Main area Senior Family & Systemic Psychotherapist Grade Band 8b Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Flexible working will be considered) Hours Part time - 7.5 hours per week Job ref 350-CC7073466
Employer Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Hollins Park Hospital Town Warrington Salary £62,215 - £72,293 Pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 13/04/2025 23:59 Interview date 22/04/2025
Senior Family and Systemic Psychotherapist
Band 8b
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 for an experienced Family Therapist with interest and/or expertise in perinatal mental health to be part of an expanding Specialist Perinatal Service as a maternity cover post. The role will be to provide live supervision to existing family therapy team sessions, along with individual supervision of systemic staff and involvement in regional systemic project work. The service has an established group of systemic staff who work closely together across three regional hubs. The role will be a job share with an experienced family therapist in a permanent position in the service. The postholder will work with families from a range of backgrounds and will be committed to issues of equality in everyday practice. Working across boundaries, the ability to establish responsive relationships and collaborate with colleagues is key. We are seeking people who have a robust understanding of the impact of social inequalities on maternal mental health, and are passionate about improving outcomes for black, brown and minority ethnic women and families.
Main duties of the job
As a Senior Family and Systemic Psychotherapist, the post holder will be providing highly specialised systemic psychotherapy and systemic practice to mothers, babies and families, and professionals within the Specialist Perinatal Service. To establish responsive relationships and collaborate across the service and provider trusts. To supervise and support the assessment and treatment provided by Systemic Family Practitioners across the patch. To work collaboratively with families and ‘experts by experience’ and support co-production methodologies to inform service model. To develop bespoke systemic training and psychoeducational packages based on best practice and the evidence base. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of systemic practice within the service. To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research. To develop and implement policy and procedures collaboratively within the area served by the service. The post holder will embrace the core values of the organisation and adopt the principles of Recovery and THRIVE. These principles will recognise the need to:
* Promote safe practices
* Value the aims of service users
* Work in partnership and offer meaningful choice
* Be optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful change
* Value social inclusion
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. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
CLINICAL
1. To hold a caseload of highly complex systemic assessment, treatment and consultation work based upon a highly specialised, conceptual framework and employing research based evidence.
2. To be responsible for the provision of highly specialist systemic psychotherapy with clinical autonomy drawing on a range of systemic models and incorporate specialist theoretical and practical knowledge. To practice in a manner that is inclusive and considerate of the needs of the mother, baby, couple and family within the highly complex systems in which they live.
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist systemic psychotherapy interventions for mothers, babies, partners and their families, including couples and groups, drawing upon different explanatory models, to maintain a number of provisional hypotheses in reaching a formulation and a treatment plan.
4. To work in ways that are sensitive to the needs of families from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. This includes an ability to understand and offer therapeutic intervention to a variety of family forms such as single parents, extended families, same sex couples and their wider family networks, accommodated children and their network of care and children who are on the At-Risk Register.
5. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account multiple and highly complex factors which may conflict or contribute to high levels of ambiguity and instability within families and their professional networks.
6. To exercise responsibility and autonomy, within supervisory, managerial and accountability structures, for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed within the systemic team.
7. To deliver care co-ordination as required, ensuring effective assessment, care planning and risk management processes are maintained. Involve the views of families, referring agents and other professionals involved in the network of care including organising and chairing (as required) multi-agency meetings.
8. To organise and provide family and systemic psychotherapy clinics in line with service and training needs. To provide live supervision of other professionals within the service who are members of the clinic (psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, mental health practitioners and clinical nurse specialists).
9. To hold responsibility for standards of clinical practice within the systemic psychotherapy clinics by ensuring appropriateness of referrals, competence of clinic personnel for the designated role as therapists, observing team member or live supervision including the use of review and evaluation.
10. To work jointly and collaboratively with other team members in order to enhance and develop the provision of services to young people and their families. To provide specialist theoretical systemic knowledge and skills in the perinatal period. To have an effective knowledge base of other modalities so as to engage and work with colleagues in other disciplines.
11. To provide systemic consultation, advice and guidance to colleagues, teams and external agencies which is underpinned by highly specialist theoretical systemic knowledge pertinent to the perinatal period to promote effective multi-agency work. To contribute highly specialist knowledge to the process of managing risk within the multi-agency network.
12. Undertake and oversee risk management as a senior clinician, offering consultation and advice to high-risk emergencies, contributing to the team’s duty rota process as appropriate and considering the protective and risk factors present in the network of significant relationships.
13. To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of mums and babies and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both multi and uni disciplinary care. To effectively communicate professional opinions, verbally and in writing to other relevant professionals.
14. To maintain current knowledge of the operation of video equipment and promote ethical and effective use in line with Trust Policy. Introduce the practice to families in a sensitive manner, advise and instruct clinicians in other disciplines on the appropriate use of this technical therapeutic tool.
15. To engage with using routine outcome measures as clinically appropriate including their use in clinical practice and inputting data into clinical records.
16. To work collaboratively with families and contribute to the trust’s and the specialist perinatal service service-user participation agenda.
TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION.
1. To provide highly specialised professional supervision (including live supervision) to systemic psychotherapists, systemic practitioners and other professionals both within the service and in partner agencies.
2. To deliver training placements for a range of professional disciplines from different background so that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to positive change. To assess trainee’s competencies and write placement reports for trainees in line with Trust, UKCP and University guidelines Doctorate, Clinical Psychologists, Trainee Systemic Psychotherapists, Specialist Registrars and Social Workers.
