Vacancies & Opportunities at The Bowlby Centre

Role: Blues Project – Assessments and Service Manager

Final Date for Applications: Midnight on Sunday 9th November.

To apply: Please email a copy of your CV plus up to one side of A4 outlining why you wish to be considered for this role to: admin@thebowlbycentre.org.uk

Role Scope
The Blues Project is for people over 18 who would not otherwise have access to psychotherapy because they are on benefits or a low wage. The Blues Project Assessor matches these clients with a psychotherapist who will usually be either a trainee in weekly supervision, or a psychotherapist who has completed their training with The Bowlby Centre.
The role will be free from January 26, as the person currently in position steps down at the end of this calendar year. The key skill required for this role is the clinical assessment of Blues Clients. However for the right candidate, training and development may be available to someone keen to learn this specific skill. Please make this clear in your application.

Responsible for:

• Clinical assessments of those applying for the Bowlby Centre’s low cost Therapy Service
• Promoting the Blues Project to trainees on the Bowlby Centre’s ABPP and APL courses
• Liaising with trainees on the Bowlby Centre’s ABPP and APL courses and their supervisors, in order to match students with appropriate Blues clients.

Responsible to:
• The Bowlby Centre  Clinical Training Committee (CTC)

Other stakeholders:
Those applying to be Blues Clients, Bowlby Trainees and Bowlby Trainee Supervisors, the Bowlby Centre Executive

Timeline: The role holder is expected to start on 1^st January 2026 but it would be preferable if some hours during December 2025 could be spent with the current role holder for a planned handover. This would be especially relevant if you require some training in the client assessment process.

Applications for a role share will be considered if you are able to outline how you will divide tasks and responsibilities.

Honorarium: £2,000 per annum (to be billed in instalments at end of each term).

Role Description

• Process applications from potential Blues Clients.
• Monitor the referral inbox on a regular basis and signpost queries to appropriate departments
• Meet with Blues Clients either on-line or in person, to take personal and clinical details in order to assess their needs.
• Maintain record of Blues Client applications and assessments.
• Identify an appropriate Trainee for Blues Clients to work with. This will also involve liaison with the Trainee’s Supervisor and Tutor.
• Promote the service to Trainees within the relevant study years of the ABPP and APL.
• Keep data relating to Blues Clients etc. for Annual Charity Reporting purposes
• Propose and organise events that celebrate and promote the work of the Blues Project both internally and externally with support from CTC and Executive.
• Update and edit assessment forms and processes as and when required with support and oversight from CTC and Executive.
• Suggest data collection and reporting improvements if and when relevant with support from CTC and Executive.
• Report to and liaise with Clinical Training Committee and Executive to identify ways to improve and extend the low cost therapy service.

Person Specification

• UKCP Registration as an Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
• A demonstrable commitment to the Bowlby Centre values including those of attachment, inclusion, and diversity.
• Experience in carrying out clinical assessments. However if you are keen to learn the skill of assessment, some training and development may be available to the right individual who shows a passion for this area of work.
• Ability to manage confidentiality and professional boundaries
• Ability to communicate clearly and handle potentially sensitive information
• Experience of confidential record keeping
• Ability to organise workflow and processes to fit within the needs of Trainees to identify Clients.
• An understanding of the needs of Bowlby Trainees when recommending Clients
• A sensitivity to the needs of Blues Clients when recommending Bowlby Trainees.

Role: Clinical Forum Coordinator
Final Date for Applications: Midnight on Sunday 9th November.

Role Scope
The Clinical Forums are a programme of 10 events, held over 10 months of the year on a Saturday, usually during term time. At these events Members present clinical material during a two hour session to Bowlby Trainees, other Members and interested parties from outside the organisation. These events are held on-line but could also be arranged for in-person or hybrid, if there is an appetite from Members and Trainees. These are a key element of the Bowlby Centre’s offer and provide an important opportunity for Members and Trainees to share and pass on, learning and experience.
The role will be free from January 26 (or earlier if the right candidate is available), as the person currently in position steps down in November.

