Psychologist sought for the Siblings Team at the Center for Relatives

Psychologist sought for Team Siblings in the Center for Relatives, Psychiatry, Region Nordjylland Center for Relatives is seeking a psychologist for a full-time position, equivalent to 37 hours per week, as of January 1, 2027.

We welcome applications where the applicant addresses how their experiences and competencies can be applied in Team Siblings, Center for Relatives.

Initiative and research

The sibling offer is part of the Center for Relatives, but is also part of the research project SAN-IS (Siblings and Other Close Relatives Intervention Study) throughout 2027. The intervention in Team Siblings has been developed as a research project and created through a co-creation process, where peer workers and professionals have collaborated with voluntary siblings and parents as relatives. After the data collection period of the research project, the operations of Team Siblings will continue in line with the other teams in Center for Relatives.

The intervention consists of a conversation and group program for both parents and children (siblings as relatives), and will be offered in collaboration between health professionals and sibling peer workers. In the conversational program, work is based on a systemic, narrative, mentalization-based and holistic perspective, with the aim of increasing family well-being and functioning, reducing parental stress and promoting sibling well-being and mental health.

The group program is a parallel program for siblings and parents as relatives, focusing on relationship building, psychoeducation and tools for the families. In addition, a helpline operated by a sibling peer worker is offered.

During the data collection period, data from the intervention will be collected for the research project. The research group will primarily handle this, but it is expected that staff contribute with registration of contact to families beyond the normal medical record duties.

Target group

The target group is families living in Region Nordjylland who have at least one child with a psychiatric diagnosis and at least one child who is a relative. The accompanying sibling relatives must be between 8-23 years old.

Center for Relatives

Center for Relatives is a multidisciplinary center and currently consists of a director, two social workers, a teacher, two psychologists, a nurse, a sociologist, a sibling peer worker and two administrative staff. At Center for Relatives we facilitate supportive frameworks that create space for a curious and investigative approach to unfold the illness picture and “lived” experiences with the mental illness in the company and interaction with family, relatives and supportive network persons.

During conversations we jointly develop a shared language for the mental illness’s expression, the family’s challenges and relational issues. It contributes to meaning, coherence and a sense of resilience as well as more possible actions in managing a life situation with a mental illness. This means, among other things, that we intervene in relation to crises, conflicts and reactions linked to the mental illness with a focus on protective factors. This can prevent relational distance, overload and strengthen cohesion.

Methodical approach

Two conversation staff members initially handle the conversation program. One staff member leads the conversation, while the other takes a reflector position with a focus on a meta-perspective and on “the conversation about the conversation.” In Team Siblings, the reflector position is held by a peer worker who personally has experience being a sibling to someone with a mental illness. Thus, the professional conversation staff member will typically have the leading role in the conversation.

At Center for Relatives we are attuned to the relational and social challenges in a larger context, as circumstances often call for an expanded trans-contextual and systematically cross-sector understanding and action. We use mind mapping in our work with families. We work holistically from a biological, psychological and social perspective. We take our starting point in a systemic, narrative, mentalization-based and trauma-informed approach. In addition, the sibling offering also uses a peer-professional approach.

Tasks and responsibilities

Center for Relatives consists of four teams: Team Adults, Team Children, Team Siblings and Team Family. Your tasks will primarily lie in Team Siblings, but you must also be prepared to occasionally work in the other teams, just as your colleagues will contribute to Team Siblings.

As an employee at Center for Relatives, Team Siblings, you will, among other things, have the following tasks:

• Hold conversations, including parent conversations, family conversations, sibling conversations and individual conversations with children.
• Facilitate conversation groups for children, youths and parents.
• Participate in screening, staff meetings, supervision, etc.
• Convey knowledge about the work at Center for Relatives and participate in recruiting families.
• Contribute to the research project, including participating in project meetings and collecting and registering data from the programs.

We are looking for a staff member who has

• A master's degree in psychology (cand.psych.)
• Knowledge, experience and willingness to work with children, youths and families. You must have the ability to establish contact with children so they feel safe enough to talk about difficult things they experience.
• Knowledge of psychiatry.
• Experience with working with and intervening in families, and especially children and youths, where crises, conflicts and reactions related to mental illness and family challenges create relational distance and strain.
• Experience with group conversation programs with children, youths and adults.
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn about recovery- and peer support professionalism.
• Good social and human skills, including the ability to build trust and show empathy and understanding for relatives’ situation and history.
• Strong ability to facilitate and manage difficult conversations as well as groups with both adults and children.
• Good communication skills both in writing and speaking.
• High degree of structure and overview.
• Experience with relative work.
• The ability to work both independently and in a team.
• Willingness, ability and courage to work closely with others in an equal, interdisciplinary collaboration.

We offer

• An interdisciplinary team
• A dynamic and exciting workplace
• Opportunity for professional sparring
• Supervision
• Good and engaged colleagues who place a high value on both social and professional community

Practical information

The position is a permanent position at 37 hours per week from January 1, 2027.

Salary and employment terms according to the applicable agreement for academics employed in the regions, etc., entered into with the relevant AC organizations.

Your workplace and daily routine are at Center for Relatives in Aalborg, where you join the staff group on an equal footing with the other employees.

In addition to belonging to Center for Relatives, you are in 2027 also connected to the SAN-IS research project together with another health professional and two sibling peers. The remaining project group consists of the project manager, a psychologist and PhD student Sofie Bystrøm-Berger, head of Center for Relatives Jan Sandberg, psychologist and associate professor Christina Mohr Jensen, and head of Center for Recovery and Co-creation Malene Terp.

Being part of the project group involves regular participation in meetings with the project leader to ensure uniformity in the delivery of the intervention and coherence in the research project.

Contact

If you would like further information about the position, you are welcome to contact Jan Sandberg at telephone 30 53 42 08.

Employment interviews will be held on Monday 26/10-26. Notification of invitation to interview will be sent during week 43.

You can read more about Psychiatry in Region Nordjylland at Psychiatry in Region Nordjylland (rn.dk) and about Center for Relatives at Welcome to Center for Relatives (rn.dk) .

We will obtain references for the person we wish to hire. If required for the position, we will also obtain a police certificate and a child certificate. In Region Nordjylland we have a smoke-free working time.

Salary and employment terms according to the applicable agreement for academics employed in the regions, etc., entered into with the Danish Psychological Association.

About Region Nordjylland

We are about 15,000 very diverse employees who every day deliver welfare to around 590,000 North Jutlanders within health, regional development and the specialized social area. We encourage all qualified to apply for the job – regardless of ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion or age. Read more about us at www.rn.dk .