3. Convene, attend and chair meetings as appropriate.
4. To develop systemic training opportunities within the teams and support the development of bespoke systematic training plan for staff based on best practice and the evidence base. Implementation for systemic training across the Trust to all staff groups that are delivered by the Trust.
5. Work collaboratively with partner agencies within the principles of THRIVE. This will include joint working; clinical supervision; consultation; training and service development aiming to develop joint working across agencies and disseminate systemic practices.
MANAGEMENT, POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
1. Identify family and systemic psychotherapy priorities within and initiatives within and across services and advise managers on the level of resources for service development.
2. Contribute to the service’s evidence based practice by providing systemic research skills and engaging with audits and evaluations as appropriate.
3. To act as a senior clinician in interview processes and undertake selection and recruitment activities on behalf of the service e.g., shortlist, interview and assist in the induction of recruited staff.
4. To manage the workload of colleagues within the family and systemic psychotherapy clinic.
5. Provide specialist knowledge to a variety of disciplines to contribute to service development and primary care.
6. To exercise responsibility for managing the systemic psychotherapy resources available to the service both in terms of systemic psychotherapy and equipment.
7. To be responsible for advising management and colleagues on the safe and ethical clinical use of video equipment.
8. Take a clinical leadership and Systemic Psychotherapy role within the service and Trust, including taking responsibility for a section of service delivery delegated to them.
9. Participate and contribute to the decision making within the Trust on specific areas of delegated responsibility.
10. Contribute to service and Trust policy development as appropriate.
RESEARCH AND SERVICE EVALUATION
1. To maintain an up to date knowledge of the evidence base in relation to systemic psychotherapy and other related psychotherapies, with a focus on building expertise in perinatal mental health.
2. To contribute to planning and implementing systems for evaluation and monitoring of therapeutic practice and outcomes of clinical work within the systemic psychotherapy service.
3. To carry out research in order to contribute to knowledge within the clinical specialty or advance a particular service area.
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1. To receive and engage in regular clinical supervision in accordance with Trust Clinical Governance Standards and the Code of Practice and ethical guidelines of AFT and UKCP (United Kingdom Standing Committee for Psychotherapy).
2. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training in consultation with the post holder’s service manager to meet UKCP requirements for CPD and registration.
3. To contribute to the development of best practice in systemic psychotherapy by taking part in regular supervision and appraisal and maintaining awareness of current developments in the field.
4. To maintain UKCP registration as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist and Registered Systemic Supervisor.
RESEARCH AND AUDIT
1. Undertake and participate in appropriate audit, quality assurance programmes and research as directed.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Core professional/graduate qualification in a relevant field of mental health or social welfare e.g., nursing, social work, psychology, and demonstrable practice over a minimum of four years or equivalent experience.
* Masters or equivalent level qualification as a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist.
* Up to date Professional Registration (to be maintained) - UKCP registration: meeting CPD requirements including relevant short and long training events.
* Training in systemic supervision.
* A relevant management qualification and or training.
* Breakaway Qualification.
* AFT Approved Clinical Supervisor.
* Hold a recognised qualification in teaching.
Knowledge & Experience
* A minimum of 4 years post qualification experience as a systemic psychotherapist or equivalent experience including multi disciplinary experience of working with children, adolescents, families, and groups; some leadership experience and experience working across different services.
* Experience of teaching and training systemic psychotherapy in multiple contexts.
* Minimum 4 years practice in relevant first profession or equivalent experience.
* Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
* Experience of representing a team or the profession at a local level and Trust level.
* Experience of professional management of staff and/or managing budgets.
* Experience in the field of perinatal mental health.
Values
* Accountability
* Support
* High professional standards
* Responsive to service users
* Engaging leadership style
* Transparency and honesty
* Discreet
* Change oriented
Skills
* Advanced knowledge and skills in using the complete range of approaches within systemic practice as required to meet the needs of different patients and settings.
* Advanced level of knowledge of the mental health needs of children and adolescents.
* Ability to work within a culturally diversive community in a wide variety of contexts including highly specialist skills for working in settings outside the clinic.
* Advanced skills in the use of videotape and other multi-media materials suitable for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
* Advanced knowledge and skills in providing consultation to other professionals and non-professional groups.
* Ability to take full clinical responsibility for patient care and treatment, both as a care co-ordinator and within the context of a multi-disciplinary team.
* Interpersonal skills of the highest level to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in order to convey complex and clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages and to a wide range of lay and professional persons, within and outside of the NHS.
* Knowledge of research design and methodology consistent with systemic practice to at least Masters level or equivalent.
* Knowledge of legislation and strategic frameworks and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the full range of client groups.
* Information technology and management skills using word processing, spreadsheets, database and presentation software.
* High level of knowledge and/or training and other psychological therapies.
Personal
* Ability to convey and to model a sophisticated understanding of the AFT ethical guidelines in all areas of professional conduct.
* Physical stamina to support clinical caseload which requires intense concentration whilst sitting with client groups or in video screen rooms observing clients for prolonged periods.
* A commitment to the continuous improvement of services using feedback from individual clients, families, user surveys and clinical research.
* Emotional stamina and ability to respond constructively in highly stressful situations where individuals hold very different perspectives and there is a high level of distress, ambiguity and conflict.
* Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills and to articulate the value added by systemic psychotherapy services to multi-disciplinary work.
* Ability to organise and co-ordinate areas of work that are complex and demanding.
Other
* Ability to identify and provide appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
* Ability to identify and employ as appropriate clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice.
* Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and displaying the Trust Values at all times.
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