Band 7 Arts Psychotherapist - Bristol

Job summary

Do you understand the clinical needs of people with a Learning Disability and Autistic People? Do you bring passion and commitment to delivering high quality care?

We are looking for an exceptional Art, Music, Drama or Dance Psychotherapist to join our new specialist acute inpatient service for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

This role will provide a rare and exciting career opportunity to be instrumental in contributing to the implementation and ongoing evaluation of Arts Psychotherapy within a highly specialist inpatient setting. You will be expected to have excellent team working and groupwork skills, and an ability to deliver individual and group interventions within an inpatient environment.

In addition to shaping and delivering direct assessment, formulation and intervention, you will contribute to wider service development and pathways, including training, consultation, reflective practice and staff wellbeing.

You will be expected to contribute to service improvement, audit and research as appropriate, working with colleagues and linking with relevant partner organisations such as academic institutions, to help us realise our vision of being a centre of excellence.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver high-quality, evidence-based assessment, formulation and intervention within the inpatient service. This will include the delivery of specialist individual, group and systemic intervention, as well as providing consultation, interventions and training for carers and staff.

They will be expected to provide supervision to other members of the team, including trainee Arts Psychotherapists, as appropriate.

They will also contribute to service design, audit and research. The service has close working relationships with local Universities.

Individualised support will be provided to develop your knowledge and skills, as part of the expanding expertise in learning disabilities and neurodiversity within AWP.

About us

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details

Date posted

25 August 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£49,387 to £56,515 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

342-SS096-0826

Job locations

Blackberry Hill Hospital

Bristol

BS16 2EW

United Kingdom