Amegreen Children’s Services provides a community of warm, welcoming children’s homes across West Berkshire and Hampshire, supporting children and young people aged 4–18 with social, emotional and mental health needs, learning disabilities and physical health needs.
We are looking for an experienced and compassionate Child Psychotherapist to join our growing in-house therapy team and play a key role in strengthening the therapeutic support available to the children in our care.
This is an exciting time to join Amegreen. We established our in-house therapy service in August 2024 and have since grown our provision significantly, with several new homes and two specialist schools now part of our community. Our therapy team currently includes an Integrative Child Psychotherapist and an Arts Psychotherapist, and we are looking for another experienced psychotherapist to join us as our service continues to develop.
About the role
You will be based at our dedicated therapy centre in a beautiful rural setting in the Burghfield area of West Berkshire, conveniently located for access to our homes and wider provision.
You will work as part of a supportive and developing therapeutic team, alongside our existing therapists. An established peer supervision programme is in place, which you will be invited to join alongside your own clinical supervision arrangements.
The role combines direct therapeutic work with children and young people with consultation, reflection and support for the adults and professionals around them.
You will have the opportunity to use your clinical expertise not only in individual psychotherapy, but also to help care teams and wider professional networks develop a deeper understanding of each child’s emotional world and the impact of their experiences.
Key responsibilities
- Assess children and young people for their suitability for psychotherapy.
- Provide individual psychotherapy to an agreed caseload of children and young people.
- Develop thoughtful, child-centred therapeutic formulations and interventions.
- Provide clear, sensitive and professionally appropriate reports, reflections and observations.
- Attend home team meetings, case conferences and wider professional network meetings where appropriate.
- Provide professional advice to support children’s care and promote psychotherapeutic thinking and reflection.
- Help care teams and the wider professional network understand and hold in mind the impact of a child’s experiences on their emotional development and internal world.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues across care, education, health and other professional services.
- Make effective use of clinical supervision to inform and develop your practice.
- Contribute to the continued development of Amegreen’s in-house therapy service.
About you
We are interested in hearing from psychotherapists working across all modalities who have a minimum of 1 years’ post-qualification experience working with children.
You will be a thoughtful, reflective and collaborative clinician who is comfortable working therapeutically with children while also supporting the adults and systems around them.
We would particularly welcome applications from psychotherapists with experience of:
- Adoption, fostering or residential childcare.
- Working therapeutically with children who have experienced trauma.
- Working with children and young people with learning disabilities.
- Working across professional networks and/or within multidisciplinary teams.
- Supporting children with complex emotional and developmental needs.
Knowledge or awareness of the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) model and therapeutic parenting would be an advantage, as DDP is a core model underpinning our approach to care.
Essential requirements
- Relevant professional registration with one of the following: UKCP, HCPC, ACP, PTUK or BACP.
- At least 1 years’ post-qualification experience working with children.
- Experience of working therapeutically with children and young people.
- Experience of trauma and its impact on children’s emotional development.
- Ability to work collaboratively across professional networks and/or multidisciplinary teams.
- Availability to provide some sessions outside of traditional school hours. This may mean working later on some days, potentially until 7pm, to ensure children can access therapy at appropriate times.
What we offer
Joining Amegreen means becoming part of a growing organisation where therapy is embedded within the care we provide.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Join an expanding in-house therapy service with a strong focus on therapeutic care.
- Work alongside experienced child and arts psychotherapists.
- Be part of an established peer supervision community.
- Develop therapeutic practice across a growing network of children’s homes and specialist schools.
- Work in a dedicated therapy centre in a peaceful rural setting.
- Make a meaningful contribution to the emotional wellbeing and development of children and young people in our care.
- Help shape and develop our therapeutic provision as the service continues to grow.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Amegreen is committed to creating an organisation where people can be their authentic selves in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment.
We are actively building diverse teams and welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We want everyone to have the opportunity to contribute their best work and develop to their full potential.
If you require any reasonable adjustments or accessibility support during the recruitment process, please contact us.
Safeguarding and DBS
Amegreen Children’s Services is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
All appointments are subject to satisfactory references and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Adherence to safeguarding and GDPR requirements, including completion of relevant training, is mandatory for all employees. All employees are expected to understand and promote effective safeguarding and GDPR practices throughout their employment with Amegreen Children’s Services.
Successful candidates will be required to complete a thorough safeguarding onboarding process, including a full employment history review and an Enhanced DBS check.
Pay: £38,000.00-£41,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Application question(s):
- Please confirm which professional body you are currently registered with (e.g. UKCP, HCPC, ACP, PTUK or BACP) and your current registration status.
- How many years of post-qualification experience do you have working therapeutically with children and young people?
- Please briefly describe your experience of working with children who have experienced trauma, adoption, fostering or residential care, and/or children with learning disabilities.
- This role is Monday–Friday and requires flexibility to provide some therapy sessions after school hours, with some days potentially finishing at 7pm. Please confirm that you are able to meet this requirement.
- What interests you about working therapeutically with children and young people in residential care, and what do you feel you could bring to an in-house therapy team?
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
