This is an exciting opportunity for applicants to be part of a new initiative to receive training and work as part of the national improving access to psychological therapies programme (IAPT). Health Education England (HEE) is piloting a new salaried training pathway that will provide trainee Psychotherapeutic Counsellors with skills in the practical application of psychotherapeutic counselling and a defined standard of competency in the NICE-recommended Couples Counselling for Depression (CTFD). The training provider for this pathway is to be the Tavistock Institute.

You will be an employee at the service but also enrolled for upto 3 days a week with the Tavistock Institute attending your training and on clinical placement at the Brent IAPT service for 2 days a week.

When completing applications, please include the following in your supporting statements:

We think it would be helpful for the recruiting process is you could also include the following two reflective questions in the applications.

a) Please tell us about you and your life so far; you may wish to highlight something specific about your history, a significant personal event or relationship. Do include your reflections on these experiences and how they influenced your interest in counselling and psychotherapy (500-750 words)

b) Please tell us about your education/ professional development and work life so far, highlighting aspects that are relevant to your interests in this course, (max 500 words).

Main duties of the job

The course will be a mixture of training at the Tavistock (mainly remote) and clinical placement time. As this is a Postgraduate level diploma, you will also be required to be able to study and write academic material at this level.

Your 2 days of clinical placement will be at the Brent IAPT team bases at Willesden and Kingsbury and you are required to come on site to see patients face to face and attend supervision.

Vaccination

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users and we will therefore be seeking proof of vaccination or medical exemption during the recruitment process. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

About us

The Brent Talking Therapies Service works to the IAPT national programme and is part of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. We are a large and busy service with a diverse staff group. All staff are trained to work with people with long term health conditions as part of their counselling intervention, and we provide training to support this work. The main service hub is based at Fairfields House in Kingsbury with an additional hub at Bell House in Willesden. This is shared with other Trust colleagues working in secondary care.

It is a large and well established service, and provides individual and group based treatments for the population of Brent in many different languages. The service is responsible for the provision of Low intensity and High Intensity therapies within the standards of stepped care model. The counselling service is part of step 3 provision and includes generic brief focused counselling from different approaches, including DIT, Counselling for depression and couples counselling.

The service meets a high level of need given current resources and has good links with local community and voluntary sector organisations. The service, also has good recovery rates. There are clear and well defined systems for triaging and screening of incoming referrals, allocation of clients to step 2 and step 3, management of waiting lists and stepping up and stepping down clients as appropriate.

Job description Job responsibilities

All candidates entering the programme should hold evidence of academic credit or equivalence allowing entry to the Level 7 programme. A degree at 2:2 or above in any relevant subject, or equivalent, should be considered the minimum requirement for entry. Candidates without a degree at 2:2 or above may be able to secure a place by demonstrating competency via a portfolio of evidence, which meets specified academic equivalence requirements.

Candidates should show proficiency in reading, writing and spoken English of a standard necessary to support academic study and professional practice at Level 7 - IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each element.

All candidates should have completed a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, which ordinarily involves a minimum of 10 days or 60 hours of face-to-face tuition atlevel 2 or level 3. Online courses are not acceptable. Please note: L2 Award, Helping Skills and Introductory courses are not accepted.

Main Duties:

1.1To accept referrals via agreed pathways and protocols within the service.

1.2Following sign off as meeting a foundation standard of competence through simulation, trainees will assess and support service users with mild to moderate depression in IAPT services in the self-management of their recovery using either a humanistic/ person centred or psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic psychotherapeutic counselling approach, under close supervision within an IAPT stepped care setting and in line with the IAPT Manual.

1.3Undertakes patient-centred interviews which identifies areas where the person wishes to see change and or recovery and makes an accurate assessment of risk to self and others.

1.4Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the services referral protocols, refers unsuitable clients on to the relevant part of the service or back to the referral agent as necessary or steps-down the persons treatment to low intensity intervention.

1.5Following assessment, identify and negotiate the focus and contract for time limited counselling as per service contract and protocols.

1.6Deliver time limited counselling interventions in accordance with the IAPT Manual, the evidence base, service protocols. This work may be in person, via video consultation or telephone.

1.7Adhere to an agreed level of activity relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.

1.8Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service utilising electronic record and data collection systems as required.

1.9Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols and use these records and clinical outcome data in clinical decision making.

1.10 Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach within the IAPT Service.

1.11 Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.

1.12 To agree confidentiality boundaries with patients (working within professional codes of ethics and those of the employer).

1.13 To undertake risk assessments and take the appropriate action (possibly breaching patient confidentiality in the interests of the client or as dictated by legislation and service policy).

1.14 To have a caseload of individual clients (or couples if undertaking the Couple Therapy for Depression pathway), with sessions offered in person, via video consultation or telephone.

1.15 Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary.

1.16 Assess and integrate issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process.

1.17 Operate at all times from an inclusive values base which promotes recovery and recognises and respects diversity.

Person Specification Qualification Essential

• Recognised degree at 2:2 or above in any relevant subject, or equivalent, or Demonstrates competency via a portfolio of evidence, which meets specified academic equivalence requirements
• Completed a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, (minimum of 10 days or 60 hours of face-to-face tuition at level 2 or level 3). Note: Online courses are not acceptable. L2 Award, Helping Skills and Introductory courses are not acceptable.

Experience Essential

• Show a commitment to working with people with common mental health problems
• Demonstrable interpersonal skills and values consistent with providing hopeful, person-centred care within the IAPT stepped model of care (2) Evidence of working within a team environment
• Evidence of communicating with individuals from diverse backgrounds
• Demonstrates high standards in written communication
• Evidence of working within a team environment

Desirable

• Evidence of working with people who have experienced a common mental health problem
• Evidence of working in the local community
• Previous clinical or professional expertise in mental health
• Worked in a setting where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes
• Experience managing own caseload and time

Skills and Competencies Essential

• Ability to integrate training into practice
• Demonstrates warmth, kindness, compassion, empathy , authenticity, maturity and good listening skills
• Capacity for reflexivity and understanding and ability to respect and observe professional boundaries
• Ability to be vulnerable and make use of and reflect upon own life experience
• Ability to cope with the intellectual and academic requirement
• Awareness of and ability to explore issues of difference and equality and the nature of prejudice and oppression
• Good IT skills, organisation and time management
• Ability to listen, be present and attentive
• Ability to come alongside people experiencing emotional and psychological distress
• Capacity to cope with the emotional demands of the course
• Ability to be self-critical and use both positive and negative feedback
• Awareness of and ability to explore issues of difference and equality and the nature of prejudice and oppression
• Ability to recognise the need for personal and professional support and self-care
• Able to develop good therapeutic relationships and maintain professional boundaries
• Excellent organisational and time management skills including ability to manage conflicting demands and work under pressure
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including telephone skills
• Computer literate - with skills required to manage electronic patient records

Desirable

• Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development activity positively and effectively
• Received training in and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
• Experience of working in partnership with other services
• Evidence of working in the local community
• Experience managing own caseload and time
• Worked in a setting where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes
• Previous clinical or professional expertise in mental health
• Evidence of working with people who have experienced a common mental health problem.

Knowledge Essential

• Demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to evidence based practice (as outlined in NICE guidance) for anxiety and depression and the IAPT stepped care model.
• Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and meaningful occupation and the impact it can have on mental health

Training Essential

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-J-BR-0476