Play Therapist - Specialist Intervention Service (Full Time)
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
About this job
<p>Barking and Dagenham is one of the smallest London Boroughs with highest emotional need. So, we have developed an inhouse Play and Creative therapy team, innovative and energetic creative arts and play therapists, specifically within Children’s social care to work at a very high professional levels to provide therapy interventions which profoundly engage with trauma and loss.</p> <p>This is a unique position, opportunity and moment for you to bring yourself as a Play Therapist to a place where in the work, miracles happen, and seeds of hope come to life.</p> <p>This post is part of the development of a skilled play therapy team, where we are working with children in children’s social care, to help them make sense of their lived experiences and narratives. This is a place where our work actually brings about deep change in both the children’s lives and that of their families, often preventing disruptions in children’s living arrangements and starting new emotional patterns of being able to be together.</p> <p>This role also offers the experienced play and adolescent therapist ways of processing, explaining and thinking about complexity through sensory medias, so that the engagement really makes sense of their feelings and experiences. As experienced play therapists, we get to be situated right at the point of most need, which means we have the privilege of seeing greatest change and impact.</p> <p><em><strong>Re-applying for posts</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Applicants who have not been shortlisted or who are unsuccessful at interview cannot reapply for the same job if it’s within 6 months of the first advert – for further information please refer to our Jobs and Career Page - ‘Working for us and Information for Applicants’ on our website.</strong></em></p>
Special requirements for this post
<p><span>This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and a comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on successful applicants including a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check at enhanced level for both children’s and adults. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>The post requires the applicants to show their registrations and certificates in advance and have a minimum of <strong>FIVE </strong>years therapy/minimum of 500 clinical hours post graduate experience. </span></p> <p><span>This post requires a CV to be submitted as well as a job application.</span></p>
About you
<p>As an experienced play/adolescent therapist, you will be exploring issues around trauma and identity, through the use of all the play therapist tool kit. You will need to be able to evidence and apply play therapy and associated theories in order to offer analytical understanding of your sessional material. Clinical supervision comes as an integral part of this work.</p> <p>This position requires a therapist to hold extensive post qualification experience, and if possible, bringing a working understanding of self within social care structures and</p> <p>processes. Whilst the post will focus on working with children and teenagers, it will also offer the opportunity to work collaboratively with family members to build bonds and attachments and develop therapeutic life story work. We have also developed exciting group work methods with children, which will offer you as the therapist the ability to work with and understand siblings like never before. We intentionally work to a culturally sensitive model. Once again, post qualifying training and continuous clinical supervision will be offered to this post.</p> <p>The applicant must be able to assist any child by displaying a working knowledge of play therapy methods and theories, whilst being able to work between the play therapy quadrants using various modalities and all media as is necessary. The post requires a therapist who can work deeply within team and hold a passionate and calm disposition.</p> <p><strong>Critical criteria.</strong></p> <p><em>Personal: Energy, passion, perseverance, calmness, curiosity and an eagerness to creatively engage with child/young person and their connected people and professionals. An insightful team player.</em></p> <p><em>Professional: Relevant professional therapy qualifications and accreditations with therapy bodies. We offer creative clinical supervision and work as a small coherent therapeutic team with clear management and peer interaction. It is essential that the incoming team member understands working within corporate care processes in order to work in a close multidisciplinary way. Analytical report writing is critical to this position.</em></p>
About us
<p>This is an exciting time to join the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham. We have been on a journey over the last few years, that has seen us transform the council and the way we deliver our services. At the heart of this transformation is our community. We need committed individuals to support us in the delivery of these aims and to become part of our team to make a difference to our children and families. In return we offer a competitive pay package, generous pension, annual leave up to 30 days, investment in your learning and development as well as a commitment to your wellbeing. We work in a dispersed way, offering flexible working arrangements.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p>