Family & Systemic Psychotherapist

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist to work with the Adult Eating Disorder Team.

Vincent Square Eating Disorders Service offers a range of specialist services for women, men, children and young people who are suffering from eating disorders. The service provides a range of treatments including Outpatient therapy, Intensive Community treatment, Day Programme services and Inpatient care.

The post holder will work as part of the multi-disciplinary team which consists of Psychiatrists, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Dieticians, Systemic Therapists, Cognitive Behavioural Therapists, Cognitive Analytic Therapists and Lived Experience Practitioners.

You will work alongside systemic colleagues and the teams across the adult service to support systemic thinking in case formulation and treatment plans, alongside holding a caseload of families. Guided by systemic ideas, you will have opportunities to work collaboratively with colleagues of other disciplines across the adult service.

Vincent Square is committed to the learning and development of all staff members and you will have access to CPD opportunities through the service and through connection with the Family Therapy professional group within the Trust.

Main duties of the job

To ensure the provision of specialist systemic family psychotherapy services to clients, their parents and carers within the adult eating disorders service, across all sectors of care.

To work jointly and collaboratively with other team members in order to enhance and develop work with families by providing specialist systemic knowledge and skills.

To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of systemic practice within the service.

To provide specialist systemic psychotherapy with clinical autonomy and to work in ways which are sensitive to the needs of families from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, and to support others to do the same.

To take responsibility for contributing to research, audit, policy and service development in line with clinical governance.

About us

There's a place for you at CNWLWe're passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient's own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We're always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we're hoping to find our future leaders and we'll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more - whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

Hear from our staff what it's like working with our CNWL Eating Disorders service, please click on below videos.

Video 1 - Click HERE

Video 2- Click HERE

Details

Date posted

03 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£56,276 to £63,176 a year per annum incl. HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-G-ED-0461

Job locations

South Kensington & Chelsea Mental Health Centre & Roxborough Road, Harrow

1 Nightingale Place

London

SW10 9NG

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide comprehensive and holistic systemic assessments of clients, their families and/or carers that are referred to the Adult Service that synthesises information from a variety of sources.

To hold a caseload that covers clients from different parts of the Adult Service.

To be responsible for implementing, developing and evaluating systemic interventions for individuals and their families and/or carers. This includes signposting families and/or carers to community resources as well as supporting the team to develop a family-focused practice.

Please see more detailed job description and main responsibilities on attached Job Description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide comprehensive and holistic systemic assessments of clients, their families and/or carers that are referred to the Adult Service that synthesises information from a variety of sources.

To hold a caseload that covers clients from different parts of the Adult Service.

To be responsible for implementing, developing and evaluating systemic interventions for individuals and their families and/or carers. This includes signposting families and/or carers to community resources as well as supporting the team to develop a family-focused practice.

Please see more detailed job description and main responsibilities on attached Job Description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters or Doctoral level qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy or AFT agreed equivalent UKCP Registered OR in training working towards completing the MSc in Family Therapy (Qualifying level).

Desirable

• Possession of a relevant degree or in the process of obtaining
• Relevant training in delivering family / systemic psychotherapy within the field of eating disorders or complex cases

Experience

Essential

• Experience working with children and young people, parents and couples
• Experience and understanding of the needs of a multicultural population
• Practice experience in relevant first profession (or established equivalence as above)
• Experience in providing consultation, liaison with a range of professionals, and multidisciplinary working
• Experience of supervision

Desirable

• Experience of family therapy within the field of eating disorders or other complex, difficult to treat client group
• Experience of other treatment approaches
• Experience running parenting or carer groups

Skills

Essential

• Skills in working with children and families with mental health and social problems using a variety of approaches coherent with a systemic perspective.
• Ability to formulate comprehensive assessments and offer effective treatment based on systemic principles.
• Ability to provide services relevant to diverse social, cultural and religious backgrounds
• Capacity to work independently, but have the skills to recognise the need to consult to professional colleagues from the multidisciplinary team and/or other departments within CNWL or to external agencies
• Ability to apply analytical skills to multi-layered complex cases
• Ability to liaise with and manage complex professional networks in relation to individuals and families
• Ability to provide ongoing treatment in complex, often unstable, and frequently changing circumstances.

Desirable

• Parent management training
• CBT skills

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of systemic theory and practice
• Evidence base in relation to parenting issues
• The impact of abuse, trauma and other adverse experiences on children and families
• Legislation and DOH guidelines relevant to children and mental health
• Child protection policies and procedures and understanding
• Other modalities (i.e. psychoanalytical, behavioural etc.) sufficient to engage appropriately with multidisciplinary team colleagues and their work with clients/patients

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of family therapy within the field of eating disorders
• Publication or presentation of research in the field of eating disorders and / or family therapy

Personal Attributes, Aptitudes

Essential

• Effective communicator
• Flexible
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach which considers the needs of the whole person
• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills

CPD

Essential

• The post holder is expected to have had since qualification ongoing CPD

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters or Doctoral level qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy or AFT agreed equivalent UKCP Registered OR in training working towards completing the MSc in Family Therapy (Qualifying level).

Desirable

• Possession of a relevant degree or in the process of obtaining
• Relevant training in delivering family / systemic psychotherapy within the field of eating disorders or complex cases

Experience

Essential

• Experience working with children and young people, parents and couples
• Experience and understanding of the needs of a multicultural population
• Practice experience in relevant first profession (or established equivalence as above)
• Experience in providing consultation, liaison with a range of professionals, and multidisciplinary working
• Experience of supervision

Desirable

• Experience of family therapy within the field of eating disorders or other complex, difficult to treat client group
• Experience of other treatment approaches
• Experience running parenting or carer groups

Skills

Essential

• Skills in working with children and families with mental health and social problems using a variety of approaches coherent with a systemic perspective.
• Ability to formulate comprehensive assessments and offer effective treatment based on systemic principles.
• Ability to provide services relevant to diverse social, cultural and religious backgrounds
• Capacity to work independently, but have the skills to recognise the need to consult to professional colleagues from the multidisciplinary team and/or other departments within CNWL or to external agencies
• Ability to apply analytical skills to multi-layered complex cases
• Ability to liaise with and manage complex professional networks in relation to individuals and families
• Ability to provide ongoing treatment in complex, often unstable, and frequently changing circumstances.

Desirable

• Parent management training
• CBT skills

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of systemic theory and practice
• Evidence base in relation to parenting issues
• The impact of abuse, trauma and other adverse experiences on children and families
• Legislation and DOH guidelines relevant to children and mental health
• Child protection policies and procedures and understanding
• Other modalities (i.e. psychoanalytical, behavioural etc.) sufficient to engage appropriately with multidisciplinary team colleagues and their work with clients/patients

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of family therapy within the field of eating disorders
• Publication or presentation of research in the field of eating disorders and / or family therapy

Personal Attributes, Aptitudes

Essential

• Effective communicator
• Flexible
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach which considers the needs of the whole person
• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills

CPD

Essential

• The post holder is expected to have had since qualification ongoing CPD

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

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

South Kensington & Chelsea Mental Health Centre & Roxborough Road, Harrow

1 Nightingale Place

London

SW10 9NG

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

South Kensington & Chelsea Mental Health Centre & Roxborough Road, Harrow

1 Nightingale Place

London

SW10 9NG

Employer's website

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