Job summary
Are you a passionate and imaginative Creative Therapist looking to make a meaningful impact in a truly unique environment?Do you believe in the power of creativity to transform lives, support trauma recovery, and inspire change?
If so, Team NHFT wants to hear from you.
Why join us?
At Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), we are proud to be rated Outstanding by the CQC and recognised nationally for our psychologically informed approaches within Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) services. We're committed to compassion, innovation, and delivering high-quality care that makes a genuine difference.
You'll be part of The Hive, an OPD assessment and treatment pathway located within HMP Ranby, working collaboratively with HMPPS colleagues to support men with complex mental health and behavioural needs. This is a role where your creativity is not just valued--it's essential.
Main duties of the job
The Band 7 Creative Therapist will play a central role within The Hive Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway at HMP Ranby, delivering specialist creative psychotherapy to service users with complex mental health needs. Working autonomously as a clinical practitioner, the post holder will provides assessment, formulation, and therapeutic intervention using their specialist creative modality--such as drama, art, or music therapy--across both individual and group settings.
You will bring a psychologically informed and trauma-aware approach, helping individuals develop emotional regulation, relational safety, and pro-social behaviours within a secure prison environment.
The role requires close collaboration with a broad multi-disciplinary team, including prison officers, forensic psychologists, probation professionals, and wider healthcare colleagues. You will contribute a distinct creative psychotherapy perspective to case discussions, clinical formulations, and service development activities.
About us
NHFT is an NHS Community and Mental Health Foundation Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in hospital settings and in the community. We provide over 200 services across the county - as well as some specialist services in bordering and nearby counties. We work together with our partners to ensure that everyone who comes through our doors receives compassionate, person-centred care, regardless of their background or circumstances.
NHFT promotes a culture of learning, to improve the care and safety of our patients and colleagues. We have achieved our 'outstanding' rating by encouraging opportunity, innovation, development and growth across our workforce.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As a Creative Therapist you will maintain high standards of practice through evidencebased intervention, accurate record keeping, report writing, and regular review of therapeutic progress and risk.
Professional development is embedded within the role and you will actively participate in clinical supervision, reflective practice, mandatory training, and ongoing CPD. They also contribute to the development of junior staff and students, providing mentoring, supervision, and formal assessments of placement performance.
Working within a secure environment, you will be expected to manage the emotional demands of the role with resilience and professionalism, using deescalation skills where required and maintaining clear boundaries. Overall, the role is an exciting opportunity to combine specialist therapeutic expertise with partnership working, service development, and a strong commitment to delivering compassionate, highquality care to individuals within the criminal justice system.
For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the About You Section of the document.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As a Creative Therapist you will maintain high standards of practice through evidencebased intervention, accurate record keeping, report writing, and regular review of therapeutic progress and risk.
Professional development is embedded within the role and you will actively participate in clinical supervision, reflective practice, mandatory training, and ongoing CPD. They also contribute to the development of junior staff and students, providing mentoring, supervision, and formal assessments of placement performance.
Working within a secure environment, you will be expected to manage the emotional demands of the role with resilience and professionalism, using deescalation skills where required and maintaining clear boundaries. Overall, the role is an exciting opportunity to combine specialist therapeutic expertise with partnership working, service development, and a strong commitment to delivering compassionate, highquality care to individuals within the criminal justice system.
For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the About You Section of the document.
Person Specification
Qualifications and experience
Essential
- Post graduate qualification in Art, Music Drama Therapy at M.A./M.Sc. level which includes creative processes, working with individual and group dynamics and psychodynamic processes within the creative therapeutic relationship.
- Knowledge and understanding of personality disorders, including Offender Personality Disorder network.
- Will have a high level of communication and interpersonal skills to carry out assessments and therapy sessions and enable working with challenging mental health issues.
- Able to plan and provide a creative Therapy service for own area of work.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a secure and/or prison environment
- Able to work in emotionally demanding atmosphere and be continually exposed to traumatic experiences through the therapy. Able to contain emotional impact and hold difficult boundaries in a therapeutic relationship.
behaviours and values
Essential
- Applies excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including advanced formal presentation skills, influencing and negotiating.
- Reliable and consistent in approach, demonstrating empathy and an open communication style with all team members, fostering this culture across the team.
- Approachable and accessible to colleagues and across the organisation.
Desirable
- Works flexibly, prioritises workload and resources in response to changing demands and requirements.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Able to work autonomously in an intensely emotional atmosphere with service users with a history of mental health distress, emotionally distressed or angry and hostile, with empathy, understanding and a high degree of professionalism overcoming unconscious, psychological defence mechanisms.
- Able to form professional relationships and working partnerships with managers and other staff.
Desirable
- Able to work within a restricted environment, thinking creatively about use of resources.
Person Specification
Qualifications and experience
Essential
- Post graduate qualification in Art, Music Drama Therapy at M.A./M.Sc. level which includes creative processes, working with individual and group dynamics and psychodynamic processes within the creative therapeutic relationship.
- Knowledge and understanding of personality disorders, including Offender Personality Disorder network.
- Will have a high level of communication and interpersonal skills to carry out assessments and therapy sessions and enable working with challenging mental health issues.
- Able to plan and provide a creative Therapy service for own area of work.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a secure and/or prison environment
- Able to work in emotionally demanding atmosphere and be continually exposed to traumatic experiences through the therapy. Able to contain emotional impact and hold difficult boundaries in a therapeutic relationship.
behaviours and values
Essential
- Applies excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including advanced formal presentation skills, influencing and negotiating.
- Reliable and consistent in approach, demonstrating empathy and an open communication style with all team members, fostering this culture across the team.
- Approachable and accessible to colleagues and across the organisation.
Desirable
- Works flexibly, prioritises workload and resources in response to changing demands and requirements.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Able to work autonomously in an intensely emotional atmosphere with service users with a history of mental health distress, emotionally distressed or angry and hostile, with empathy, understanding and a high degree of professionalism overcoming unconscious, psychological defence mechanisms.
- Able to form professional relationships and working partnerships with managers and other staff.
Desirable
- Able to work within a restricted environment, thinking creatively about use of resources.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
