The Wiltshire Talking Therapies service offers support to local residents who may be experiencing common mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and low mood, offering a range of evidence based treatments.

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for the position of Trainee Couples Therapist for Depression (CTfD). This will initially be a band 6 fixed term developmental role, moving to permanent band 7 once training, accreditation and clinical hours are successfully completed. If you are already operating as a band 7 Talking Therapies HI Practitioner and wish to apply, we can match your grade during the training period.

The course starts in February 2024 so we are working towards a January start date.

Main duties of the job

You will provide specialist psychological assessments and therapy whilst completing CTfD training with the Tavistock Relationships organisation. Course details can be found here: Training

The course pre-requisites are:

• An interest in developing and extending your practice to work with couples where one or both are diagnosed with depression
• To be in a Talking Therapies (IAPT) Service
• To be able to access appropriate couple referrals, from the outset of the course
• Experience of working with couples is beneficial, although not a prerequisite

Your key duty will be to provide a qualified and specialist psychological therapy service, focusing on the treatment of depression, specialising in couple therapy for depression.

Applicants should have a mental health qualification and at least two years post qualification experience of providing psychological therapy for people with mental health problems. Applicants with a range of training backgrounds are welcome e.g. clinical and counselling psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists.

The course is not suitable for applicants who wish to acquire basic therapeutic skills. CTfD is in line with a step 3 intervention, and therefore applicants will need to have experience in delivering a step 3 intervention and be registered in this intervention as noted above.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B& NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

We are currently operating a hybrid working arrangement, where you will be based at either Green Lane Hospital, Devizes or Fountain Way Hospital, Salisbury combined with opportunities for remote working from home. In addition, there may be opportunities to work within the Swindon or Bath & North East Somerset Talking Therapies teams.

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.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Based on NICE guidelines, Couple Therapy for Depression is a brief integrative-behavioural treatment for depression for couples where one or both partners are experiencing relationship distress and depression. It has been developed by identifying best practice in a range of behavioural, systemic, psychodynamic, cognitive and emotionally focussed couple therapies evidenced in RCT effectiveness trials. Couple Therapy for Depression focuses on the relational aspects of depression and on factors that reduce stress and increase support within the couple, using the relationship as a resource for recovery and relapse prevention.

• To provide specialist psychological therapy assessments with clients referred to the NHS Talking Therapies service, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
• To provide at least one NICE recommended psychological therapy for anxiety disorders and/or depression
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
• To be responsible for implementing psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations and drawing upon relevant explanatory models. To be able to use a specific psychological therapy for anxiety and/or depression, in line with NICE guidance, at a specialist level in assessments and interventions.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant mental health qualification
• At least one of the following:HCPC registration as a practitioner psychologist or arts therapist, BACP or UKCP registered, IACP or COSCA accredited,GMC registered psychiatrist, BABCP accredited

Experience

Essential

• At least two years' employment in an NHS, private capacity or voluntary institution delivering psychological therapy with adults

Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Green Lane Hospital

Devizes, Salisbury, Bath or Swindon

SN10 5DS

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

342-WTS241-0923