Dramatherapist

Job summary

To provide dramatherapy assessments and interventions for adult service users with complex mental health needs, as part of the adult community mental health team based in Welwyn Garden City. The post will be for 2-days-a-week.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will implement both individual and group dramatherapy sessions, assessing, contacting and working with adults who have complex mental health needs. The successful candidate will be able to work independently as well as a fully integrated member of the wider mental health team. They will show good organizational and communication skills as well as a sound and developing understanding of the application and use of dramatherapy.

About us

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

Our family of over 4,000 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

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide assessment and intervention for service users with complex mental health needs, including those experiencing psychosis

Provide assessment and intervention for individuals and groups

Clinical Responsibility

To work autonomously in assessing and treating a caseload of highly complex service users and to use due consideration and clinical judgement of each client with regard to their specific needs, risk and mental health. To bring highly specialist dramatherapy knowledge to the assessment of service users referred to the team, (i) as part of any multidisciplinary assessment of service user needs/CPA, (ii) to determine the potential effectiveness of dramatherapy intervention/treatment, (iii) to identify treatment objectives and (iv) to identify the optimum form of treatment for an individual with reference to a range of treatment options.

Plans and organises a caseload of service users with very complex needs, including enduring psychotic illness/severe depression/suicidal and/or self-harming behaviour/history of sexual abuse/eating disorder/personality disorder/history of aggression or violence towards others/problems of substance misuse.

Able to analyse and consider a variety of complex issues and to adapt the treatment to service users level of functioning and needs, considering the history and context in which they are a service user, including risk.

Manage own caseload and timetable in response to the changing needs of service users and priorities within the team and within the limitations of space and time.

Able to consider and provide a variety of types of work appropriate to service users who may have experiences of trauma and abuse and are at risk to themselves. This includes exploratory, reflective, supportive or developmental approaches, individual and group and to modify the work in relation to the service users capacities and functioning.

Uses specialist therapy techniques and advanced knowledge of and skills in drama/theatre within restricted physical environments to work with service users who can be poorly motivated and difficult to engage.

Attends CPAs, professionals meetings, safe guarding meetings and other clinical meetings, when possible, taking responsibility for communicating with professionals with the MDT and service users families and carers, within the boundaries of confidentiality. This communication includes specialist advice regarding highly sensitive and extremely complicated clinical issues relating to current dramatherapy treatment, future treatment, mental state and other aspects of service user care.

Respects the individuality and values and the cultural and religious diversity of service users. To provide a service that is sensitive to these needs and maintains awareness of own anti-discriminatory practice.

Responsible for assessing the suitability of referrals to arts therapies, considering all aspects of care and treatment in addition to own specialism, and discussing findings with the multi-disciplinary team.

Keeps up-to-date clinical records of work carried out and writes reports on assessment and treatment progress regularly and as required for CPA. Reports will be both verbal and written and will be accessible to therapists, professionals of other backgrounds and non-professionals as appropriate.

Provides written information on aims and objectives of the work, contributing to designs and produces information leaflets for service users and carers.

To work to agreed activity standards including duration of intervention

To be able to contain at time highly emotive and distressing clinical material ( sexual abuse and other trauma). To enable the service user to disclose painful material to progress the course of treatment where appropriate.

To have the highly specialised skills and understanding to help service user in group and individual treatment, either brief or longer term, to disclose, process and resolve conflicts within themselves and with others.

Person Specification

QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION TRAINING

Essential

Good honours degree in Drama/Associated Subject MA in Dramatherapy or equivalent State Registration with HCPC Experience providing a range of therapeutic interventions including: assessment, inpatient and out patient work, individual and group work, exploratory and supportive. Experience of working with people with a range of mental health problems including: a degree of personality disorder, a history of psychosis.

Desirable

Advanced keyboard skills BaDth membership (strongly recommended)

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Essential

Ability to work within a Team Student placement experience of working within CPA/MDT processes

SKILLS/ KNOWLEDGE ABILITY

Essential

A sound understanding of the theoretical issues connected to mental health diagnostic criteria. Knowledge and skills in assessing service users for dramatherapy and/or other treatment interventions Knowledge of and skills in risk assessment and contributing to diagnosis

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Essential

Ability to communicate effectively in a highly emotive atmosphere, to overcome patients' psychological resistance to personal disclosure and potentially threatening information, child protection and self-harm. Good communication skills: verbal & written, including presentations Computer competency, including knowledge of electronic care records, email, word processing and audit tools.

ANALYTICAL SKILLS

Essential

Highly developed knowledge of and skills in assessing clients for arts psychotherapies and/or other treatment interventions, including risk assessment and contributing to diagnosis Highly developed skills in the application of psychodynamic formulations and theory to work with individuals, groups and teams Able to analyse and consider a variety of complex issues and to adapt the treatment to service user's level of functioning and needs, considering the history and context in which they are a service user, including risk

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