Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Band 7, Arts Psychotherapist, Bristol

The closing date is 28 August 2025

Job summary

Do you understand the clinical needs of people with a Learning Disability and Autistic People? Do you bring passion and commitment to delivering high quality care?

We are looking for an exceptional Art, Drama or Music Psychotherapist to join our new specialist acute inpatient service for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

This role will provide a rare and exciting career opportunity to be instrumental in contributing to the design, implementation and ongoing evaluation of Arts Psychotherapy within a highly specialist inpatient setting. You will be expected to have excellent team working and groupwork skills, and an ability to deliver individual and group interventions within an inpatient environment.

In addition to shaping and delivering direct assessment, formulation and intervention, you will contribute to wider service development and pathways, including training, consultation, reflective practice and staff wellbeing.

You will be expected to contribute to service improvement, audit and research as appropriate, working with colleagues and linking with relevant partner organisations such as academic institutions, to help us realise our vision of being a centre of excellence.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver high-quality, evidence-based assessment, formulation and intervention within the inpatient service. This will include the delivery of specialist individual, group and systemic intervention, as well as providing consultation, interventions and training for carers and staff.

They will be expected to provide supervision to other members of the team as appropriate.

They will also contribute to service design, audit and research. The service has close working relationships with local Universities.

Individualised support will be provided to develop your knowledge and skills, as part of the expanding expertise in learning disabilities and neurodiversity within AWP.

If you would like further information we would be very pleased to have a conversation with you in person or virtually, prior to you submitting your application. Please contact: Dr Cathy Randle-Phillips, Consultant Clinical Psychologist: cathy.randle-phillips1@nhs.net

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust):a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details

Date posted

14 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

342-SS124-0825

Job locations

Blackberry Hill Hospital

Manor Road

Bristol

BS16 2EW


Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide a specialist arts psychotherapy service including assessment and treatment, using advanced levels of skill, for individual and group shorter and longer-term art psychotherapy and to advise teams in relation to service users complex needs and the range of interventionsavailable.

To carry out assessments and consultation to inform and enable comprehensive information gathering to establish diagnosis, re service users who present with unclear symptoms and complex mental health difficulties.

Regularly review and evaluate the therapy including levels of risk as part of the CPA process.

Communicate with empathy and sensitivity with service users and carers with an awareness and understanding of their problems and often complex issues.

To be responsible for own specialist caseload working within Trust policies, protocols and guidelines.

To record service users progress in RIO patient records, write reports and input statistical date.

To engage in reflective practice and clinical supervision and to offer clinical supervision to arts psychotherapy staff and other colleagues, as required. To arrange and attend professional, team and specialist clinical supervision as appropriate to caseload.

Please see attached detailed job description and key local information regarding this post.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide a specialist arts psychotherapy service including assessment and treatment, using advanced levels of skill, for individual and group shorter and longer-term art psychotherapy and to advise teams in relation to service users complex needs and the range of interventionsavailable.

To carry out assessments and consultation to inform and enable comprehensive information gathering to establish diagnosis, re service users who present with unclear symptoms and complex mental health difficulties.

Regularly review and evaluate the therapy including levels of risk as part of the CPA process.

Communicate with empathy and sensitivity with service users and carers with an awareness and understanding of their problems and often complex issues.

To be responsible for own specialist caseload working within Trust policies, protocols and guidelines.

To record service users progress in RIO patient records, write reports and input statistical date.

To engage in reflective practice and clinical supervision and to offer clinical supervision to arts psychotherapy staff and other colleagues, as required. To arrange and attend professional, team and specialist clinical supervision as appropriate to caseload.

Please see attached detailed job description and key local information regarding this post.

Person Specification

Shortlisting

Essential

  • Post graduate qualification in an Arts Psychotherapy at MA/MSc level, or equivalent.
  • Registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), the UK Council for Counselling Psychotherapy (UKCP) or equivalent Registered and working within the Code of Practice for their Professional body.
  • Knowledge and experience of working with people with serious and complex Mental Health difficulties
  • Able to work as an autonomous practitioner responsible for own specialist caseload within a team
  • High level of communication and interpersonal skills to carry out assessments and therapy sessions
  • Able to engage with clients' non verbal communication using the modality integral to the therapy
  • Able to work in an emotional demanding atmosphere with service users with a history of psychosis, emotionally distressed or angry and hostile, with empathy and understanding.
  • Able to supervise qualified, unqualified staff trainees and staff from different disciplines.

Desirable

  • Further post graduate training
  • Experience of working in the NHS
Person Specification

Shortlisting

Essential

  • Post graduate qualification in an Arts Psychotherapy at MA/MSc level, or equivalent.
  • Registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), the UK Council for Counselling Psychotherapy (UKCP) or equivalent Registered and working within the Code of Practice for their Professional body.
  • Knowledge and experience of working with people with serious and complex Mental Health difficulties
  • Able to work as an autonomous practitioner responsible for own specialist caseload within a team
  • High level of communication and interpersonal skills to carry out assessments and therapy sessions
  • Able to engage with clients' non verbal communication using the modality integral to the therapy
  • Able to work in an emotional demanding atmosphere with service users with a history of psychosis, emotionally distressed or angry and hostile, with empathy and understanding.
  • Able to supervise qualified, unqualified staff trainees and staff from different disciplines.

Desirable

  • Further post graduate training
  • Experience of working in the NHS

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Blackberry Hill Hospital

Manor Road

Bristol

BS16 2EW


Employer's website

http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Blackberry Hill Hospital

Manor Road

Bristol

BS16 2EW


Employer's website

http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Cathy Randle-Phillips

cathy.randle-phillips1@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

14 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

342-SS124-0825

Job locations

Blackberry Hill Hospital

Manor Road

Bristol

BS16 2EW


Supporting documents

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