Art therapist | West London NHS Trust

We are looking for a highly motivated art therapist to take up this new role providing group and individual art therapy to service users in the borough of Hounslow, comprising both brief and longer interventions. You will work as a member of a supportive arts therapies service and establish strong links with the borough mental health teams and with non-statutory community resources.

We are looking for a practitioner who is passionate about the role of creativity in supporting people's health and autonomy, who is able to work autonomously and to manage risk in a collaborative way.

The arts therapies are an established part of provision West London NHS Trust's psychological therapies provision. You will be managed by a Head of Arts Therapies and you have links to arts therapies across the wider trust. The postholder will be supported by these links and by those to local multi-disciplinary teams.

Tuesdays are a core team day so the postholder will be expected to work Tuesdays.

The postholder will offer interventions within defined timescales, encompassing both brief, low intensity and some longer, high intensity interventions. Knowledge of trauma informed practice is essential and the postholder will be implementing trauma informed approaches for a range of presentations. Most interventions will be groups but there will also be scope for individual work. In addition to direct clinical work you will support the wider team to work with service users e.g. through formulation.

You will need to be able to work independently to develop your part of the service in liaison with inpatient and community teams and to supervise trainees on placement. You will be line managed by the head of arts therapies and supported by a structure of meetings with arts therapies colleagues and clinical supervision.

All arts therapists are active in developing the evidence base for their work through the use of outcome measures, clinical audit and research.

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.