Principal Systemic Family Therapist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Systemic Family Therapist to join the West London CAMHS Tri-borough Alliance Service.

We are seeking a dynamic, ambitious, and motivated Family Therapist with extensive post qualifying experience working within multidisciplinary CAMHS or relevant settings, who is looking to take the next step in their career.

Alliance is a multidisciplinary Specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Crisis Service which is currently based in Lakeside Mental Health Unit, Twickenham Road, Isleworth, TW7 6AF. The team works flexibly across the boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham, working across multiple sites and locations.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking to recruit a Principal Systemic Family Therapist who alongside bringing their highly specialised clinical skills to a role working with young people and their families who are in crises or require more intensive support, are also at the stage of their career to take on a critical leadership role within the CAMHS Crises service.

You will provide a visible and accessible leadership presence within this tri-borough service, drawing on systemic ideas to provide insightful, inspirational and compassionate leadership. You will also be an active member of the Tri-borough leadership team and provide professional leadership and supervision for Family Therapists within the team and on occasion to the wider CAMHS Systemic community.

The Systemic Family Therapy community in West London CAMHS is one of the largest in the NHS. We are a thriving and well-respected team of supportive, committed and skilled therapists who are dedicated to changing the future outcomes for children and young people who present to mental health services and aspire to become a centre of excellence for Systemic Family Therapy.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Job responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.

Person Specification Qualifications and Training

• Post-graduate training in systemic family therapy as accredited by IFT or AFT.
• Professional registration with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
• Qualification in a relevant profession such as social work, nursing, psychology or the equivalent (e.g. criteria laid down by UKCP for APEL route to qualification as Family Therapists).
• Training in systemic supervision.
• Post-qualification training in one or more additional specialised areas of systemic family therapy practice.
• CYP IAPT training.
• Leadership Training.

Experience

• Significant assessed experience of working as a qualified systemic family therapist.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups in CAMHS services, presenting with the full range of clinical severity across various care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient and residential care settings.
• Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of working in an effective time-limited manner with children and adolescents.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience of representing systemic family therapy within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings, including primary care.
• Experience of the application of systemic family therapy in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of training others.
• Experience of service development.

Knowledge and skills

• Skills in the use of complex methods of systemic family therapy assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Knowledge and skills of the application of systemic family assessment and therapy within child and adolescent populations.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the UKCP.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychological therapy staff.
• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised systemic family therapy with vulnerable and hard to reach families.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.

Administration and Record Keeping

• Competent in the use of clinical recording systems such as RIO.
• Understands the process for keeping safe, secure and relevant clinical records.
• Understands and is able to use online incident reporting systems.

Attitude, Aptitude and Personal Characteristics

• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.
• Treats service users with respect and dignity at all times.
• Enthusiastic, flexible and confident approach to working.
• Able to prioritise own workload.
• Willingness and ability to learn new skills and adapt to change.
• Honesty, enthusiasm and a sense of loyalty.
• Conducts self in a professional, courteous manner at all times and able to maintain professionalism.

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.

£64,408 to £73,961 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS.