and put into practice learning from training.
• Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets
• Ability to manage own caseload and time.
• Ability to use and maintain in good working order audio/visual and recording equipment in Family Therapy observation rooms.
• Computer literate.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to make systemically informed clinical decisions and formulations, based on an analysis / interpretation of complex clinical information and environmental events.
• Ability to assess and manage risks as part of ongoing treatment, to record and communicate it within scope of practice and to refer to manager / supervisor for advice when appropriate.
• Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk within scope of practice.
• Ability to recognise and manage challenging situations in a calm and professional manner, including being able to provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information, where there may be significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using developed interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere.
• Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients and carers.
• Ability to meet the attendance requirements of the course.
• Ability to complete academic components of the course including attendance at clinical supervision.
• Ability to integrate training into practice.
• High level of enthusiasm and self-motivation.
• Advanced communication skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with staff, patients, carers and relatives (as appropriate), remaining sensitive and empathetic.
• Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
• Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
• Commitment to be self-reflexive, in all work contexts, in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
• Car driver and/or ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation.

Desirable

• Experience of working with diverse communities within a multicultural setting.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Avalon House

Chesil Street

Winchester

Hampshire

SO23 0HU

Employer's website

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