Job summary
The Family Therapist will work as a member of the multidisciplinary team in the provision of best practice care and treatment for Young people and Adults who require inpatient treatment for an eating disorder. As the Family Therapist at Riverdale, you will be expected to carry out the outlined duties whilst always respecting the individuals you work with and behaving in a professional manner.
The post holder will provide Family Therapy in line with NICE 2017 guidelines for adolescents with eating disorders and for adults where appropriate. They will work with families in a safe and supportive way, aiming to improve communication and allow a better understanding of how to support recovery from an eating disorder. The focus is on a pragmatic approach, helping families identify practical ways in which they can support their relative. However, at times it will be important to thinks about the impact of difficult past or recent events on family relationships and facilitate a safe space where these can be discussed.
Main duties of the job
Core Responsibilities
- To provide specialist family therapy assessments and treatment to adult and adolescent patients within the inpatient, hospital setting of Riverdale Grange.
- To create collaborative systemic hypotheses and formulations with families, which are used to inform ongoing family therapy and the treatment provided by the wider MDT team.
- To provide clear and informative summaries detailing progress and recommendations regarding future intervention for monthly CPA review meetings.
- To contribute to MDT meetings (ward rounds) to help formulate clinical decision making.
- To provide written feedback for the MDT (ward round) on a weekly basis regarding own patient caseload.
- To facilitate joint sessions with families and CAMHS professionals and/or family therapists to ensure collaborative working and smooth handover from community to inpatient services and vice versa.
- With adult patients, to assess the need for systemic therapy and to work systemically with:
- Adults individually on family issues or;
- Patients and partners to support recovery from eating disorders or;
- Patients and their children (adult or younger children) or;
- With patients and other key members of their support network
About us
Riverdale is a specialist eating disorder hospital for the treatment of young people aged 12 to 18 years and for adults over 18 years. The hospital provides high quality care, led by experienced consultant Psychiatrists and delivered by a team with clinical expertise with an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship within a welcoming and supportive environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Knowledge, training and experience
Essential:
- MSc in Systemic Psychotherapy.
- To be an accredited member of UKCP through membership of AFT.
- The ability to engage young people, adult patients and their families in evidence-based family therapy.
- To provide systemic family therapy drawing upon current and up to date theoretical models.
- To be able to integrate current systemic approaches with the evidence-based methodologies of treatments.
- Ability to make highly skilled evaluations and informed decisions about treatment and therapy within the context of complex relationship factors.
- To be able to attend to and regulate highly expressed emotion within family therapy sessions and work positively in a difficult and challenging environment.
- Ability to use outcome measures and session evaluation measures collaboratively with patients and families.
- Demonstrate an understanding of equality and diversity issues and put this knowledge into practice in the workplace.
- Sound knowledge and awareness of safeguarding issues for adults and children and young people; ability to identify when to follow Hospital policy and procedure in raising these issues and referring to other services.
- Ability to work to strict deadlines and manage own time.
Desirable:
- Post-qualification experience of working with children and young people in a mental health service.
- Post-qualification experience of working in a clinical setting with people with eating disorders.
- Knowledge and experience of working with mental health difficulties in young people and adults, particularly those that are co-morbid with eating disorders.
- Knowledge and awareness of eating disorders, including different types of disorders and issues relating to physical and psychological risk.
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience of multi-agency working.
- To be able to utilise the principles FT-AN or FBT in an inpatient setting.
- Experience of carrying out supervision in both an individual and group setting.
- Experience of writing training packages and delivering training to staff, carers and other agencies/professional groups.
- Knowledge and understanding of ASC and how ASC and eating disorders may inter-relate.
- Experience of working in an inpatient CAMHS setting.
- Knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and DOLs, together with implications for practice as a Systemic Psychotherapist
- Knowledge and experience of the Care Programme Approach.
Professional:
- To attend to personal and professional development needs in line with the requirements of AFT.
- To maintain accreditation and registration as a Family Therapist with the UKCP and AFT.
- To access external supervision in line with the requirements of AFT.
Communication
- Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication with carers, parents, families, partners, colleagues and other agencies.
- Ability to develop good working relationships with patients, families and colleagues.
- Ability to communicate complex concepts and sensitive information to patients, carers/families and professionals.
- Able to express views positively, constructively, effectively and clearly.
