Specialist CAMHS Practitioner AMHT - Band 7

NHS Jobs; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 43,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Jobs is seeking a Specialist CAMHS Practitioner AMHT at Band 7 to cover maternity leave in the Adolescent Mental Health Team in Newham. The post involves a care-coordination role for adolescents with complex mental health presentations, within a multidisciplinary team and with family-focused interventions.

The role emphasizes expertise in CAMHS, working with high-risk cases, and flexible planning including home visits where appropriate, under supervision and with ongoing professional

Qualifications

• Experience of working with children, adolescents and families.
• Experience in a CAMHS setting.
• Experience with psychosis and high risk and complex health problems.
• Experience working within an MDT.
• Experience in care coordination within a CPA.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of adolescents with complex mental health difficulties using a Care Programme Approach.
• Work within an MDT to inform assessments and interventions.
• Provide specialist systemic and family interventions.
• Respond to crises and high-risk presentations in a timely, professional manner.
• Maintain professional standards and engage in supervision and training.

Job description

Specialist CAMHS Practitioner AMHT - Band 7

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.

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.

Job responsibilities

• 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.

Person Specification

Education/Qualification/Training

• A qualification in Family Therapy, Clinical Psychology, Nursing, Counselling Psychology, Social Work, or other equivalent profession

Experience

• To have experience of working with children, adolescents and families.
• To have experience of working in a child and adolescent mental health setting (CAMHS).
• To have experience of using specialist clinical skills to carry out therapeutic and psycho-educational interventions.
• To have experience of working with psychosis and high risk and complex health problems.
• To have experience of joint working and of being part of an MDT.
• Experience of providing care coordination within a Care Programme Approach.
• Experience of working with diversity.

Knowledge and Skills

• To have knowledge of psychosis and other mental health difficulties and their impact upon functioning and performance.
• To have an understanding of adolescent development and the impact of mental health difficulties during the adolescent period.
• To have highly developed interpersonal skills enabling therapeutic alliances to be developed and maintained with clients who have complex mental health needs.
• Ability to apply effective interpersonal and communication skills in both individual and group therapeutic interventions.
• To be able to adapt communication to young people who may have significant impairments in their communication or/and verbal ability.
• Ability to use sophisticated interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively within emotive environments and with distressing material.
• Ability to exercise judgement, and make interpretations regarding complex issues.
• Ability to communicate complex information to clients, carers and other professionals.
• To be able to use supervision and support from colleagues to maintain safe practice.
• To have knowledge and skills in working with young people with neurodevelopmental disorders.
• To have knowledge of current National legislation, policies and guidelines. (Mental Health Act 1983, NICE guidelines, National service Framework for Mental Health).

Other

• Ability to use computer systems to access electronic notes and to have keyboard skills to be able to write up assessment outcomes.
• Mental effort required to undertake tasks demanding intense and prolonged concentration.
• To have the mental resilience to be able to move from one complex task to the next, such as attending meetings, carrying out assessments, carrying out therapeutic interventions and completing documentation.

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.