Job summary
- Main area
- Learning Disabilities
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- 18 months (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Part time - 15 hours per week (Monday – Friday, hours between 9am-5pm)
- Job ref
- 301-LBG-25-7224079
- Employer
- Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Friary Centre Lichfield / Flanagan Centre Stafford
- Town
- Staffordshire
- Salary
- £46,148 - £52,809 pa pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 16/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading
*INTERNAL TO MPFT* Art Psychotherapist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Job overview
*INTERNAL MPFT APPLICANTS ONLY*
Band 7
Art Therapist
15 hours a week
We are seeking a highly motivated, person centred individual with excellent communication skills to work with us in our well established Community Learning Disability Team. We aim to provide high quality, community based, integrated services for adults with learning disabilities. As such, we are seeking a specialist Art Therapist with a passion for working within and improving learning disability services.
You will have experience of working therapeutically with people with learning disabilities in a variety of settings and of working with people who have complex mental and/or physical health needs, autism and complex behavioural needs.
You will be an experienced therapist who relishes multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, who can work creatively to secure good outcomes and embrace new ways of working. An active interest in academic research is also highly desirable.
The Team are clinically and professionally supportive, pro-psychology and provide frequent opportunities for creative and collaborative joint working. MDT colleagues include nurses, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychiatry. You will be an important member of the MDT.
MPFT is embracing blended ways of working, combining face-to-face work with service users alongside the use of digital platforms (as appropriate).
Main duties of the job
You will benefit from the support of a large number of highly talented, enthusiastic and friendly colleagues.
JOB PURPOSE:
The Art Therapist will be a member of the multi-disciplinary team and will provide specific psychotherapeutic interventions in the form of art therapy to South Staffordshire’s CLDT.
This will involve individual, group and family work. Interventions will help to improve quality of life and psychological wellbeing. Interventions will also reduce the risk of placement breakdown, use of restrictive practices and/or admissions to mental health settings due to mental health needs.
The post holder will be a resource for the whole team in relation to creative therapeutic interventions/approaches including working with people who can be difficult to engage.
In addition to clients assessed as requiring art therapy, the post holder may also undertake generic initial assessment for the CLDT and participate in a shared clinical coordination rota (duty calls and processing referrals).
This role will have training, supervision and leadership responsibilities where appropriate and some responsibility for service developments/ improvements.
Supervision and support will be available from a senior clinician of an appropriate discipline within the LD team or wider Specialist Care Group as appropriate plus specialist clinical supervision from an Art Therapist.
Working for our organisation
By joining Team MPFT, you will be helping your communities and in return for this, we will support you by;
- Supporting your career development and progression
- Excellent NHS Pension scheme
- Generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Options for flexible working
- Up to 27 days annual leave (increasing with service up to 33 days)
- Extensive Health and Wellbeing support and resources
- If you work in our community teams, we pay for your time travelling between patients
- Lease car if you complete more than 500 business miles per annum, fully insured and maintained (including tyres), mileage paid at lease car rate
- Salary sacrifice car - fully insured and maintained (including tyres), your gross pay is reduced by the cost of the vehicle before tax, NI and pension deductions are calculated, mileage paid at business rates
- Salary sacrifice bikes up to £2k
- Free car parking at all trust sites
- Free flu vaccinations every year
- Citizens Advice support linked with a Hardship Fund for one off additional support up to £250 (if the criteria is met)
We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation and there is a choice of staff networks that help you meet like-minded people.
Please be aware that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in completing application forms will be monitored to ensure fairness and transparency. If you have used AI you must state this in your application.
Please note, we may be required to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will work County-wide across South Staffordshire with a base a St George’s Hospital Stafford.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide assessment and art psychotherapy interventions for people with a learning disability (individual and group therapy). People may be ‘hard to treat’, and difficult to engage in other forms of psychological treatment.
• Responsible for providing advice and guidance on art therapy and creative methods of assessment and treatment to other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Occasionally provides assessment and advice for service-users expressing thoughts of self-harm or experiencing high levels of emotional distress.
• Participation in shared clinical coordinator role in team – processing referrals and taking duty calls.
• The provision of consultation, specialised advice, case support, clinical supervision and training are important ongoing elements of this post.
• Participate in intake assessment meetings when required.
• Prepare reports, summaries and letters to relevant parties within the limits of professional confidentiality.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MA in Art Psychotherapy.
- BA Honours in Fine Art or related subject with demonstration to commitment to established practice of art. Full Registration with BAAT/ACP.
- Full Registration with HCPC Evidence of post-qualifying continuing professional development relevant to in one or more additional specialised areas of psychotherapeutic practice or psychological treatment. E.g. Psychodynamic Counselling therapy.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working therapeutically with services users with a learning disability and with people on the autistic continuum; including those presenting with behavioural needs which challenges services.
- Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, seeing service users presenting with a wide variety of mental health and behavioural needs in a range of settings.
- Experience of working with other professionals and agencies related to mental health and wellbeing.
- Experience of working with carers and families.
- Adhering to appropriate best practice and professional guidance as a qualified clinician.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of providing student placements.
- Research and development.
- Quality and service improvement and evaluation.
Skills and knowledge
Essential criteria
- Up to date knowledge of relevant practice, guidelines and developments.
- Understanding of complex behavioural needs, people on the autistic continuum, and with people with complex mental health difficulties including complex trauma.
- Ability to develop and communicate well-reasoned clinical formulations, assessments and care-plans.
- Awareness of local and national developments, protocols and policies relevant to learning disabilities and autism, including DSR processes, CTR/CETR & LAEPs, the MHA and MCA.
- Experience and knowledge relating to evidence-based practice.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS, including Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding.
- Well-developed skills in risk assessment and risk management including skills to prevent, de-escalate and manage verbal and physical aggression from service users on a day to day basis.
- Ability to engage hostile and reluctant clients.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Diane Goodwin
- Job title
- Clinical Team Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 790 7000
- Additional information
Dr Jo Thacker, Consultant Clinical Psychologist on 0300 790 7000 or email: [email protected]
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