Responsible for:
• The Clinical Forum Programme
• Liaison with the Bowlby Centre’s Events & Marketing Manager to promote the Programme

Responsible to:
• The Clinical Training Committee (CTC)

Other stakeholders:
Members, Bowlby Trainees and Bowlby Centre Executive

Timeline: The role holder is expected to start on 1st January 2026 but it would be preferable if a few hours hours could be made available during December 2025 to start planning with our Events and Marketing Manager.

Honorarium: £750 per annum (to be billed in instalments at end of each term).

Role Description
· Organise 10 Clinical Forums per year by approaching and identifying Members (and external speakers where appropriate) to present Clinical Forums
· Ensure a diversity of topics and speakers, including newly qualified psychotherapists and more experienced practitioners
· Work with presenters to ensure they are booked for specific dates and have provided an outline of their subject matter
· Liaise with Marketing and Events Manager to ensure details of the individual Clinical Forums are advertised well in advance of the event.
· On the day, host and introduce the Clinical Forum via the Bowlby Centre Zoom account
· Check attendance list and provide Events and Marketing Manager with attendee names so that CPD certificates can be issued

· Occasionally report to CTC and Exec to discuss the Programme, ensuring its relevance and future development.

Person Specification
· UKCP Registration as an Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist or post-taught Bowlby Centre Trainee working towards UKCP registration
· A demonstrable commitment to the Bowlby Centre values including those of attachment, inclusion, and diversity
· Desire to network and communicate with wider Membership and potential presenters
· Ability to plan and organise within the deadlines of the Programme
· A broad understanding of the learning needs of Bowlby Trainees and CPD needs of Membership

How to apply

Please email a copy of your CV plus two to three paragraphs outlining why you are interested in and wish to be considered for this role to: admin@thebowlbycentre.org.uk

About The Bowlby Centre

The Bowlby Centre is a membership-based mental health charity, created nearly 50 years by an active group of psychoanalytic psychotherapists.  We believe that attachment theory-based therapy is a positive and valuable contribution to the world.  Attachment relationships affect all aspects of people’s internal and external lives.

We are registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).  We aim to be the home for the training, development and dissemination of clinical knowledge and research in the field of attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapy.  We offer a four year training course, a 2 year Accredited Prior Learning course, short courses, conferences, low-cost therapy, and a well-respected professional journal.  We successfully completed our quinquennial reaccreditation with UKCP at the end of 2022.

What will you be doing?

Our trustees set the strategy and oversee the management and administration of the Centre.  They ensure that our work aligns with our vision and support the small team and our volunteers to develop and grow the Centre.  We are a small charity and there are times when trustees will be more actively involved, leading task and finish work, presenting externally or using their special expertise.

The Board meets six times a year, remotely and we have an in-person annual strategy day.

There is a trustee and chair role description in the candidate pack.

What are we looking for?

We aim to have a balance of members, psychoanalysts and independent people with an interest in mental health, an understanding of the importance of attachment and the ambition, enthusiasm, energy and commitment to improve and expand our offer.  We are looking for 3-5 people to broaden the thinking on our board.  We are particularly looking for:

• An independent chair with leadership experience and/or a commercial background
• A treasurer with experience of small organisation finances, ideally charity finance
• Expertise in diversity and inclusion, to build an intersectional approach to equity for our services, membership and events
• Knowledge or experience of adult education/course development.

We would especially welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and other racialised backgrounds; D/deaf and D/disabled people and younger people (under 35), who are all currently under-represented on our Board.

How to apply

Please send a short letter outlining why you are interested in joining our board.  Set out your skills and experience and how you think you can use these to strengthen our board.  Attach a CV or similar (e.g. LinkedIn profile).

Send to: admin@thebowlbycentre.org.uk by 29th October 2023.

If you have any questions prior to making an application or would like to speak to a trustee, please send an email to admin@thebowlbycentre.org.uk and we will arrange this.

For more information visit our website for the recruitment pack: https://thebowlbycentre.org.uk/vacancies/