Therapeutic Support Worker

We're offering an exciting opportunity for a compassionate, motivated Therapeutic Support Worker to join the Psychological Skills Service (PSS). This role involves delivering trauma-informed formulation-driven support work and brief psychological interventions.

PSS supports individuals with significant mental health challenges who are able to maintain relative wellbeing without intensive service input. Many may have tried therapies like CBT in the past and found them less helpful than expected.

Our approach is rooted in psychological formulation, guiding tailored interventions based on each person's readiness. We draw on phase-based treatment models for complex trauma (Herman, 1992) and the Neuro-sequential Model (Perry, 2006), ensuring care is delivered in the right order and at the right time. PSS aims to improve access to evidence-based therapies, aligned with clinical guidelines for PTSD and Complex PTSD, while remaining responsive to individual therapeutic needs.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

You will be part of a team of Clinical, Counselling Psychologists, CBT Therapists; Occupational Therapist, Clinical Associate Psychologists (CAPs), Assistant Psychologists and Therapeutic Support workers. We also have Social Work, Mental Health Nurse and Clinical Associate Psychologist expertise forming our management team.

As a therapeutic support worker, you will fill an important position offering psychologically and occupationally informed support and psychological skills to a group of people previously described as "not ready" for psychological therapy. In our service rather than exclude we think creatively about what type or level of therapy a person can use. The support work will be based on a psychological, trauma informed formulation that will guide how you work with the service user and help them achieve a variety of things including: physical safety and stability, learn skills to help with symptoms that affect them leaving the house/ interacting with others (including emotional regulation), teaching stabilization strategies, and strengthening important social and emotional resources. Work will be a mixture of face to face and online.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

Building relationships with the client with a view to promoting compassion and ensuring a sense of safety.

To support people to make their own choices and identify recovery goals that are important to them, using empowerment skill.

Empower individuals to reclaim and rebuild their lives through short-term, goal focused interventions.

Promote meaningful activity and connection by helping service users identify values, reduce avoidance, and overcome emotional and cognitive barriers.

Teach and model psychological skills, including emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and problem-solving.

Support sensory regulation through sensory-based strategies and participation in the Coping Through the Senses group.

Enhance community integration by working within the community, building social connections, and signposting to practical support (e.g., housing, finance, employment).

Support the facilitation of trauma-focused group therapy by reinforcing skills and adapting materials for accessibility.

Support stabilisation and safety to prepare individuals for psychological therapy, in line with the Neurosequential Model of brain development and trauma recovery.