High Intensity CBT Therapist

NHS; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job description

The post holder will join the team at Plymouth Options - NHS Talking Therapies Service within Livewell Southwest (CIC). Plymouth Talking Therapies has a focus on the delivery of evidence-based treatments in line with NICE Guidance and national targets. In addition to providing high quality, evidenced based therapy the post holder will be involved with the expansion into Long Term Conditions provision throughout Plymouth & be an ambassador for the service actively collaborating with The Community mental Health Framework including Primary & Secondary Care, offering advice & consultation on client psychological care. Plymouth Options strives to improve the delivery of treatment for patients with depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD across Plymouth.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

Main duties of the job

There are a variety of hours available. The candidate will provide high intensity CBT evidence based psychological treatment to clients of a Talking Therapies Service, providing specialist assessment & therapy. The Service provides a stepped care model of treatment for people experiencing anxiety, PTSD & depression in primary care in-line with NICE Guidance.

The post is a busy one, with targets for activity and outcomes and a clinical caseload. This includes specialist assessment, treatment planning & delivery, including monitoring of outcomes on a weekly/monthly basis. You will also be a senior member of our clinical team, responsible for the delivery of treatment both in service & remotely, via video & working from home as required. Risk is assessed within service, the post holder will assess be experienced in assessing risk & referring to other services if beyond the remit of a Talking Therapies service, ensuring client safety & the safety of others.

You will receive monthly clinical supervision as well as enhanced monthly caseload management with a Senior Therapist. The post holder will be expected to attend or have completed an approved Talking Therapies supervision training & on completion supervise staff in the service as agreed with the Leadership Team. Staff are supported to maintain their accreditation with their professional body, through continuing professional development.

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About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

The Talking Therapies service is required to provide a stepped care model of treatment for people mainly experiencing anxiety and depression in primary care. Ensuring clinical interventions are implemented in line with the latest NICE guidelines, stepping up and down to and from the service as required. Supervision arrangements are in place for all elements of service delivery. The post holder will be expected to contribute to the clinical activity of the service. This will involve holding a clinical caseload. Provide high intensity interventions for cases referred to the team. This will involve the use of evidence based psychological interventions, including CBT.

Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients. Maintain high clinical standards in all aspects of the work.

To ensure treatment delivery remains accessible, convenient and with minimal waiting times as agreed by senior clinicians and managers.

Provide clinical supervision in the service.

To take special responsibility for the assessment of risk in relation to the presentation of clients with complex psychological needs, enabling other members of the service to assign them to the appropriate place on the care pathway. Provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management in line with the Livewell Southwest and inter-agency policies and procedures, including work with clients deemed as vulnerable.

To produce reports on clients, in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of psychological assessment and formulation and treatment outcome in a way that does justice to the complexity of the problems described, but that are understandable to the recipients of the reports, including clients and referrers.

To work in partnership with other disciplines and to maintain links with statutory and non-statutory agencies as appropriate.

To attend multidisciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatments, where appropriate.

To be aware of and to maintain Talking Therapies KPIs as set by NHS England.

Information and Resources

All Talking Therapies sites are required to use a minimum data set to record the outcomes of the service. Ensuring that regular reports are provided for all of the information required by the national Talking Therapies programme. Completing all requirements relating to data collection within the service. Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.

Training and Supervision: There will be training in supervision and training requirements linked to service development, personal development plans, and continuing professional development. Ensuring that trainees complete the training element of their post. Ensuring that staff who are expected to provide supervision are trained to the Talking Therapies and Livewell Southwest standards. If required attend and fulfil all the requirements of the Talking Therapies approved supervision training and after completion of this supervise staff in the service as agreed by senior clinicians and managers.

Audit, Research and Development:

There is an expectation that all Talking Therapies sites collect data which can be utilised in the ongoing audit and research processes of Talking Therapies services. In addition to this there will be local elements of services which will be unique but which should also add to the evidence base. To ensure that all information is recorded there will be a need to establish and maintain internal clinical audits and develop a research element for the service.

Employment and Work

One of the aims of the Talking Therapies programme is to help individuals return to or to maintain their employment. Assessing and integrating issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process, as well as liaison to our Employment Support Team.

Professional

All staff working within Talking Therapies services will be expected to comply with local and national professional standards. The post holder will be expected to:

Maintain standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating bodies. Be aware of, and keep up to date with advances in CBT and other agreed psychological therapies.

To attend appropriate peer clinical supervision groups, e.g. CBT, as agreed by professional and line manager.

Ensure all aspects of confidentiality relating to both the service and individuals are maintained at all times.

Attend agreed regular clinical and managerial supervision in line with the Livewell Southwest policies and guidelines.