- Ability to work therapeutically online, conducting family therapy sessions on Microsoft Teams.
- To be responsive and timely in communication with parents/families and other agencies.
Information management/ Organisational
- To ensure all patient records are accurate and entered, in a timely manner, onto the electronic record keeping system.
- Able to use IT and electronic health recording systems.
- To complete audit reports on an annual basis and report into Clinical Governance with recommendations for improved service delivery on the results of these.
- To contribute to good data collection and use this in a meaningful way with patients and families.
- Support research projects carried out by the Clinical Psychologist and other professionals on inpatient treatment at Riverdale Grange for patients with eating disorders.
- Remain up to date with current knowledge, research and practice.
- To ensure all policies and procedures are read, understood, adhered to and carried out.
- Report any untoward incidents and safeguarding concerns in line with Riverdale policy and procedures.
- To escalate to the SMT and Consultant areas of concern regarding treatment or adherence to treatment plans.
- Work towards ensuring Riverdale maintains a high profile in the eating disorders networks, particularly in the SY provider collaborative and external stakeholders.
- To deliver presentations regarding the work entailed in the role and services provided to carers to relevant clinical networks.
- To work within CQC, QNIC and QED standards.
- To work within and demonstrate Riverdales values in day-to-day practice.
Education and Staff Development
- To provide staff and/or patient debriefing sessions as required by the service.
- To offer monthly group supervision to the adult and/or adolescent staff teams.
- To facilitate systemic case discussions with the adult and adolescent staff teams when appropriate.
- To deliver training for staff on key topics as identified by the Service Manager.
Personal Qualities
- Able to maintain appropriate boundaries.
- Demonstrate an ability to work in a clear and supportive way.
- Be passionate about providing high quality care and continuous improvement in service delivery.
- Ability to deal with multiple issues simultaneously in a dynamic, fast moving working environment.
- Ability to work under pressure and possess a high degree of emotional resilience.
- Ability to work using own initiative without the need for direction.
- Willingness to extend and develop knowledge and skills.
- Able to identify personal strengths and recognise opportunities for personal development.
- Respond positively to challenge and to change.
- Open, reflective, compassionate and approachable.
- Treat people with dignity and respect.
- There is a frequent requirement for sitting in a restricted position for direct clinical practice activity.
- Occasional requirement to exert intense physical effort throughout the period of work.
- To undertake relevant essential training and engage in the management of violence and aggression.
- Escorting and maintaining safety of patients both within and outside of the hospital environments.
- Respond to emergency incidents.
- Escorting patients on leave, family meals, essential training.
- The ability to use and transfer Riverdale equipment within the unit
EMOTIONAL EFFORT
Frequent exposure to highly distressing and highly emotional circumstances through the need to review with patients, in detail, the circumstances of their eating disorders offences and their own traumatic histories. Occasional exposure to traumatic incidents such as forced nasogastric feeding, verbal abuse or challenging behaviour from patients. May need to cope with patients who, at times, present with a heightened level of distress, agitation and hostility.
Frequent exposure to stress when supporting patients. Maintaining high levels of self-awareness, mindfulness and vigilance within the working environment. Ability to maintain a balanced/objective perceptive while working under potentially stressful situations and conditions. Responsible for contributing to the management of potentially stressful situations.
MENTAL EFFORT
Patient contact, especially in one-to-one and group sessions, require a high level of concentration. The complexity, demands and risks presented by patients involve the Family Therapist in intense thinking. There is a need to respond flexibly, sensitively and appropriately to situations faced with patients.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Occasional exposure to legal challenge and verbal abuse from patients. By their placement in Riverdale Grange Hospital, all patients are deemed to be vulnerable and may present a risk to themselves. There is a potential future risk to the post holder in relation to discharged patients attempting/maintaining contact (e.g. importance of clear professional boundaries is maintained).
COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIP SKILLS
Providing and receiving highly complex, sensitive and contentious information in an atmosphere where patients can be hostile, antagonistic or emotive, where adherence to detail and accuracy must be high, since the strands of communication can be conflicting, and where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills. Act in an appropriate dignified and responsible manner with patients, relatives, colleagues, using appropriate language and communication skills which acknowledge cultural differences.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- MsC in Systemic Psychotherapy
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 .
Employer details
Employer name
Riverdale Grange Hospital
Address
93 Riverdale Road
Sheffield
S10 3FE