Trainee CBT Therapist

Job summary

NHS Talking Therapies Trainee Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Do you want to feel valued with the opportunity to develop within a service where you are respected as an individual?

This position offers you a chance to make a positive difference to people's lives. You will study CBT at Masters level, putting your learning into practice working with patients experiencing common mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression. Your work will be fully supported by a comprehensive programme of clinical supervision. You will also have support from a regular buddy group with recently qualified therapists.

This Band 6 post moves to Band 7 upon successful completion of training and BABCP Accreditation.

Joining us means you become part of an established team in an NHS Talking Therapies service with a strong commitment to staff wellbeing. You will provide a range of NICE compliant CBT treatments, alongside Counsellors, PWP's, MHP's, Peer Support Workers and Employment Advisors.

Main duties of the job

The position includes undertaking the PG Diploma in High Intensity CBT at the University of East Anglia, over one academic year. Three days per week will be spent in service gaining invaluable experience assessing and working with people from the local community, with two days studying with the University. Both training and clinical work is likely to be a combination of remote and in person.

The course requires self-directed study and so the ability to integrate study with clinical practice is important. We work closely with the University to ensure a joined-up approach to training. Taking up this post requires you to sign a learning agreement with the Wellbeing Service.

You will provide CBT to people with common mental health problems including anxiety, depression and PTSD and once qualified you will be expected to provide 20 hours of clinical contacts per week.

The Wellbeing Service has Key Performance Indicators and clinicians are supported to achieve these.

About us

The Wellbeing Service is an enhanced NHS Talking Therapies service, for ages 16 upwards, who want help with common mental health problems of anxiety and low mood. The service is delivered via a partnership between Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT), Mind and Relate. We know mental health can be isolating so follow a psycho-social model which uniquely includes psychological, employment and social interventions.

You will join a team of friendly, supportive colleagues with a dedicated team leader. Our values include creating a respectful, inclusive, compassionate environment, involving everyone in service development and continuously improving quality of care.

Working for us means you can enjoy being based in the beautiful county of Norfolk with the historic city of Norwich, the Norfolk Broads and stunning coastline.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Minimum Qualifications Required

CBT trainee jobs are open to people who have the relevant qualifications, please only apply if you meet the minimum requirements. If you are unsure if you meet these please get in contact with us.

Entry requirements:

Entry to CBT training requires a BABCP recognised core profession or the applicant to prepare a Knowledge, Skills, Attitude (KSA) entry route portfolio prior to interview. You should then bring it to your interview. This will be scrutinised by one of the course KSA assessors, who may ask you further questions about your portfolio at interview, and if you are successful they will give you feedback on which areas require further work to be completed during training. You will submit your portfolio again at the beginning of the course to be marked after undertaking the required actions. Further information about the KSA entry route can be found on the accreditation pages of the website by searching for Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes. Applications from some core professions from a physical health background with experience of working with mental health conditions can also be considered. Please check the BABCP website for details.

- PWPs should have a minimum of two years post qualification experience in line with national NHS Talking Therapies guidelines (as defined by the time between their PWP exam board and the start date of the course (23 September 2024).

- All other KSA candidates must have at least 4 years of relevant mental health related work experience, as well as a range of formal and informal training to have met the KSA standards.

- All candidates should have a undergraduate degree or equivalent (exceptional circumstances for core profession candidates may be considered on a case by case basis).

- If you are invited to an interview, you must scan documents and email any academic qualifications, certificates and evidence you hold, as applicable. Offers cannot be made without this information.

- For more information regarding British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) recognised Core professions, please visit the BABCP website and search for Core Professions.

If you do not have a Core Profession, you will need to complete a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate that you have equivalent training and experience. This is known as the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes portfolio (KSA). If you are unsure whether your background, training and experience would allow you to apply for this post vis the KSA route, please visit the BABCP website and search for KSA guidelines

Service Strategy

Our Vision: To improve all aspects of peoples lives in the community of Norfolk and Waveney through a service that people feel proud to be part of.

Our Mission: To be a locally and nationally recognised and well-respected NHS Talking Therapies service, that champions the psycho - social model of health and wellbeing and holds the people of Norfolk and Waveney at the heart of everything we do.

Core Principles/Values:

Creating an environment of respect, honesty, curiosity, learning, inclusivity, and compassion Facilitate opportunities for the people of Norfolk and Waveney, including marginalised groups, to be involved in developing all aspects of our service. Create and utilise best practice Embracing staff and client experience, insight and data/information to inform all quality improvement Caring about everyones experience of the service

We want patients and staff to recommend our organisation as a place where they would be happy for their friends and family to be treated. You can help us do this by bringing your skills, experience and commitment to Wellbeing Norfolk. There is a strong emphasis on clinical leadership and the development of our staff is important to us. You will receive clinical and case management supervision within the service as well as in service training and CPD days that ensure your continued learning and development. We are a research-friendly service currently involved in several projects focusing on improving outcomes for our service users, and ways of improving the support offered to therapists to improve therapeutic skills. We are also passionate about technology, utilising virtual reality and other innovations where these aid therapy and improve the experience for our service users.

Wellbeing Norfolk is an equal opportunities employer, and our workforce is currently under-represented from people from Black and Minority Ethnic and disabled communities. We would welcome applications from people from these communities as we want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve.

The location

All applicants need to be able to deliver therapy in Norfolk. We are all currently offering a combination of remote and face-to-face treatment options. Training with the UEA will also be delivered via both face-to-face and remote teaching. We have positions available throughout Norfolk & Waveney and for future face-to-face working options, you must have the ability to travel independently as required within Norfolk and Waveney. To find out more about this role and our Wellbeing service visit our website by searching for and then clicking on the working for us section under Norfolk.

Applying and Interviews

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification. This is an exciting opportunity to progress and enhance your skills. The post is a Band 6 during training that moves to a Band 7 post upon successful completion of training and gaining BABCP Accreditation , we therefore are not expecting successful candidates to have all skills as outlined on the Job Description and Person Specification, but a commitment to achieving them. If you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted via email to arrange your interview, these will be held face to face in Norwich throughout June 2024. If you have applied for this role with Norfolk and Waveney Wellbeing Service, and Suffolk Wellbeing Service, you will be contacted to see which service you would like to be interviewed with.These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Undergraduate degree (or equivalent overseas qualification). Other academic qualifications of an equivalent standard can be taken into account A core mental health practitioner qualification or KSA route Post qualification experience of working with people with serious mental health problems

Experience

Essential

Significant experience of working in mental health services Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets Ability to manage own caseload and time

Desirable

Experience in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes

Skills

Essential

Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients

Knowledge

Essential

Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other mental health problems

Other

Essential

Demonstrates an understanding of a range of mental health difficulties and how they may present in Secondary Care Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post

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