Keep up to date all records in relation to CPD and ensure personal development plans maintain up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models.

Ensure all staff are aware of professional standards expected in the service.

To maintain professional accreditation.

To participate in the Livewell Southwest annual Appraisal process.

To train and develop staff and to carry out at least annually an appraisal, objective setting and personal development planning meeting.

To undertake, within the Livewell Southwest IPR, PDP and Clinical Governance policies, CPD through teaching, clinical supervision, discussions, visits, study days, courses and relevant reading as agreed with professional and line managers.

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post-holder's professional and service manager(s).

Profession Specific Duties

Staff may have to fulfil specific duties in order to maintain their accreditation with their professional body and will be supported to achieve these. The duties below relate to clinical psychologists; other professional groups may have different criteria.

Responsible for continuing professional development (CPD) in line with the British Association of Behavioural Psychotherapists requirements for CPD Logs.

Responsible for keeping aware of and being knowledgeable about current developments within the profession of CBT.

Patient Safety: To attend training and follow guidance and policy for the Children and Vulnerable Adults. Promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults who you have responsibility for. To be aware of the responsibility of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients/ clients, visitors and staff. Implementation of NICE guidance and other statutory guidelines.

Equality and Diversity

The Livewell Southwest (CIC) is committed to promoting equality and diversity and preventing discrimination. Equality of opportunity means that an individual's diversity is viewed positively and, in recognising that everyone is different, valuing equally the unique contribution that individual experience, knowledge and skills can make. All employees of the Livewell Southwest (CIC) are expected to treat colleagues, service users and the public with dignity and respect and abide by the Livewell Southwest policies supporting the principles of equality.

Mandatory Training: To attend all relevant mandatory training as when required to do so.

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Person Specification

Qualifications

• Post Graduate Diploma, or equivalent Post Graduate level CBT Training certificate which confers eligibility for BABCP accreditation.
• AND
• Has BABCP accreditation or able to achieve Provisional Accreditation within one year.
• Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and can demonstrate the competences as required.
• Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health / benefits & employment systems.
• Relevant experience in Primary Care treating anxiety and depression.
• Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems.
• Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post.
• Knowledge of child protection issues and other relevant legislation.
• Able to attend supervision training if not already trained, and other training as the post develops.
• Good record of Continuing Professional Development and willingness to continue this.
• Eligibility for Chartered Clinical or Applied Psychologist status.
• BABCP accredited.
• Undertaken post-qualification further training in a specialised area of psychological practice e.g., CBT, CAT, DBT, solution focused therapy, analytical therapy, systemic/family work etc.
• Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007).
• Evidence of commitment to own CPD and willingness to undertake any training necessary for NHS Talking Therapies role, e.g., top-up CBT training, NHS Talking Therapies supervisor training.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the national NHS Talking Therapies service and how it links to governmental objectives.
• Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health/benefits & employment systems.
• Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, psychological formulation, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration; this requires the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
• Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning.
• Skills in self-management, including time-management, caseload management.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information, including contentious and highly distressing information, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Good understanding of other professionals theoretical perspectives of the adult group.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance, including regular supervision, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Post-graduate level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis.
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the regulating and professional/accrediting bodies.
• Capable of being individually accountable for own clinical interventions.
• Advanced keyboard and computer skills.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies.
• High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Formal training in supervision of CBT.
• High-level knowledge and skills in working with carers.
• Experience of leading and carrying out research projects and interpreting data using statistical analyses.
• Proven ability in carrying our clinical audits.
• Practical Implementation of New Ways of Working.
• Record of having published in either peer-reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

Personal

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling formation of networks with professionals within the Trust and from other agencies to promote effective team working with clients.
• Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from clients and able to defuse difficult, volatile situations.
• Able to contain and work with organisational stress.
• Able to tolerate ambiguity and to take decisions in situations of incomplete information.
• Flexible ability to work within a team fostering good working relationships.
• Ability to exercise appropriate levels of self-care and to monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.
• Good organisational skills.
• Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
• Ability to promote psychological models with clients, carers and staff in an understandable and person-centred way, clearly outlining goals and potential outcomes.
• Ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation.
• Fluent in languages other than English.

Experience

• Experience of supervising the clinical work of other practitioners.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of clients across a range of adult mental health care settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of working in mental health services where multi-disciplinary working was embraced as part of service delivery.
• Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets.
• Proven ability to communicate clearly in difficult and complex situations.
• Experience of working in Primary Care Services.
• Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.
• Contributed to the developing NHS Talking Therapies programme.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of implementing new ways of working (NWW) principles.
• Experience of implementing service policies and procedures.
• Involvement in research programmes.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.