Band 7 Arts Psychotherapist (Community) - Bath NHS House

at  Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Are you passionate about working with service users accessing community mental health services? Are you passionate about working with people experiencing Psychosis? Are you a highly effective Art Psychotherapist?
You will work with other colleagues from the BANES Psychological Therapies Team to work closely with colleagues from other community teams to develop psychological formulations and advise on therapy pathways as appropriate. In addition you will have a caseload.
The post-holder will provide a comprehensive Art Psychotherapy service to the community teams (Recovery and Early Intervention), including specialist assessment, formulation, individual and group interventions. You will work closely with our Psychosis Lead to develop the psychosis pathway.
You will need to be well organised with the ability to prioritise your work according to clinical need and liaise effectively with team colleagues and professionals in other teams/services.
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.
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.
The Royal United Hospital site, is located only a short walk away from the centre of Bath, a beautiful, family friendly and vibrant city, with direct trains to London and easy access to nearby Bristol. Bath offers all the advantages of city living, whilst surrounded by beautiful countryside.
Clinical
1. 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 interventions available.
2. To work with the psychosis lead to develop the psychosis pathway.
3. Regularly review and evaluate the therapy including levels of risk.
4. Communicate with empathy and sensitivity with service users and carers with an awareness and understanding of their problems and often complex issues.
5. To be responsible for own specialist caseload working within Trust policies, protocols and guidelines.
6. To record service user’s progress in RIO patient records, write reports and input statistical date.
7. 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. Professional
8. Communicate effectively with members of clinical teams, managers and other professional colleagues both representing and providing an arts psychotherapy perspective.
9. Work with Managers and Locality leads to ensure that all new, current or adapted arts psychotherapy space/rooms conform to professional associations standards and Standards for Better Health, and provide an adequate, appropriate and safe therapeutic environment in which to practice.
10. To be responsible for ensuring that all arts works, and digital images and recordings are appropriately stored in line with HCPC, professional associations guidelines and Trust policy.
11. To work within professional codes of practice and to Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards. To work using the best and evidence based practice.
12. To work effectively as a team member
Training and Staff Development
13. To maintain high standards of practice, demonstrate ongoing personal development through active participation in internal and external development and training opportunities, recording learning outcomes in a CPD portfolio to fulfil HCPC standards.
14. To engage in the appraisal process and own CPD and appraisal and CPD of junior/unqualified staff where appropriate. To ensure continuous engagement in one’s own art process in line with HCPC standards.
15. To be responsible for the planning and organisation of placements for students including visits to other departments and evaluation of their progress. To supervise, support and mentor students on placement where appropriate. To be responsible for providing both verbal and written reports for universities and training establishments regarding students suitability to qualify.
16. To educate other professionals and their students about art psychotherapy and provide specialist advice. This may include presentations.
17. To engage in ongoing statutory and mandatory training.
Service and Policy Development
18. To keep Head of Profession/line manager informed about local service developments, requirements, shortfalls and gaps in the service and input into team service development plans. Trust wide strategy and audit. To be responsible for contributing to relevant policy and procedures.
19. To input and make proposals for the development of protocols and guidelines and input into the development of arts psychotherapy strategy.
Health and Safety
20. To be responsible for ensuring safe use of materials and equipment and work within health and safety policies and guidelines. Identify training needs for self and junior/unqualified staff where applicable.
21. To undertake specific training, keep records and be responsible for monitoring and maintaining health and safety and security of self and others in own work area. Ensure regular health and safety training and updating for self and any junior/unqualified staff for which responsible.
22. To be responsible for and manage delegated art therapy equipment and materials budget, as appropriate. To order and maintain equipment in line with COSHH requirements

Please refer the Job description for details