Child & Adolescent Therapist (Fixed Term until 28th October 2023)

Who are we?

Kibble is Scotland’s specialist provider of services for at risk children and young people. By providing a range of integrated services, we help build positive futures for children and young people aged 5 plus, with complex social, emotional and educational needs

Job Purpose:

An opportunity has arisen for a Child and Adolescent Therapist to join our Specialist Intervention Services team on a fixed term contract. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated professional who will play a key role in the delivery of therapeutic trauma-informed services to children who have experienced childhood adversity. The team is known for taking an integrative approach, being creative and responsive to ensure that children and their families get the right support, at the right time, using the right therapeutic approach. You would be joining a multi-disciplinary team including; forensic psychology, counselling, art therapy, play therapy, systemic family therapy, CBT and DBT.

Your role will involve providing individual, group and family therapeutic intervention and consultancy to children in our early years’ service.

This role is part of Kibble’s Nurturing Young Lives Project, and part funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, Improving Lives Programme and The Robertson Trust, until October 2023.

As a child therapist, you'll offer psychoanalytic treatment to children with emotional or behavioural difficulties, including:

• trauma
• emotional dysregulation
• anxiety
• development delay
• aggression
• consequences of child abuse
• self-harming

You will use a multidisciplinary approach to work within the context of the child's life, for example their family or school. Your relationship with the child is central to treatment.

You may see a child individually, in a group with other children, or with parents or other family members. You may also see parents or carers without the child being present.

Main Responsibilities

As a child and adolescent psychotherapist, you'll will:

• carefully observe children and respond to what they might be communicating through their behaviour and play
• provide assessment and treatment of children as individuals or in a group
• tailor your approach to the individual child and work in an age-appropriate way. You might use play or drawing techniques with younger children, but talk about feelings with pre-teens
• provide short-term and long-term interventions with children and/or parents/carers, ranging from a few sessions to regular appointments over a long period of time
• work alongside other professionals in planning how best to help a child and the child's family
• offer training, consultation and supervision to other professionals who work with children and families
• keep up to date with developments in theory and research and undertake continuing professional development (CPD)
• demonstrate highly effective verbal and written communication skills and establish robust communication networks with other professionals, agencies and carers as appropriate
• identify key issues affecting children and work with agencies responsible for addressing these to help ensure they are responded to
• be responsible for receiving appropriate clinical supervision with an appropriately qualified supervisor in line with professional registration as agreed with the Operations Manager
• attend regular training to keep updated i.e. integrated training on how to work with children
• participate in the monitoring requirements of the service by producing required statistical and written reports when required

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

· Accredited Masters degree (or equivalent) and substantial experience of working with children and their families (child & adolescent psychotherapy, art therapy, play therapy, drama therapy, systemic family work)

· Professional registration with HCPC, BAAT (or equivalent)

· Experience of working with children/young people and families with complex needs. This can be from a range of settings, including social care, health and education.

· Maturity, patience and a calm, respectful manner

· Excellent interpersonal, communication and listening skills

Notes:

1. This job outline reflects the main tasks and responsibilities discharged by the post holder at the present time, however, Kibble reserves the right to alter or amend the content of this job outline to reflect changes to the job or services provided, while maintaining the overall character and level of responsibility for the post.
2. Notwithstanding any information or statement described within this job outline, all duties must be carried out in a way that promotes equality of opportunity, dignity and respect for all individuals and which is consistent with Kibble’s stated policy on equal opportunities.
3. The successful candidate will be subject to PVG Scheme Membership. Having previous convictions will not automatically disbar you from working at Kibble (with the exception of offences against children or other vulnerable groups) and every case is taken on an individual basis.
4. The successful candidate will be required to undertake Safe Crisis Management (SCM) training and will require a level of fitness to be able to carry out SCM. The successful candidate must be able to participate fully in this training and be prepared to put this training into practice.

The SCM training will consist of two days theory and two days physical training. The successful candidate must complete this training in full within four weeks of an agreed start date. Should the candidate for any reason fail any aspect of the SCM training (theory, physical or both parts), an additional two weeks will be given to pass.

5. Appointments will be subject to a twelve-month probationary period.

Closing Date: Friday 28 April 2023