DBT Specialist Therapist

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.

We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' however we aim to be 'outstanding'.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".

When you join us, you'll be part of something special - an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.

As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

We are seeking a registered Mental Health Professional with a particular interest in working with clients who meet criteria consistent with a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder to join our team as a DBT practitioner. There is earmarked funding for training for the post holder. If a core mental health professional without DBT training and experience wishes to apply, they can be appointed at Band 6 whilst they do their DBT training and supervised experience (approx. 2 years).

This service forms part of our clearly defined complex emotional needs (CEN) pathway that includes other interventions such as Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT), Structured Clinical Management (SCM) and DBT skills only groups. The CEN pathway within this Trust provides treatment options within generic CMHT/RST/IRH's and specific complex needs teams. This post is located within a complex needs team that provides DBT and MBT to residents of the Kingston and Richmond boroughs.

This post will be based at Tolworth Hospital in Surbiton close to several shops and with good transport links close to the A3, and a bus ride away from Surbiton station, which has fast connections to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.

Main duties of the job

To work as a core member of the community specialist complex emotional needs service, Kingston complex needs pathway. The post holder will work alongside senior clinicians of the service to ensure that the treatment programme is delivered, monitored and evaluated, including group work as required. The post holder is expected:

• To be committed to effective team working and to the coherent delivery of the treatment model which is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
• To promote a high standard of patient care.
• To work within the Trust policy and the standards set out in the Community Operational Policy and personality disorder pathway. To provide out of hours work as and when required.

Working for our organisation

Unless expressly stated in the job advert the role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide specialist assessments of clients referred based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources, as required including, as appropriate, 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 client's care where necessary.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client's mental health problems), based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic interventions employed individually and in synthesis, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining formulations or understandings, drawing upon different explanatory models and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of efficacy.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options in line with the theoretical and therapeutic models and the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.

To manage an individual case load that includes individual and group-based therapy.

To provide specialist clinical advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients' formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan, drawing on expertise in MBT and/or DBT.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other services across service lines on specialist risk assessment and risk management for this client group.

To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care. To prepare reports for, attend and contribute to CPA meetings. To be responsible for the flexible management of a defined caseload designed to meet the individual needs of the client and the carers within the trusts CPA policy and Mental Health Act frameworks.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.

Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

• Core Mental Health Profession registered with an appropriate professional body (e.g., NMC, UKCP, HCPC) OR Clinical Associate in Psychology who has completed a BPS accredited CAP training and who is eligible for registration on the BPS Wider Psychological Workforce register
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Post graduate qualification that includes supervised and assessed psychotherapeutic training OR
• Formal training and experience* in DBT (to intensive/upgrade level).

Desirable criteria

• Post registration qualification in group work
• Accreditation or working towards accreditation in MBT or DBT

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable experience of working with adults with mental health problems in a variety of community settings
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
• Experience of working with clients with a diagnosis of personality disorder
• Experience of inter-agency working

Desirable criteria

• Experience of the use of a variety of therapeutic tools
• Experience of working with clients with a diagnosis of personality disorder

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria

• Good knowledge of Risk Assessment procedures and skills to make significant clinical decisions based on this knowledge.
• Ability to undertake complex assessments and develop comprehensive clinical formulations.
• Ability to reflect on personal experience. Demonstrates capacity and willingness to use clinical supervision.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice, clinical governance and related knowledge for research and audit.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration

Desirable criteria

• Ability to consider differences and equalities both in therapy and professional relationships. This includes age, disability, culture and race, sexual orientation and religion/belief systems.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups

At South West London St Georges Mental Health Trust we are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Committed Employer, and welcome applications from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We are Members of Stonewall Diversity Champions and Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.

As part of the Trust's commitment to Equalities and Diversity, the Trust supports the establishment of Staff Networks groups to promote diversity in the workplace:

• BME (Evolve) Staff Network
• Christian Staff Network
• DiverseAbility
• Deaf Staff Network
• Mental Health Staff Forum
• Women's Staff Network

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