Family and Systemic Psychotherapist

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Systemic Family Psychotherapist to join our innovative Systemic Family Therapy Service in the Forensic Directorate. The post holder will join a team of Systemic Family Psychotherapists who work across Medium and Low Secure units and Forensic Outreach team, ELCFS (The East London Community Forensic Service).

The post holder will deliver specialist systemic interventions to service users referred to the Family Therapy Service. This will involve providing assessment and psychotherapy to service users, their families, and to other non-professional carers. The post involves offering in-reach services to service users approaching discharge, working with inpatient wards, community teams, service users and their families.

This is a part-time post and the successful candidate will be working across in-patient services and the community outreach team, ELCFS (The East London Community Forensic Service). ELCFS is multidisciplinary service, for service users in the process of and following discharge from the Forensic inpatient service.

This role is ideally suited to experienced Band 8A and Band 7 Systemic Family Psychotherapists who are seeking to advance their careers within a dynamic and innovative environment.

Main duties of the job

• Provision of specialist systemic and family psychotherapy services to service users and their families and /or carers within an inpatient setting and in the community.

To offer inreach services to service users approaching discharge, working with inpatient wards and community teams.

Facilitating systemic case discussions, co-leading formulation meetings, and actively participating in Risk meetings and seclusion reviews.

Providing systemic consultation for service user management, offering supervision, training, and guidance on psychological care.

To contribute to and participate in the teaching and training of staff members of the MDT in the community and inpatient settings on the principles of systemic psychotherapy. This is through methods such as offering live supervision in the family therapy clinic, joint work modelling systemic psychotherapy and teaching and training across the forensic directorate and to partners where appropriate (e.g. accommodation providers).

To contribute to service wide innovations, representing systemic family therapy (E.g. Trauma Informed care service, Inequality and Diversity Forum, Carer’s forum, Recovery College for Carers).

To contribute and meet ELFT’s Carer’s Strategy, offering staff training, systemic consultation and supervision across the inpatients and community services, to be aware of carers and engage with carers effectively.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

• An AFT recognised Postgraduate qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy/Family Therapy.
• Post-graduate qualification in a mental health or social welfare discipline and demonstrable practice (or established equivalence according to Association of Family Therapy (AFT) criteria
• Registration as a systemic psychotherapist with United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or equivalent body
• Provide Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines leading to continuing registration

Desirable

• Postgraduate training in supervision of systemic and family psychotherapy

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience practice in relevant first profession. Experience of working with a Multidisciplinary Team
• Experience in maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems where there may be high expressed emotion, verbal abuse and threats of violence.
• Experience of conducting risk assessments, preparing risks management plans and initiating appropriate action where indicated.
• Experience of systemic consultation and supervision.
• Experience of contributing or leading systemic knowledge and practice to service wide innovations

Desirable

• Experience of working in an Adult mental health setting in first profession or as a systemic practitioner.
• Experience of working in a forensic setting.
• Experience of working with Children, Adolescents and families
• Experience of the application of psychological therapies in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of working of working in the NHS.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Skills in the use of methods of Systemic Psychotherapy / Family based assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• A high level of sophistication in regard to relationship and communication skills when working with clients, families and/or professionals, including where the atmosphere might be highly emotive with clients and families expressing anger and hostility
• An ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines and in other settings including primarily CMHTs, in order to establish effective working relationships and partnerships that support care packages.
• Ability to apply analytical skills to multi -layered complex cases
• Ability to formulate comprehensive assessments and offer effective treatment based on systemic principles.
• Provide evidence of continuing Professional Development as required by UKCP/AFT guidelines leading to continuing registration
• Skills in providing systemic/Family Therapy consultation, teaching and training to other professional and nonprofessional groups
• Skills in both live and indirect supervision of systemic psychotherapists and/or multidisciplinary colleagues
• Knowledge and skills of risk management and ability to perform a clinical risk assessment.

Desirable

• Knowledge and skills on working systemically with children, adolescents and families

Closing Date: 11 August 2026