Systemic Family Therapist

Job summary
Cambridge University Hospital Foundation Trust (CUH) is seeking a highly skilled and compassionate individual to join the new NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service (East of England) in the role of Systemic Family Therapist.

Based within the Paediatrics Department at CUH, the successful applicant will have extensive experience of delivering high quality, evidence-based assessments and care to children and young people.

The Cass Review into gender services for children and young people has recommended that staff should maintain a broad clinical perspective by working across related NHS services in order to embed the care of children and young people with gender-related distress within a broader child and adolescent health context. In order to facilitate this, we encourage part-time applications from staff already working in other NHS or related services. We can also work with successful candidates applying for full-time roles to agree a job plan that includes a mix of gender service activity and activity in another clinical area.

The service operates Monday-Friday.

Main duties of the job
To work with managers and clinical leads, to ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality psycho-social service within the East of England Children and Young People's Gender Service. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of systemic therapies and practice within the Service. To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical supervision and support of all systemic practitioners and all psychological therapists practicing systemically within the Service. This also includes ensuring there are clear systems in place for effective outcome measurement, recruitment, professional appraisal and the identification of CPD needs across the Service.

About us
Our Trust Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people's age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.

Salary
£66,582 to £77,368 a year per annum pro rata
Band
Band 8b
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time, Part-time
Reference number
180-E-GS20

Essential qualifications

• M.Sc./Post-graduate Diploma in Systemic Psychotherapy/Family Therapy
• UKCP registered family therapist.
• Additional qualification in a related profession (e.g. social work, nursing, clinical psychology).
• Current safe-guarding training

Desirable qualifications

• Relevant specialist training in child and adolescent mental health disorders, or paediatrics.
• Advanced training in supervision
• Leadership Training

Essential experience

• Substantial post-qualifying experience as a systemic/family psychotherapist working in health care or social care setting.
• Substantial experience of working with children, adolescents and families with complex mental health problems.
• Experience of supervising other mental health professionals.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Ability to work co-operatively in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Previous employment in a related health or social care post.
• Planning and delivering teaching to health and/or social care professionals.
• Involvement in a variety of systemic psychotherapy interventions (e.g. conjoint family therapy, parental counselling, group therapy).

Desirable experience

• Experience of planning and implementing service developments.
• Relevant experience of working collaboratively with service users and carers in the development of patient/client-centred services.
• Familiarity with research methodology.
• Involvement in strategic planning of services.
• Experience facilitating the development of multi-disciplinary staff groups through the application of systemic models.
• Relevant experience as a senior staff member.
• Experience across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings.
• Experience leading across health care professions.
• Formal training in supervision of other systemic therapists.

Essential knowledge

• Good understanding of other professionals' theoretical perspectives on this client group.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance, including regular supervision, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of systemic psychotherapy.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by UKCP and AFT.
• Advanced keyboard skills.
• Ability to travel.

Essential skills

• Skills in the use of complex methods of assessment, formulation, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. This requires the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
• Skills in current, evidence based, stepped care models of care as detailed in NICE guidance.
• Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning.
• Planning and organising skills for caseload management.
• Skills in self-management, including time-management.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information, including contentious and highly distressing information, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

Desirable skills

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised systemic therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc.)
• Generic supervisor competencies as detailed in Children's Division Clinical Governance Report.
• Knowledge of neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD and ASD and learning disability, including specific child protection and risk issues relevant to this group of CYP.

Additional essential requirements

• Ability to work competently with highly distressing circumstances - frequently facilitating discussions in which complex treatment decisions are made.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress.
• Ability to frequently concentrate for sustained periods of time in order to plan and apply complex systemic interventions (e.g. multi-family group therapy).
• Ability to understand and utilise therapeutic use of self and to maintain insight through constructive use of personal supervision
• To maintain highest professional standards and skills required by UKCP and AFT for registration and audit purposes.
• Willingness to develop the role of the family/systemic psychotherapist within the service and to contribute to the broader field.
• Must be capable of interpreting broad occupational policies and be accountable for own professional actions.
• The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of Safe, Kind, Excellent.

Additional desirable requirements

• Record of having published in either peer-reviewed journals or equivalent.

Benefits to you
At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times. Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Visa and registration
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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

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.

For questions about the job, contact:
Gender Service Lead - cuh.genderservice@nhs.net

Closing date: 08 November 2026

Apply through our website.