Psychotherapy Consultants in Edinburgh

Harmeny Education Trust is a charitable organisation providing therapeutic care and education to children who have experienced early years trauma through abuse, neglect and family disruption, referred from all over Scotland. We currently work with children and young people aged 5-18, both on a day and all-year-round residential basis.

We are seeking two experienced Psychotherapy Consultants to provide therapeutic services on a consultancy basis. Please note that this is not an employed or worker position. Successful applicants will work under a consultancy agreement and will be responsible for managing their own tax and National Insurance contributions, professional registration, indemnity insurance, and continuing professional development.

The post-holder will be responsible for providing psychologically safe reflective spaces for members of our care, education, and support services teams. They will also observe children and young people and facilitate case discussions with professionals working within our education and care services.

Applicants must be registered as a psychological therapist with a recognised professional or regulatory body, such as the HCPC, BACP, UKCP, or COSCA. Each successful candidate will work up to three days per week (7 hours per day) at a daily rate of £250.

Harmeny is a values-led organisation and a good fit with our ethos is as important to us as having relevant experience. Harmeny is situated in a beautiful 35-acre woodland estate, which includes residential and education accommodation, community garden, orchard, wildlife habitats and children’s play areas. Harmeny is in Balerno on the outskirts of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills; we are easily accessible by bus and there is on-site parking available.

A complete job description and person specification can be found at www.harmeny.org.uk/jobs. If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, please contact Dr Nicola Wylie, Therapies Manager, on 0131 449 3938. To apply, please complete the application form via our recruitment section at www.harmeny.org.uk/jobs.

Closing date: 16 September 2026

Interview date: 7 October 2026

Key Responsibilities

• Provide a psychologically safe space where adults can reflect on the emotional impact of their work.
• Build effective relationships with staff across the organisation, providing advice, guidance, and constructive challenge to support their work with children and young people, and wider organisational practice, through the application of psychodynamic thinking.
• Support staff to process and reflect on the complex emotions and challenges associated with their work.
• Provide reflective spaces for staff, both individually and in groups, to discuss their work with a child or group of children.
• Use a psychodynamic perspective to support understanding of underlying dynamics, identify alternative approaches, and promote professional learning and development.
• Support staff to reflect on their own life experiences and consider how these may influence their perceptions, relationships, and practice when working with children and young people.
• Support staff to understand children’s verbal and non-verbal behaviours as a way of communication and provide advice and guidance on how best to respond.
• Observe children in the life-space and education spaces to inform further discussion.
• Contribute to case discussions, offering specialist psychological perspectives to support positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Support the management team in relation to organisational dynamics, drawing on solution-focused and psychodynamic approaches.
• Provide advice and guidance to support the ongoing development of our therapeutic practice framework, The Harmeny Way, and contribute to the design and delivery of associated training.
• Always maintain confidentiality and report any concerns appropriately to management.
• Reflect on and share the impact of psychotherapy within our therapeutic model with the Therapies Manager.
• Support the development of a resilient staff team by helping colleagues understand the emotional, behavioural, and psychological needs of children and young people.

Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• You must be registered as a psychological therapist with a regulatory body such as the HCPC, BACP, UKCP or COSCA as either a Practitioner Psychologist or Psychotherapist.
• Experience in organisational consultation is essential.
• Experience and knowledge relating to children and young people who have experienced significant early years trauma and adversity, preferably in a care, education, or multidisciplinary setting.
• Experience of working with families and carers.
• Experience of facilitating reflective practice using psychodynamic thinking in 1:1 and group settings.
• The ability to facilitate case discussions and provide advice and guidance in relation to working with individual children and families.
• A highly relational, compassionate and empathic approach, with the ability to create a supportive environment for care and education staff in their work with complex children and young people.