Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the North Staffordshire Talking Therapies Service. We are looking for a full-time, qualified Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist to join our well established service.

As part of the Talking Therapies Programme, the post holder will deliver CBT to clients with Anxiety Disorders and Depression, as well as supervising Trainee CBT Therapists and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners.

The Post-holder will need to have completed a PG Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and ideally have a core professional qualification in Mental Health ( Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Mental Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy) or have previous experience as a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.

North Staffordshire Talking Therapies Service is based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and treatment is delivered in a hybrid model (remote and face-to-face) to meet the diverse needs of our client group. The service covers both the Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands area and some travel between sites maybe required.

The service has links with Staffordshire, Keele, and Birmingham Universities, and the posts offer opportunities for both teaching and research.

We are a very friendly and supportive team, committed to staff development and wellbeing, and this post offers a great opportunity for ambitious individuals looking to further their careers within an exciting new service.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be part of an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service and will provide high intensity interventions - initially cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The post holder will work with clients who have a range of complex Anxiety and Depression related problems for which CBT is demonstrated to be clinically effective.

The post holder will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities.

Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.

Assess clients for suitability for psychological interventions.

Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department's referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary.

Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients. Use highly developed communication skills in working with people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of clients in line with the service.

About us

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is a leading provider of mental health, social care, learning disability and substance misuse services in the West Midlands.

We are a forward-thinking Trust and are extremely proud to have attained the highest possible rating of "Outstanding" from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), one of only two specialist Mental Health Trusts in England to be awarded this.

We are also delighted to have won the prestigious award of 'Trust of the Year' at the national Health Service Journal Awards 2022, the only mental health Trust to have won this so far.

Our vision is 'To be Outstanding in all we do and how we do it' and the way we do inclusion is no exception. As a 'Disability Confident Employer', we very much believe that inclusion is something that you feel when you work at the Trust and we are continuously developing our culture of inclusion. Our teams pride themselves on compassion, team work and resilience.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying CBT and other psychological formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language.

Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.

Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.

Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.

Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols

Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.

Assess and integrate issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process

Carry out clinical audits of service performance, including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Qualification from High Intensity IAPT Course (Post Graduate Diploma) or Equivalent Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner

Desirable

Relevant experience in Primary Care treating anxiety and depression

Experience

Essential

Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups

Knowledge

Essential

Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007)

Desirable

Trained in provision of supervision for CBT Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation

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