Band 7 Psychological Therapist (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy)/Band 6 Trainee DBT Therapist

Full-time position

The Bedfordshire and Luton Complex Needs Service is excited to have the opportunity to advertise for another Band 7 DBT Therapist. The successful applicant will be joining our supportive team in working towards improving access to evidence-based treatment for people with complex emotional needs (associated with a diagnosis of 'personality disorder').

Candidates for the Band 7 post must have completed an accredited training in either Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). However, the service would consider appointing senior mental health professionals (Community Social Workers, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Art Therapists) with highly developed clinical skills and interest and enthusiasm for working with people with complex emotional needs, to a Band 6 Trainee DBT Therapist role. To be considered for this trainee role, applicants would have to be willing to undertake concurrent training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and would need to maintain satisfactory progress in this training in order to continue working in this role. On successful completion of the accredited training and supervised practice within a two-year period, the banding of this post would change to Band 7 Psychological Therapist.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be committed to working collaboratively with service users, carers, and colleagues to create a psychologically safe environment that enables the delivery of effective treatment. The post holder will be required to actively participate in weekly team consultation meetings, and will offer specialist advice, supervision, training, and consultation to other professionals and teams to support effective and efficient psychologically-informed care and treatment across Bedfordshire and Luton. We would particularly welcome interest from candidates who are committed to co-producing the development of the care pathway through participation in clinical research, audit and/or quality improvement projects.

About us

This post will be based within ELFT's Bedfordshire and Luton Complex Needs Service, a specialist community 'personality disorder' team comprising Administrators a Medical Psychotherapist Clinical Psychologists Psychological Therapists a Lived Experience KUF Development Lead a Peer Support Worker and an Assistant Psychologist. The team operates as a hub, in reaching to community mental health services in Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton to provide specialist advice, training, consultation and supervision to other professionals and colleagues. The team also offers assessments and evidence-based interventions to a caseload of service users who have complex emotional needs and engage in self-harming and suicidal behavior.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job descriptions for details of main responsibilities of both the Band 7 Psychological Therapist and Band 6 Trainee Psychological Therapist roles.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualificatio n/ Training

Essential

• Qualification in one of the following Mental Health Professions: Social Work OR Occupational Therapy OR Community Psychiatric Nursing OR Art Therapy
• Current HCPC/NMC/SWE registration
• Accredited training as either a DBT or CBT Therapist (accredited by the SfDBT and BABCP, respectively).

Desirable

• Further training in evidence-based interventions for people with a diagnosis of ''personality disorder'' (e.g. Structured Clinical Management DBT Skills training)

Experience

Essential

• Post-qualification experience of autonomously managing a caseload in a community mental health setting.
• Experience of conducting psychologically informed/generic assessments, group interventions, risk assessments, mental state assessments, safety planning and crisis interventions.
• Knowledge and experience of working with people with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance misuse and psychosis
• Experience of offering psychological interventions to people with complex emotional needs associated with a diagnosis of 'personality disorder' (DBT/CBT)
• Experience of supervising staff and/or students
• Experience, skills and ability to liaise effectively with other agencies and professionals

Desirable

• Experience of using outcome measures in clinical practice
• Active participation in co-produced service planning and delivery
• Experience of teaching/training others

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Knowledge and skills in an evidence-based therapy for people with ''personality disorder'' (DBT, CBT)
• Knowledge and understanding of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the welfare of adults with mental health difficulties and a diagnosis of 'personality disorder' and their friends/families (including children).
• Ability to apply an understanding of diversity, difference and rights to interactions with people with complex emotional needs associated with a diagnosis of 'personality disorder.'
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of risk management practice with service users who have a diagnosis of ''personality disorder''.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills both verbal and written.
• Ability to deal with highly stressful situations arising with service users, carers and staff.
• Ability to sensitively and effectively communicate complex and highly sensitive information.
• Ability to recognise own limits and seek appropriate support and supervision.

Other

Essential

• Warm, empathic and able to build constructive and collaborative relationships with service users, carers and colleagues
• Able to adopt a respectful, culturally sensitive approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals.
• Emotionally resilient and able to sensitively and effectively cope with stressful situations including staff and /or organisational challenges, child abuse, family breakdown, serious mental ill health, verbal abuse and hostility/aggression.
• Capable of reflective practice, and able to enable other teams/individuals to engage in reflective practice.
• Full understanding of, and commitment to, Equal Opportunities
• Willingness and ability to travel between sites across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and occasionally, London.

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Complex Needs Service, Mountbatten House

56 High Street South

Dunstable

LU6 3HD

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

363-BED6353815