Job summary
An exciting opportunity is available for an enthusiastic Art therapist to join our dynamic,well established and expanding psychological services team within the Ealing community team for people with learning disabilities.
Ealing CTPLD is an integrated multidisciplinary community team which is jointly led by health and social care. This post offers excellent opportunities for joint working alongside a range of professionals (psychology, music therapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, Positive Behaviour Support practitioners, psychiatry, nursing, social work and physiotherapy) to deliver holistic support to people with learning disabilities, their families and carers.
The newly appointed candidate will join our established psychological services team comprising of a lead psychologist, qualified psychologist, two assistant psychologists, three PBS practitioners (providing intensive support for complex and challenging cases), and music therapist.
The post holders responsibilities will include delivering specialist assessment and intervention, both to individuals, families and groups. The post holder will also work alongside colleagues to develop partnerships with self-advocacy and voluntary organisations locally.
Applicants must be registered with the HCPC on appointment.
This is post is part-time working 15 hours per week on a 6 month fixed term contract.
Main duties of the job
To autonomously deliver Art Therapy service to adults with learning disabilities with a wide range of complex needs, including challenging behaviour, profound and multiple disabilities and additional mental health problems. These service users may have significant barriers to communication due to learning disability, physical disability, emotional, mental or cultural issues. To autonomously deliver consultation, assessment and treatment to these service users (individually and in groups), who may be excluded from or unable to access other services.
- To provide a highly skilled, specialised service, based on specialised experience and knowledge of the needs of the service user group.
- Work within the Ealing CTPLD, forming good working relationships with professionals and carers.
- In consultation with line manager to evaluate services provided and make developments according to service user need and national and professional guidelines.
- In consultation with line manager to identify professional training and personal development needs.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.
Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.
We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.
We'rerated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.
We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities
Clinical:
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
- To receive and screen referrals for Art Therapy in collaboration with the service user, multidisciplinary team, family members, and external providers.
- To gain consent for assessment and treatment, and motivate service users to work in art therapy. Work sensitively to establish consent with service users who may have significant communication difficulties, mental health problems or challenging needs.
- To prepare and carry out therapeutic assessment, an assessment of risk and complete outcome measures. Offer initial consultation appointments for service users and carers/staff, and to undertake home visits where required.
- To plan, implement, monitor and evaluate, time specific, individual and group art therapy intervention for service users where this need has been identified.
- To be responsive to the nature of service users needs and use advanced communication skills to engage service users in the art therapy process.
- To arrange and conduct review meetings with service users and carers in order to discuss and evaluate the progress of therapy.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide relevant advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
- To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care. This will involve provision of timely and informative assessment and treatment reports, and contribution to multi-disciplinary notes.
- To communicate information and discuss progress with service users, carers/families and professionals and refer to other agencies where required.
- To interact with service users and carers with empathy and a clear understanding of the effects of a learning disability. The post holder should be skilled in communicating in ways that are sensitive, empathetic and responsive to service users ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds.
- To provide specialist psychological advice, guidelines and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
- To provide clear information about art therapy to other stakeholders who will have different levels of understanding of arts and psychological processes.
Teaching, training and supervision
- To receive regular professional supervision from a Senior Psychological Therapies colleagues and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
- To gain additional experience and skills relevant to art therapy and/or the service (as agreed with the line manager) up to an agreed ceiling, but not more than 2 sessions per week (pro rata).
- To provide supervision and professional support to trainee art therapists on placement with Ealing CTPLD.
- To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the service user group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To manage the clinical workload of trainee art therapists on placement, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.
- To be involved, as appropriate, in the short-listing and interviewing of junior members of psychological therapies team.
Research and service evaluation
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To undertake appropriate research and provide advice to other staff undertaking research.
General
- To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s).
- To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in art therapy across the service, by continuing to develop the skills as a reflexive practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of art therapy and related disciplines.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Association of Art Therapy and Trust policies and procedures.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific service user group.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities
Clinical:
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
- To receive and screen referrals for Art Therapy in collaboration with the service user, multidisciplinary team, family members, and external providers.
- To gain consent for assessment and treatment, and motivate service users to work in art therapy. Work sensitively to establish consent with service users who may have significant communication difficulties, mental health problems or challenging needs.
