Senior Art Psychotherapist

THERAPEUTIC & EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICE (TESS)

Make Art. Make Meaning. Make a difference

Senior Art Psychotherapist  

36.5hrs (part time hours would be considered)

Grade D

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a skilled and imaginative Senior Art Psychotherapist to join our Therapeutic and Emotional Support Service (TESS).

TESS is an emotional wellbeing service that offers assessment and a wide range of individual, dyadic and group interventions to Birmingham’s children in care, their parents and carers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people, and care experienced young adults up to the age of 25 years. TESS also provides consultation and support service to the professional and care network.

We are keen to recruit someone that’s interested in joining a team whose area of focus is working with children in care and care experienced young adults. 

You will be working as part of a team to deliver support and guidance via a consultation and guidance service to the wider children in care, unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people, and care leavers support network. A key part of the role will be to offer direct therapeutic support with a focus on improving emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships, in turn, developing emotional stability and personal resilience.

The post holder will be joining a friendly, supportive, very well established and highly regarded multi-disciplinary team of clinical psychology, systemic family therapy, play therapy, and other therapeutic Social Workers trained in a variety of models (e.g. DDP, CBT, DBT, etc). A wide range of approaches and models are utilised within the service to best meet the needs of our care experienced children and young adults, and innovative and creative work is encouraged.

We work with children, young people and care experienced young adults who reside in Birmingham and out of the city, who are from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our workforce represents the diverse families of Birmingham that we support.

Children and young adults who are referred for support experience a wide spectrum of concerns, including issues of separation and loss, emotional, behavioural and neurodevelopmental difficulties, mental health issues and developmental trauma. An ability to demonstrate team and multi-agency working are crucial elements to this role.

This is more than a clinical role. It’s an opportunity to use art, creativity and relationship to help young people make sense of their stories, strengthen attachments and discover new ways of being in the world.

If you believe that art can reach where words cannot, we would love to hear from you.

We are committed to the arts as a vital therapeutic and developmental resource, and we actively support our clinicians to grow creatively as well as professionally.

You can expect:

• Dedicated art materials budget and access to well-resourced spaces
• Opportunities to develop specialist arts-based approaches (e.g. trauma, attachment, identity, transitions)
• Clinical supervision and reflective practice spaces
• A service culture that values curiosity, innovation and the therapeutic power of creativity

We actively encourage you to bring their whole creative selves to the role.

You’ll be a HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist with a recognised postgraduate qualification, experience of supporting trainees and newly qualified art psychotherapist, and a genuine commitment to working with care-experienced children and young adults.

We are looking for therapists to join us who are:

• Compassionate, reflective and emotionally resilient
• Confident working with trauma, attachment and loss
• Comfortable navigating complex systems and multi-agency work
• Passionate about ethical, child-centred and anti-oppressive practice

Experience with children in care, care leavers or family work is highly valued, but we are equally interested in your potential, creativity and values.

We will provide you with access to training, regular professional supervision, and on-going support.

If you have experience of working with care experienced young adults, are positive, passionate and committed to making a difference and enjoy the challenge this brings, we would like to hear from you.  We are looking for applicants who can demonstrate an interest in evidence-based practice and research and who are keen to develop their knowledge.

If you share our commitment and passion in making a lasting difference for our young adults and can work as part of a team, we would like to hear from you.

In order to be considered for this role please include a supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the competencies required as outlined in the attached person specification.  

For more information please contact Davinia Burrell, TESS Team Manager for care leavers: [email protected] ; Sherril Duffy, TESS Team Manager for Under 18s [email protected] or Lee Vince, TESS Head of Service on; [email protected] 

Closing Date: Midday on 5^th April 2026

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.