Specialist CAMHS Practitioner AMHT - Band 7NHS

Job summary

We are recruiting a maternity cover Band 7 CAMHS Clinician to work within the Adolescent Mental Health Team in Newham.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and motivated Qualified Mental Health Clinician (such as a Clinical Psychologist, Registered Mental Health Nurse or Family therapist) to work in an established MDT within a busy and diverse Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. The post holder should have both expertise and a passion for working with adolescents and their families and for working with complex mental heath difficulties.

As a care coordinator within the AMHT, the post holder will support the care of adolescents with complex, and often risky, mental health presentations such as first-episode psychosis, severe depression, emotional dysregulation and complex trauma.

As well as appealing to qualified mental health clinicians currently working within community CAMHS settings, this post may appeal to those not already working in community CAMHS who wish to develop new skills and therapeutic approaches.

Main duties of the job

The AMHT is a well functioning multi-disciplinary team within Newham CAMHS. The team is composed of Psychiatrists, Mental Health Nurse, a Systemic Family Therapist, a Clinical Psychologist, an Occupational Therapist and Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy. It is commissioned to provide early intervention in psychosis (EIS) for 13 to 18 year olds as well as to offer mental health care to young people presenting with high risk of severe life threatening self-harm.

The team model includes joint working as well as individual working with young people and their families. The team offers a range of interventions including therapeutic care coordination, systemic family therapy, individual therapy (CBT, psychoanalytical psychotherapy, narrative therapy) and psychiatric support. The team works within a Care Pathway model of service delivery within a multidisciplinary framework, holding weekly MDT meetings where all high risk cases are discussed. It incorporates a developmental approach in its formulation of young people's presentation and an understanding of adolescent personality development. Due to the nature and severity of their mental health difficulties, young people are often engaged in longer-term interventions with the team.

Line management and professional supervision will be provided from within the team.

Job description

• To effectively manage a caseload of clients with highly complex mental health difficulties using a Care Programme Approach.
• To work collaboratively within a cohesive MDT and to contribute to team meetings, care plans, treatment reviews and CPAs. To work jointly with other professionals within the MDT to provide assessments and interventions to clients.
• To provide specialist systemic and family interventions to AMHT clients.
• To contribute to a team duty system and be able to confidently respond to young people who present in crisis.
• To adopt a client centred and highly sensitive approach to therapy; collaborating with clients (and/or carer(s) where appropriate) in all aspects of the therapeutic process.
• To respond to, record and report any incidents relating to therapy or client care in an appropriate and timely manner.
• To respond to unpleasant or highly distressing conditions or behaviour in a professional manner, demonstrating empathy and sensitivity.
• To be alert to safeguarding concerns and to follow local and national processes in responding to such concerns; to seek support from the MDT and senior colleagues as needed.
• To attend monthly management and clinical supervision.
• To maintain professional standards and keep up to date with professional registration.
• To operate in a creative and flexible manner to incorporate home visits and off-site sessions to suit clients individual needs.
• To adhere to professional standards and keep registration up to date.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.