- To prepare and carry out therapeutic assessment, an assessment of risk and complete outcome measures. Offer initial consultation appointments for service users and carers/staff, and to undertake home visits where required.
- To plan, implement, monitor and evaluate, time specific, individual and group art therapy intervention for service users where this need has been identified.
- To be responsive to the nature of service users needs and use advanced communication skills to engage service users in the art therapy process.
- To arrange and conduct review meetings with service users and carers in order to discuss and evaluate the progress of therapy.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide relevant advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
- To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care. This will involve provision of timely and informative assessment and treatment reports, and contribution to multi-disciplinary notes.
- To communicate information and discuss progress with service users, carers/families and professionals and refer to other agencies where required.
- To interact with service users and carers with empathy and a clear understanding of the effects of a learning disability. The post holder should be skilled in communicating in ways that are sensitive, empathetic and responsive to service users ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds.
- To provide specialist psychological advice, guidelines and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
- To provide clear information about art therapy to other stakeholders who will have different levels of understanding of arts and psychological processes.
Teaching, training and supervision
- To receive regular professional supervision from a Senior Psychological Therapies colleagues and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
- To gain additional experience and skills relevant to art therapy and/or the service (as agreed with the line manager) up to an agreed ceiling, but not more than 2 sessions per week (pro rata).
- To provide supervision and professional support to trainee art therapists on placement with Ealing CTPLD.
- To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the service user group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To manage the clinical workload of trainee art therapists on placement, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.
- To be involved, as appropriate, in the short-listing and interviewing of junior members of psychological therapies team.
Research and service evaluation
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To undertake appropriate research and provide advice to other staff undertaking research.
General
- To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s).
- To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in art therapy across the service, by continuing to develop the skills as a reflexive practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of art therapy and related disciplines.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Association of Art Therapy and Trust policies and procedures.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific service user group.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters or equivalent in Art Therapy.
- Eligible for registration with HCPC
Desirable
- Good honours degree in Art or equivalent work experience
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Art Therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation skills. Ability to make clinical judgements based on complex information.
- Ability to be responsive to service users' needs and use advanced communication skills to engage clients in the Art therapy process.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- To know when to raise a safeguarding concern and when it is necessary to seek immediate clinical supervision
Desirable
- Experience in working as a qualified Art Therapist in the field of learning disabilities
- Experience of working with people with Autistic Spectrum condition
Skills
Essential
- The ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- The ability to communicate the complex nature of Art Therapy interventions to colleagues and carers, whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Ability to discuss personal reactions (thoughts, feelings, behaviours) in clinical supervision, reflective practice, formulation meetings to plan safer therapeutic care.
- Organised and self-motivated. Able to plan, prioritise and organise own case load and timetabling.
Desirable
- Demonstrable experience in co-production with people with learning disabilities
Other Requirements
Essential
- To have personal values aligned to forming positive relationships with service users and colleagues and a willingness to show behaviours that correspond to the Trust's Values.
- In accordance with trust moving and handling policies and procedures, the ability to undertake light physical effort e.g. manoeuvring art therapy equipment and positioning therapeutic materials
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters or equivalent in Art Therapy.
- Eligible for registration with HCPC
Desirable
- Good honours degree in Art or equivalent work experience
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Art Therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation skills. Ability to make clinical judgements based on complex information.
- Ability to be responsive to service users' needs and use advanced communication skills to engage clients in the Art therapy process.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- To know when to raise a safeguarding concern and when it is necessary to seek immediate clinical supervision
Desirable
- Experience in working as a qualified Art Therapist in the field of learning disabilities
- Experience of working with people with Autistic Spectrum condition
Skills
Essential
- The ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- The ability to communicate the complex nature of Art Therapy interventions to colleagues and carers, whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Ability to discuss personal reactions (thoughts, feelings, behaviours) in clinical supervision, reflective practice, formulation meetings to plan safer therapeutic care.
- Organised and self-motivated. Able to plan, prioritise and organise own case load and timetabling.
Desirable
- Demonstrable experience in co-production with people with learning disabilities
Other Requirements
Essential
- To have personal values aligned to forming positive relationships with service users and colleagues and a willingness to show behaviours that correspond to the Trust's Values.
- In accordance with trust moving and handling policies and procedures, the ability to undertake light physical effort e.g. manoeuvring art therapy equipment and positioning therapeutic materials
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
