Family and Relationship Support Service - Systemic Psychotherapist

Job summary

Are you looking for a new challenge? Do you know and understand adult mental health and the challenges and opportunities of inpatient admissions? Do you want to share your skills of working with systems to improve the health and care of our residents?

If so, we would love to talk to you about this role. It is based in an innovative, small service which reaches into our wards to supports those where relationship patterns contribute to long or repeat admissions.

Working alongside a family and systemic psychotherapistwho leads the team and trainee clinical psychologists, this role will make a difference to those returning to their homes or accommodation in the community.

Serving a diverse client population with a wide range of needs means this role offers an interesting and unique experience.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will directly contribute to the positive working environment within the multi-disciplinary team. They will consider the needs of families and networks. This may include representing the discipline in meetings, offering specialist systemic consultation or co-working as appropriate. The post holder will work across a number of settings including inpatient wards, community teams and supported accommodation and will form strong professional and therapeutic relationships with a wide variety of service users and stakeholders. They will require a high degree of professional autonomy and self-management and will be required to account for their professional practice through appraisal and audit

About us

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.

Details

Date posted

17 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£56,276 to £63,176 a year Per annum pro rata inc HCA

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

363-TH7634385

Job locations

Mile End Centre for Mental Health, Mile End Hospital

Burdett Road

Mile End

E1 4DG

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached JD and person specification for more information.

The main areas of work are the identification of need in our wards, working with families and wider systems to support sustained discharges from the inpatient wards. The service supports a wide variety of clinical presentations, with a focus on individuals and the families/carers of individuals with psychotic spectrum difficulties. A range of systemic interventions, including psychoeducation and practical support will be offered within a brief treatment framework of up to twelve sessions.

We are also passionate about reflecting the communities we serve and would encourage applications from those with similar heritage to the people to whom we offer care .

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached JD and person specification for more information.

The main areas of work are the identification of need in our wards, working with families and wider systems to support sustained discharges from the inpatient wards. The service supports a wide variety of clinical presentations, with a focus on individuals and the families/carers of individuals with psychotic spectrum difficulties. A range of systemic interventions, including psychoeducation and practical support will be offered within a brief treatment framework of up to twelve sessions.

We are also passionate about reflecting the communities we serve and would encourage applications from those with similar heritage to the people to whom we offer care .

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

• Professional qualification in a mental health or social welfare discipline or agreed Association of Family Therapy (AFT) equivalent
• An AFT recognised four-year training leading to a qualification in Systemic Family Psychotherapy.
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registration with the College for Family, Couple and Systemic Therapy.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines, leading to continuing registration.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in an Adult Mental Health setting, in either first profession or as a systemic practitioner
• Experience of working at either primary or secondary care level.
• Experience of conducting risk assessments, preparing risk management plans and initiating appropriate action where indicated

Desirable

• Experience of working in psychological therapies at either primary or secondary care level
• xperience of working in the NHS.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines and in other settings in order to establish effective working relationships and partnerships that support care packages
• Knowledge of other modalities (e.g. psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural therapy, psychiatry) to a degree sufficient to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients.
• An ability to use systemic skills to manage complex professional networks and processes in relation to individuals and families.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.

Desirable

• Ability to teach and train others using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Skills in both live and indirect supervision of systemic psychotherapist s and/or multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Adequate keyboard skills and understanding of IT packages

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

• Professional qualification in a mental health or social welfare discipline or agreed Association of Family Therapy (AFT) equivalent
• An AFT recognised four-year training leading to a qualification in Systemic Family Psychotherapy.
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registration with the College for Family, Couple and Systemic Therapy.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines, leading to continuing registration.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in an Adult Mental Health setting, in either first profession or as a systemic practitioner
• Experience of working at either primary or secondary care level.
• Experience of conducting risk assessments, preparing risk management plans and initiating appropriate action where indicated

Desirable

• Experience of working in psychological therapies at either primary or secondary care level
• xperience of working in the NHS.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines and in other settings in order to establish effective working relationships and partnerships that support care packages
• Knowledge of other modalities (e.g. psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural therapy, psychiatry) to a degree sufficient to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients.
• An ability to use systemic skills to manage complex professional networks and processes in relation to individuals and families.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.

Desirable

• Ability to teach and train others using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Skills in both live and indirect supervision of systemic psychotherapist s and/or multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Adequate keyboard skills and understanding of IT packages

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Mile End Centre for Mental Health, Mile End Hospital

Burdett Road

Mile End

E1 4DG

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Mile End Centre for Mental Health, Mile End Hospital

Burdett Road

Mile End

E1 4DG

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)