Child and Adolescent Therapist

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.

Child & Adolescent Therapist Post

Are you a therapist looking for an opportunity to undertake longer term therapy with young people who have experienced complex/developmental trauma?

Do you have a passion for working with a wide age range of young people (5-25 years) across multiple settings, such as, fostering, residential and secure care?

Are you a practitioner who always puts the best interest of children and young people first?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Child and Adolescent Therapist to join our Specialist Intervention Services (SIS) team. We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, and motivated professional who will play a key role in the delivery of therapeutic services to young people who have experienced childhood trauma and adversity. The team is known for taking an integrative approach to ensure that children and their families get the right support, at the right time, using the right therapeutic approach. You would be joining an established multi-disciplinary team which has continued to grow and expand over the last 20 years. The service currently includes forensic psychology, systemic family practitioners and therapists providing DBT, EMDR, integrative, play, art, and counselling therapies. We have a strong commitment to continued professional development and all team members are provided with regular internal or external clinical supervision.

We would encourage you to apply if you are interested and committed to working with children and young people who have the highest need for therapeutic support. There is a high degree of autonomous working and independent practice and the opportunity to work flexibly. You will have the opportunity to inform and support effective trauma-informed practice and engage in wider service development. There will be opportunities to promote reflective practice across different settings and to contribute to service evaluation.

What’s so special about working in SIS? 

“Being able to offer longer-term therapy in person at a pace that works for young people …and not being restricted to just 6 or 12 sessions…is definitely a benefit to working in SIS…”

(Therapist – 20 years with SIS)

“Working with colleagues from a range of different disciplines is another advantage…we have art therapists, play therapists, counsellors, psychologists, family therapists...there’s a huge amount of experience in the team. Everyone is really approachable, we are always learning something from each other, and this fundamentally benefits the young people and families who access our service…”

(Play Therapist – 10 years with SIS)

“It’s a job with lots of diversity and lots of variety. We support children, teenagers, young adults and families who experience a range of challenges in their life, so no two days are ever the same…”

(Art Therapist - 9 years with SIS)

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• The post holder will hold a child psychotherapist qualification recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This could include art therapy, play therapy, drama therapy, counselling, integrative therapy or equivalent.
• Professional registration with HCPC, BACP or other relevant regulatory body.
• A minimum 2 years’ experience of working with children with complex needs is desirable.
• Experience of supporting children and young people who are care experienced is desirable.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and a keenness to develop your practise.
• The post holder will have patience, and respond positively and calmly to physical and verbal aggression
• Excellent interpersonal and listening skills and be able to communicate clearly and precisely orally and in writing both within the Centre and with external agencies.
• Work unsupervised and on own initiative.

Main Responsibilities:

• The role will involve facilitating individual and group therapy sessions with children and young people across a range of different settings including early years, education, residential and secure care.
• Creating a safe environment and building a strong therapeutic relationship where a child can openly discuss their experiences. Over time this should allow a child to build confidence, raise self-esteem, improve emotional wellbeing and resilience.
• The role involves working closely with the team around the child. This includes the wider SIS team, residential staff, Social Workers, education, Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and anyone who has a role to enhance the emotional and psychological well-being of our young people.
• You will be expected to attend professionals’ meetings, contribute to risk management and safety meetings, keep accurate case records, write reports, and evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.
•  Your role will involve providing consultancy and support to staff and you will actively contribute to the operational development of our therapeutic trauma-informed model. This will include the development and delivery of training for staff, chairing Shared Understanding formulation meetings and the facilitating of reflective practice groups for staff. 
• You should have the capacity to reflect on your own practice, whilst working in an emotionally challenging environment, using external clinical supervision and line management supervision to further develop within the role. 

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