CYP Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist in Chester

We have a rare opportunity to join our expanding Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (CAPT) workforce in Cheshire's 0-18 Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS). This post is based in Chester with an expectation that the successful applicant will also provide input to our Winsford team. This is an ideal opportunity for a band 8b CAPT, or band 8a CAPT looking to develop their clinical leadership skills and move into a more senior grade in time with the support of a development plan. Suitable applicants currently working at band 7 who have a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience can be considered for an 8a-8b development post. You must be a full member of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists to apply. We offer a relocation package of up to £8,000 for anyone who would need to relocate in order to take up employment with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership. Terms and conditions apply.

Main duties of the job:

• You will be a vital member of our MDT and offer strong clinical leadership skills, collaborating with a range of partner mental health professionals.
• You will provide highly specialist psychoanalytic assessments and treatment of children and young people presenting with severe and complex mental health difficulties with a main base in one of our Cheshire CYPMHS 0-18 services.
• With close ties to the DChPsychPsych programme at NSCAP you'll have the opportunity to offer placements for trainee CAPTs.

At CWP, we take pride in our forward-thinking approach to mental health care across all ages. You'll have opportunities to engage with our clinical networks, contribute to service development, evaluation and research.

We offer:

• Clinical and professional supervision
• Ongoing professional development to support your growth
• A highly supportive working environment that encourages service innovation and research

Qualifications, experience and requirements:

Training & Qualifications

• Postgraduate diploma or Masters degree (pre-clinical training as recognised by Association of Child Psychotherapists)
• Professional qualification as a Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist as recognised by the Association of Child Psychotherapist (Doctorate level training equivalent).
• Full Membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (up to date full membership of ACP to be maintained).

Experience, Knowledge & Expertise

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of child and adolescent psychotherapy, including psychoanalytic theories and models of development, psychopathology, family and institutional dynamics and models of intervention and practice.
• A good amount of postqualification experience of assessment/intervention with young people (and their families, parents/carers) in a CAMHS (or equivalent) setting.
• Ability to function independently as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist within a Team.
• Experience of psychoanalytic assessment and therapeutic work with difficult, disturbed, and challenging children and young people (and their families, parent/carers) requiring skilled and complex psychotherapeutic interventions.
• Experience of working in the role of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with Children and Adolescents presenting severe and complex difficulties.
• Experience of working with professional networks and awareness of issues for networks and teams.
• Experience of providing consultation and support to other professionals in Health, education and/or Social Services.
• Significant experience of presenting clinical child psychotherapy within the context of multidisciplinary and multi-agency treatment and care.
• High level ability to communicate effectively (in written and verbal forms) complex, technical and clinically sensitive information to children, young people and their carers and families, and a wide range of professionals within and outside of CAMHS.
• Knowledge of legislation and national guidance in relation to the needs of children and young people and to mental health (including safeguarding procedures) implications for clinical practice.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of designing and implementing audit.
• Experience of supervising and/or facilitating the development of trainees or junior colleagues.
• Post qualification experience in developing a relevant area of special interest (e.g. application of STPP, consultation re CLA).
• Experience of contributing to Service development.

Skills

• Highly developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to convey highly complex and clinically sensitive information to children, young people and their families and to a range of professionals within and outside the NHS.
• Capacity to communicate clearly with analytic and non-analytic colleagues.
• Well-developed skills in the use of complex psychoanalytic methods of assessment, intervention and management in work with infants/children/young people, parents/carers and families.
• Highly-developed skills in co-working, liaison and consultation with others.
• Capacity to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team context.
• Ability to assess risk, manage risk and make complex judgment about risk issues.
• Ability to work with people from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicity from one's own.
• Ability to cope with stressful interpersonal situations, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical aggression, and to communicate in situations in which there may be barriers to the acceptance of communications.
• Capacity to prioritise complex tasks and organise workload to meet Service User and service needs.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Closing date: 02/03/2026 23:59