Job summary
- Main area
- CAMHS Family & Systemic Psychotherapist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 363-SSLB7493459
- Employer
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Beech Close Resource Centre
- Town
- Dunstable
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

CAMHS Family & Systemic Psychotherapist
NHS AfC: Band 8a
ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
We are looking for a creative, forward thinking and motivated Systemic Family Therapist to join our friendly and professional multi-disciplinary Emotional & Behavioural CAMHS Team based in Dunstable, within the South Bedfordshire Specialist CAMHS Service. Our team is inclusive and we consciously think about the varying contexts we work within (i.e. racial, cultural and socio-economic factors). Our work is underpinned by strong values to treat each other, service users and agency partners with respect and care. We would be happy to consider requests for flexible working.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will have significant post qualification experience of working in CAMHS. You will be offering assessment and therapeutic treatment to young people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties and their families/carers, including generic CAMHS assessments as needed. You will be joining with our team’s existing systemic psychotherapist and co-facilitating family therapy clinics and groups as appropriate (e.g. NVR and parent sessions), potentially also working alongside therapists from other local CAMHS teams. You will involve parent/carers, schools and other agencies as required. In addition, the post holder will offer consultations, clinical supervision, and internal CPD. You will require a high degree of professional autonomy, organization, and self management, with the ability to work well in a team. You will be supported by regular specialist clinical and management supervision sessions, access to a variety of internal CPD sessions, and annual performance appraisals. You will also participate in weekly clinical discussions with the teams, monthly complex case discussions and a monthly reflective space. There are opportunities to take part in discipline-specific meetings within Bedfordshire CAMHS and ELFT.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
This post is based close to the M1 and easily reached by car from North London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. The clinic also has the added benefit of free parking and all clinicians are supported by very dedicated and efficient administrative staff. Most of the work will be based in the clinic when not remote working, but access to a car is helpful. The Trust has an arrangement for 50% discount on season ticket fares with Thameslink, the rail provider, for its staff. A generous relocation package is available if you need to move to access this job.
The post is funded to 8A but we would consider applications from newly qualified or less experienced clinicians who would be interested in a band 7 to 8A preceptorship position. At band 7, you would not be expected to be a primary supervisor, and involvement with provision of training, QI projects and leadership roles would be reduced. Your supervisor would support you in working towards an 8A position via achievement of learning objectives.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Francesca Curti-Gialdino, Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist, Dunstable CAMHS, tel 01582 707635 or email [email protected] or
Dr Louise Scrivener, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Team Lead, Dunstable CAMHS, tel 01582 707635 or email [email protected]
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Qualification in appropriate mental health/social welfare profession such as Social Work, Nursing, Psychology, Psychiatry, Teaching OR AFT-agreed equivalent Masters or Doctoral level qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy or AFT agreed equivalent
- UKCP Registration
- Evidence of CPD
- NVR training
Desirable criteria
- Registration as Clinical Supervisor by Association for Family Therapy
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in relevant first profession
- Post-qualifying 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 working with children and young people in an emotionally demanding environment.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of teaching and training systemic psychotherapy
- Experience/knowledge of working in a multi-ethnic community and of working with interpreters.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines
- Knowledge of and skill in using a wide variety of systemic theories and interventions and the ability to use these appropriately in relation to client need and work setting
- Sufficient knowledge of other modalities to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients
- Knowledge of child and adolescent development
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of current development in CAMHS
- Masters or Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology consistent with systemic practice
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Louise Scrivener
- Job title
- Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Team Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01582 707635
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