Psychotherapy Consultant

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.