Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnic minorities, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a qualified Art Therapist to join Halton CAMHS (CYPMHS). We are looking to expand our therapy offer to meet the needs of young people and families in Halton and to support those open to our services with the best evidence based interventions.
We work to the Thrive model and this is a needs-led model that sits well within the field of creative therapies to support the needs of the child in a way that is led by them.
This is a fixed-term post although there may be opportunity to expand this offer and this will be continually monitored throughout the year period.
The successful candidate would be expected to:
1. Take the lead in providing an expert arts therapy/arts psychotherapy service, including the assessment of children and families with complex needs, recommendation of appropriate therapy, and provision and development of specialist therapeutic input.
2. Provide specialist advice and consultancy, within all levels of care and at a high level of professional expertise.
3. Work as an independent specialist within the multi-disciplinary team, acting as the lead professional in the field.
4. Oversee and manage the provision of arts therapies / arts psychotherapies and related interventions, offering specialist training, clinical supervision, and consultation to both Arts Therapists / Art Psychotherapists and a wide range of professionals.
Main duties of the job
1. Work autonomously within the service’s operational policy as appropriate to the specialist qualification, grading and post.
2. Maintain Arts Therapist (d) status (state registered with HPC) and ensure continuing professional development in line with the British Association of Drama therapists guidelines.
3. Undertake relevant training as required.
4. Participate in specialist professional supervision from a Principal Arts Therapist to inform the clinical process (once a month).
5. Provide specialist advice regarding creative arts therapies to other professionals and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
6. Maintain appropriate departmental records and confidential clinical notes, ensuring statistical data is collected in line with Trust and national requirements.
7. Exercise good personal time management, punctuality, and consistent, reliable attendance.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Undertake risk assessment and risk management of children and their families or carers, recognizing and dealing with complex child protection issues.
2. Contribute to complex assessments of children’s abilities, development, and areas of specific impairments.
3. Provide formulations of complex mental health difficulties for children and families.
4. Assess the suitability of clients for specialist clinical intervention, making assessment and treatment plans for arts therapy / arts psychotherapy interventions.
5. Implement highly specialist therapy input using a creative arts approach tailored to the identified needs of children and their carers.
6. Monitor and evaluate creative arts therapy input with reference to training, professional body, and current evidence base.
7. Provide a specialist consultation service and advice to health, educational and social care staff and deliver training as required.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Honours Degree in Drama/Psychology or equivalent such as prior professional training
* Pre-qualifying work experience relevant to the profession
* MA (or equivalent) in Dramatherapy – recognised Arts Therapy training
* Up to date Professional Registration (to be maintained) - HPC State Registration
* Full membership of the British Association of Drama Therapists
* Clinical Supervision Training
* Child Protection Training
* Research Training
Knowledge/ Experience
* Demonstrable post-qualification experience, including substantial experience with relevant client group
* Skills in dealing with all family members: child, adolescent and adult, both on an individual basis and in groups.
* Evidence of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
* Experience of dealing with disturbed and challenging behaviour in unpredictable situations
* Experience of long-term in-depth personal therapy, both through training and at intervals during professional practice
* Experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams
* Masters level knowledge of Drama therapy
* Knowledge of child and adolescent mental health disorders and difficulties and their impact on the individual and family
* Specialist knowledge in the field of creative arts therapies
* Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to CAMHS and the full range of client groups.
* Knowledge of Evidence Based Practice, Clinical Governance and related knowledge of research and audit
* Knowledge of other modalities sufficient to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients
* Experience of Key working clients and co-ordinating their care
* Experience of research and audit
* Experience of supervising
* Experience of working across a variety of client groups across the whole life course
* Knowledge of facilitating staff
Values
* Accountability
* Support
* High professional standards
* Responsive to service users
* Engaging leadership style
* Transparency and honesty
* Discreet
* Change oriented
Skills
* Ability to work with children and families with mental health problems and complex needs
* Specialist skills in the use of Drama therapy assessment, and intervention
* Skills in applying psychodynamic formulations and theory to work with individuals, groups and organisation
* Ability to assess clients for the Arts Therapies/Psychotherapies
* Ability to assess risks and contribute to diagnosis
* Skills in planning, organising and prioritising own workload
* Evidence of continuing Professional Development as required by HPC/BADTh
* Knowledge of and skill in considering differences and equalities both in therapy and professional relationships
* Skills in using a variety of props, play equipment and art material and other equipment
* Information Technology skills
* Ability to work with trauma and contain emotional impact through clinical supervision and team support systems.
* Ability to sustain concentration
* Ability to adapt to physical environment when dedicated therapy rooms are not available
* Skills in facilitating staff
* Specialist knowledge of another treatment modality and interventions relevant to CAMHS
* Skills in teaching and training
* Skills in clinical supervision of both arts therapists/psychotherapists and multi-disciplinary colleagues
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