Course Director Family Therapy

Job id: 084245. Salary: £62,696 - £86,506, inclusive of LWA (depending on qualifications).

Posted: 02 April 2024. Closing date: 16 April 2024.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Contact details:Dr Grace Heaphy. [email protected]

Location: Denmark Hill Campus. Category: Academic & Teaching.

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior Systemic Psychotherapist with significant teaching, research and organisational experience to take a leadership role in the training and education of Family Therapists and Systemic Practitioners at the new Pears Maudsley Centre (PMC) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN).

The postholder will lead and oversee the MSc and Graduate Certificate programmes in Family Therapy and contribute to the development of systemic teachings across the IoPPN.  These include collaboration with colleagues on the systemic pathway of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and working with the Module Lead   currently delivering the Systemic Family Practice module of the NHS England commissioned Children and Young Persons Mental Health Therapy programme (CYP-MH). They will be expected to innovate the academic content and course structure of the programmes whilst maintaining accreditation with the professional body and develop new collaborations.

Family therapy programmes at the IoPPN are well established and maintain  excellent student satisfaction rates.   Key to these programmes is the provision of high quality clinical placements with our partners in South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM) and other NHS Trusts across London and the postholder will be expected to maintain and further develop these links.

www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/courses/family-therapy-msc

www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/courses/cyp-iapt-therapy-pg-dip

The successful candidate will manage and lead a dedicated and experienced teaching team in the Section of Family Therapy, who are motivated and keen to support innovations in clinical practice, teaching and learning.  The Section sits within the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  The Department is world-renowned for its progressive research in the field of child and adolescent mental health.

In 2025, the Department will be moving to the newly built  Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People (PMC). The PMC has been developed by the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People – a partnership between King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Maudsley Charity. The Centre’s aim is to reduce the rate and impact of child mental health through world-leading research and its speedy translation into clinical care. This will be achieved through the  co-location of clinical and academic teams to ensure that clinically relevant research is translated into novel preventions and treatments to benefit young people.

The PMC is the only facility in Europe with a primary focus on the  mental health of young people and will have a state-of-the-art clinical research facility with cutting-edge equipment and be the perfect environment for translational research for young people. 

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/pears-maudsley-centre

https://slam.nhs.uk/pearsmaudsleycentre 

The postholder will be registered with UKCP as a Systemic & Family Psychotherapist, have AFT Approved Supervisor status and have,  or be registered and working toward a doctoral level qualification (PhD or professional doctorate or clinical doctorate).

King’s College London is deeply committed to embedding good culture, equality and diversity practice into all activities so that the University is an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study. We welcome applications from those with characteristics who are under-represented at senior levels within the University.

This post will be offered on a part-time (50%FTE), indefinite contract.

• Overall responsibility for family therapy trainings in the Section of Family Therapy, including the MSc and the Graduate Certificate in Family Therapy
• Oversee and work alongside module leads and the Programme Lead for the Grad Cert to contribute to innovations to the academic content and course structure for the MSc and Grad Cert. This includes:

-          Course modifications to remain up-to-date with current clinical practice, research  and academic knowledge

-          Extension and development of novel teaching methods including IT

-          Developing new links with providers of clinical placements

• Programme lead the MSc in Family Therapy
• Oversee  and participate where appropriate in assessments across programmes
• Oversee the selection and admission of prospective students
• As appropriate act as personal tutor, academic tutor, clinical supervisor and lecturer across the courses
• Collaborate with other Programme Leads across the School on educational issues and attend working groups and other meetings as needed to develop and maintain the programmes
• Maintain accreditation of programmes with professional bodies (i.e., Association of Family Therapy)
• Provide leadership and management to course staff including module and programme leads
• Work alongside the MSc Clinical Module Lead to further develop  partnerships with relevant clinical colleagues in South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and other NHS/Social Services organisations

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Essential criteria

1.       Doctoral level qualification (PhD or Professional Doctorate or Clinical Doctorate) or registered and working toward a doctoral level qualification

2.       MSc in Systemic & Family Psychotherapy or equivalent

3.       UKCP registration as a Systemic & Family Psychotherapist

4.       AFT Approved Systemic Supervisor

5.       Extensive experience of clinical roles in NHS/Social Care

6.       In depth and up to date knowledge of systemic family therapy

7.       Extensive experience of the planning, delivery and evaluation of high-quality clinical trainings at postgraduate level

8.       Knowledge of research methods and supervising MSc student research dissertations

9.       Familiarity of course module design / curriculum development

10.   Ability to work effectively with clinical and academic colleagues and develop professional relationships

11.   Strong commitment to equality and inclusivity

12.   Skills and experience in leadership

Desirable criteria

1.       Qualification in education and/or teaching

2.       Higher Education Academy (HEA) professional recognition (Fellow/ Senior Fellow)

3.       Familiarity with remote/ e-learning methods  

4.       Publications in relevant peer-reviewed journals. 

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance.