Therapist

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Therapist to join our mental health service in Kensington & Chelsea.

£17,273.00 per annum, working 20 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.

This innovative role has been created to respond to recent demands for an integrative approach into support delivery of vulnerable adults presenting a severe and enduring mental illness and/or a forensic background, at times in combination with substance misuse.

The post holder will lead on creating a therapeutically informed programme in order to develop a Psychological Informed Environment in the service.

The role would suit an experienced counsellor/psychotherapist who will lead in facilitating therapeutic groups and individual counselling /therapy for service users. On the other side provide support to the staff team in developing their psychological understanding and raising awareness in the emotional impact of working with this client group.

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

What you'll do:

Adopt and implement a Psychological informed Environment in the service.
To support the team in carrying out holistic assessments on appropriate support plans, and comprehensive risk assessments in full consultation with service-users, their families/carers and other agencies.
To liaise with the multi-disciplinary team working collaboratively to ensure that full information is given (in case of risk) to enable a robust assessment of service-users.
Lead on staff team debriefs following any serious incidents, develop workshops to assist staff in managing stress and wellbeing in the workplace and advise the manager on supportive interventions for the team as a whole
Lead on team reflective practise sessions as well as other creative activities for the team to aid reflection, insight and best practise.
To ensure recovery focused support plans are reviewed, evaluated and amended in accordance with changing needs, presenting risks and individual preferences in order to promote recovery with an attitude of 'positive risk taking'.

For the full list please see our website.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage service-user involvement
Approachable and open behaviour
Prefers working as part of a group or team
Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement
Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
Is confident with high levels of self-esteem
Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
Is essentially service-user-focused
Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviours

What you'll bring:

Essential:

Degree level qualification in counselling or psychotherapy
Minimum of 2 years experience in working in a mental health setting or other specialist social care services
Demonstrable experience of support work with people with support needs.
Experience of providing individual therapy and an understanding of risk management.
Demonstrable experience of engaging vulnerable adults with mental health needs/challenging behavior/substance misuse
Leadership skills in supporting team development.

Desirable:

Knowledge of group therapy;
Experience of working with vulnerable adults who are undergoing a period of crisis
Bring expertise in specialist areas such as dual diagnosis, substance misuse, hoarding or therapeutic interventions.

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.