Published: Mon, 27 Oct 2025
Job Summary
We are looking for a inspirational, compassionate UKCP, BACP or HCPC qualified therapist, who is also a visual artist, to co-lead our East London Youth Troupe activities in 2026.
Job Description
Our artist-therapist role is distinct and unusual. We do not offer art therapy - our therapist is always an artist and arts practitioner first. But having a qualified psychotherapist on the team means we can work safely and ethically with even the most vulnerable young people. The artist-therapist is on hand if a young person suddenly finds themselves in crisis, and also provides ongoing therapeutic support/supervision to our freelance staff and volunteers. Ideally, they will have experience in delivering community arts workshops. They may be an actual art therapist, or a non-arts psychotherapist who has their own professional practice as an artist.
East London Youth Troupe is a multi-arts group, with a therapeutic undercurrent, for 7-12 year olds. It is co-delivered by a skilled theatre practitioner, and by the artist-therapist, who offers complementary visual art activities, adapting as necessary to theatre design (props, costumes, set design, puppets and so on) as the end of year production begins to take shape. The theatre artist and artist therapist will work closely with volunteers as they guide the artistic work and engage in the healing process. We provide home-made food, and escorted door to door travel for any young person who needs it.
The artist- therapist is part of a close-knit team that works together to enable our participants to move into bright futures.
Job Requirements
Location: Queen Mary University London Mile End campus.
Dates: The contract runs between January 14th and December 31st 2026.
Times and hours: 4.5 hours a week on Wednesday afternoons (excluding school holidays)
Fee: £416 per month (£5000 in total)
For more details, please see the Application Pack
Job Responsibilities
Creative:
* Work with the Artistic Director to deliver arts workshops and activities that culminate in an informal production at the end of the contracted period
* In collaboration with the Artistic Director, deliver art and craft activities in workshop sessions appropriate for the needs and desires of participants
* Design and deliver workshop activities in line with Theatre Troupe Model (TTM) methodology, bearing in mind its attachment and attunement process and working in a trauma-informed way (training and guidance will be given in this)
* Facilitate the art/design side of things during rehearsal and performance.
Supportive:
* Offer support to any young person who finds themselves in crisis in the workshop, or who needs particular intervention requiring professional psychotherapy knowledge, skills and experience
* Offer therapeutic support and guidance to volunteers and staff post-workshops
Other
* To contribute to the evaluation required of Theatre Troupe from ELYT's funders
Please visit our Recruitment page for an application pack and application form, or email emily@theatretroupe.org to request these.
Feel free to email or phone Emily if you have any questions.
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