Specialist Dramatherapist/Music Therapist

Job description

Job summary

We are looking to recruit a passionate and skilled Dramatherapist to cover maternity leave for approximately 11 months from December 2026 (exact length, start and finish time is dependent on start date as post will end by mid November 2027).

The post will be based in the adult acute mental health unit at Kingfisher Court, Radlett, covering two wards. You will be part of the multidisciplinary team supporting service users experiencing an acute mental health episode. You will provide open groups and 1.1 sessions for service users.

You will work closely with the Specialist Art Therapist based at the unit and the other AHPs, psychological therapists, nursing and medical staff. You will be part of the wider arts therapies team in adult mental health services and have opportunities to meet as a group, and to access the arts therapies CPD programme. Monthly clinical supervision will be provided internally.

Main duties of the job

Provide clinical assessment and intervention to service users who are experiencing acute mental health issues, in an inpatient unit.

Provide expert opinion and assessment as part of the multi-disciplinary team

Provide clinical supervision to arts therapists and other staff where required

Lead on service innovation for acute in agreement with manager and professional lead.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide specialised assessment of service users referred for the range of therapies jointly with Psychology and Occupational Therapy to determine which service will meet their therapeutic needs.

To make decisions and recommendations regarding the treatment of service user with complex mental illnesses through investigative assessment processes and to use interpretive skills to understand complex behaviours and psychological function.

To plan, monitor and deliver specialised programmes of care for the treatment of service users experiencing acute and severe mental illness.

To provide arts therapies interventions, group or individual as appropriate, through sensitive and expert application of arts psychotherapeutic techniques to service users assessed as able to engage in therapeutic work. Standardised outcome measures and evidence based practice interpretation is part of this.

To use skills to continually tailor and adapt interventions to the needs of the service users at any one time with the safety and wellbeing of the service users in mind.

To work to agreed activity standards including duration of intervention.

To contain at time highly emotive and distressing clinical material (i.e. sexual abuse and other trauma). To enable the service user tomanage the material at times when it may not be helpful to explore it at that time. To use specialist skills and experience to judge this.

To make referrals to/recommendations for arts or psychological therapy in the community or rehabilitation services where the service user would find this helpful, and support a smooth transition.

To protect and respect the confidentiality of all service users at all times in-line with information governance.

To attend clinical supervision on a regular basis for reflection of clinical practice and professional development.

To attend managerial and professional supervision.

To lead delegated tasks concerned with the development and implementation of local protocols and procedures to support delivery of arts therapies including operational issues.

To carry out an annual audit of referrals to arts therapies and other audit and evaluation as required.

To use recognised outcome measures appropriate to the setting and feedback forms to evaluate/audit the effectiveness of therapy for service users.

To be responsible for the development and implementation of local arts therapies policies and procedures within the unit, in liaison with the lead.

Interpret policies in areas of specialism for the staff team and facilitate their implementation.

To actively engage in individual performance reviews and undertake training as identified.

Job description
Job responsibilities

To provide specialised assessment of service users referred for the range of therapies jointly with Psychology and Occupational Therapy to determine which service will meet their therapeutic needs.

To make decisions and recommendations regarding the treatment of service user with complex mental illnesses through investigative assessment processes and to use interpretive skills to understand complex behaviours and psychological function.

To plan, monitor and deliver specialised programmes of care for the treatment of service users experiencing acute and severe mental illness.

To provide arts therapies interventions, group or individual as appropriate, through sensitive and expert application of arts psychotherapeutic techniques to service users assessed as able to engage in therapeutic work. Standardised outcome measures and evidence based practice interpretation is part of this.

To use skills to continually tailor and adapt interventions to the needs of the service users at any one time with the safety and wellbeing of the service users in mind.

To work to agreed activity standards including duration of intervention.

To contain at time highly emotive and distressing clinical material (i.e. sexual abuse and other trauma). To enable the service user tomanage the material at times when it may not be helpful to explore it at that time. To use specialist skills and experience to judge this.

To make referrals to/recommendations for arts or psychological therapy in the community or rehabilitation services where the service user would find this helpful, and support a smooth transition.

To protect and respect the confidentiality of all service users at all times in-line with information governance.

To attend clinical supervision on a regular basis for reflection of clinical practice and professional development.

To attend managerial and professional supervision.

To lead delegated tasks concerned with the development and implementation of local protocols and procedures to support delivery of arts therapies including operational issues.

To carry out an annual audit of referrals to arts therapies and other audit and evaluation as required.

To use recognised outcome measures appropriate to the setting and feedback forms to evaluate/audit the effectiveness of therapy for service users.

To be responsible for the development and implementation of local arts therapies policies and procedures within the unit, in liaison with the lead.

Interpret policies in areas of specialism for the staff team and facilitate their implementation.

To actively engage in individual performance reviews and undertake training as identified.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• M.A. (or equivalent) in either dramatherapy or music therapy
• Registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Arts Therapist (dramatherapist)
• Good Honours degree in relevant subject
• Training in clinical supervision
• Member of Professional Body (BADth)

Experience

Essential

• Relevant post qualifying professional experience
• Experience of working in an inpatient setting
• Experience of working with people with a range of mental health problems including personality disorder, psychosis
• Experience of working as an autonomous professional and developing a service
• Experience of providing a range of therapeutic interventions including assessment, inpatient and outpatient work, individual and group work, exploratory and supportive.

Person Specification
Qualifications

Essential

• M.A. (or equivalent) in either dramatherapy or music therapy
• Registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Arts Therapist (dramatherapist)
• Good Honours degree in relevant subject
• Training in clinical supervision
• Member of Professional Body (BADth)

Experience

Essential

• Relevant post qualifying professional experience
• Experience of working in an inpatient setting
• Experience of working with people with a range of mental health problems including personality disorder, psychosis
• Experience of working as an autonomous professional and developing a service
• Experience of providing a range of therapeutic interventions including assessment, inpatient and outpatient work, individual and group work, exploratory and supportive.

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Additional information
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Address

Kingfisher Court

Kingsley Green, Harper Lane

Radlett

WD7 9HQ

United Kingdom

Employer's website