Systemic Family Practitioner
The closing date is 25 February 2026
Are you a qualified systemic therapist looking to use your skills in a compassionate team making a real difference to the lives of women, babies and their families in the North Lancashire and South Cumbria area? NL&SC SPCMHT are looking for a skilled and caring professional who is passionate about working in a perinatal service. You will deliver systemic interventions to women and families referred into the perinatal service. You will join a friendly and welcoming MDT and will play a key role in embedding and supporting systemic thinking into the team. You will be supported by senior clinicians within the team and will also be part of a compassionate therapies team, which includes systemic colleagues working across the LSCFT patch.
NL&SC SPCMHT covers a vast footprint including Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre, Lancaster and South Cumbria. As a team and service, we support flexible working and offer fantastic training and development opportunities!
Main duties of the job
* To contribute to a high quality specialist systemic service to service users and families as part of the Perinatal Service.
* To provide specialist systemic assessment, formulation and therapy within the service.
* To offer advice, consultancy and supervision as appropriate and support the work of colleagues providing care and treatment, according to expertise.
* To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.
* To be involved in service developments, as appropriate.
About us
LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.
Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under‑represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.
We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.
LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi‑time.
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
* Professional qualification in a mental health or social welfare discipline OR agreed Association of Family Therapy (AFT) equivalent.
* Postgraduate training in Systemic Practice to enable the title of Systemic Practitioner – namely completion of either 'AFT approved' Intermediate Level Systemic Practice Training or CYP‑IAPT in Systemic Family Practice.
* Registration with the appropriate regulatory body for core profession.
Knowledge
* Skills in the use of methods of Systemic Practice / family based assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
* High level of relationship and communication skills to work with clients, families and/or professionals where the atmosphere might be both pressured and emotive.
* Well‑developed skills in the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex emotive situations and those with impaired communication capacities.
* Ability to liaise with and utilise analytical skills to manage complex professional meetings, networks and processes in relation to individuals and families.
* Knowledge of and skill in using the variety of approaches and methods within systemic practice (i.e. social constructionist, narrative, solution focused, etc.) as required to work with individuals, couples, family systems, groups and organisations.
* Ability to provide ongoing treatment in complex, unstable and frequently changing circumstances.
Personal
* Ability to sit for extended periods of time and maintain intense focussed concentration during clinical tasks often with pressurised circumstances.
* Ability to withstand high levels of emotionally charged situations.
* Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to "hold" the stress of others.
Other
* Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
* Accountable for own professional actions within professional ethics and trust policy.
* Commitment to trauma informed practice.
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.
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
#J-18808-Ljbffr