An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and skilled Art Therapist, with experience working with children and young people.
The successful candidate will work with The Josh Hanson Charitable Trust, one day a week for 36 weeks in schools, during term time, commencing November 2022 to deliver our Fine Lines Art Project.

The Josh Hanson Charitable Trust was established after the death of Josh Hanson aged 21 years in an unprovoked fatal knife attack in October 2015.

The Josh Hanson Trust’s Fine Lines Art Project is designed with young people in mind who are seeking or will benefit from an art intervention.

The project eases the young person into the medium of Fineliner Art, illustration and watercolour painting while encouraging them to reflect on self-esteem, confidence, and decision-making.

The project addresses emotional health and well-being support, anxiety, fears, managing thoughts and feelings, and building on communication skills to help empower the young person to make positive life decisions.

We have secured funding from the Central and North-West London NHS Foundation Trust to deliver this project.

We want to hear from people who are

• Compassionate and committed to excellence and best practice
• Flexible in their approach
• Willing to work alongside our team to make this happen

We are looking for a skilled Art Therapist who can work adaptively and thoughtfully with children and young people who may find communication and engagement difficult and who have special educational needs and who are likely to be referred to CAMHS and experiencing mental health challenges.

The successful candidate will be an innovative Art Therapist who will bring dynamic, psychological, and trauma-informed approaches to their work with children and young people. They will apply their skills through a range of trauma-informed approaches. The right candidate will work alongside a Session Lead.

The Fine Lines Art project teaches the participants various techniques including drawing, sketching, and painting using Fineliner pens and watercolour paints while exploring urban art. The sessions are supported by demonstration art videos commissioned by The Josh Hanson Trust and recorded by a leading artist.

The young person participating in the session will benefit from the following:

• Session 1: A short introduction will share Josh’s story addressing the impact of violent crime and the many life-changing issues which arise because of it. Josh’s story is followed by the first art video tutorial and introduction to Fineliner art and watercolour painting.
• Sessions 2-6: Each session will take the young person through various skill sets starting with basic illustration techniques and moving on to watercolour painting to help encourage them to create final art pieces. Each session will cover mental health and well-being, communication and intrapersonal skills, self-esteem and confidence, safety, and trauma recovery in response to the young person’s needs.

Art Therapist Job Description

The Art Therapist will:

1. Provide a safe and effective Art Therapy Session delivered either one to one or in small groups of 2/3 alongside a Session Lead
2. Deliver practical support for children and young people who have experienced trauma.
3. Create an environment for young people to develop resilience and positive mental well-being
4. Ensure the delivery of best practice
5. Contribute to the weekly report on each child or young person for Safeguarding Lead
6. Contribute to the Session Leads weekly monitoring and evaluation forms for each young person

Essential specifications

1. Be a registered Art Therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
2. Have experience working within the field of Mental Health and Well-being services
3. Have experience working with children and young people in schools
4. Have a clean enhanced DBS and access to their own car
5. Be able to travel to schools in the London Borough of Harrow
6. Be flexible, and reliable with good organisational skills

Knowledge of CAMHS and working in partnership with schools professional health and social care agencies is desirable.

This project will run for one day a week during term time.

Dates and times are to be confirmed depending on the school timetable.

Daily Rate of Pay: £195 on a self-employed basis

To apply, send your CV and a covering letter explaining your suitability of the role to: Tracey Hanson, tracey.hanson@thejoshhansontrust.org

Application Deadline: Ongoing