• Job Description

  Req#: C9350-25-0671?language=en&page=640&sort=publicationDateDesc

  Job summary

  Organisation: St Helens and Knowsley Early Intervention in Psychosis Team (Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust)

  Base: Harry Blackman House, Peasley Cross, Marshalls Cross Road, St Helens WA

  We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, motivated and flexible accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBTp) practitioner to join our Early Intervention Team for First Episode Psychosis. Applicants need to have a completed CBTp training (or moving towards completion of training) with a registered site. Applicants either need to be accredited with the BABCP or able to achieve accreditation within a year of their employment start date.

  We offer staff Clinical supervision with our Consultant Clinical Psychologist, along with regular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) time to support with the expansion of skills in the service.

  The applicant must be subject to a regulatory body, for example NMC or .

  The applicant must have CBTp qualification and have experience of providing CBT for individuals experiencing psychosis, bipolar affective disorder and/or personality difficulties.

  The successful applicant may also offer CBT to individuals on the teams At Risk Mental State (ARMS) Pathway and must have experience of working with complex trauma.

  Main duties of the job

  The post holder will be part of a psychology team within the service, consisting of a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, two CBT therapists (one in-training) and an assistant psychologist. You will be providing evidence-based high-intensity CBT interventions, working with clients primarily experiencing a first episode psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, unipolar depression, personality difficulties and anxiety disorders.

  The post-holder will work with people from a wide age range (14-65) and from many cultural backgrounds. The service uses interpreters when necessary and is committed to equality, diversity and inclusivity.

  The post holder may also be supporting individuals who identified as an At Risk Mental State (ARMS) alongside those who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis.

  Experience of delivering CBT is an essential criteria.

  The applicant must have experience of working with individuals with a Serious Mental illness.

  Family work is also evidence-based within this client group and therefore experience of (and/or training in) working in this way with families would be desirable.

  About us

  Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

  We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

  At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

  Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

  Details

  Date posted

  15 May 2025

  Pay scheme

  Agenda for change

  Band

  Band 7

  Salary

  £46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum

  Contract

  Permanent

  Working pattern

  Full-time

  Reference number

  350-MHC7180528

  Job locations

  Harry Blackman House, Peasley Cross

  Marshalls Cross Road

  St Helens

  WA9 3DE

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  You will work to agreed targets and manage your own caseload, delivering evidence based High-Intensity CBT interventions with regular clinical supervision; there may be opportunities to use or develop supervisory skills to support other therapists as well as maintaining or achieving BABCP accreditation.

  The successful applicants will be required to work Monday- Friday 9am-5pm. Applicants must be willing to travel to different locations throughout the Trust for clinical work, training and supervision purposes. Bases for this team include Harry Blackman House, Knowsley R&R and other sites across both boroughs of St Helens and Knowsley.

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  You will work to agreed targets and manage your own caseload, delivering evidence based High-Intensity CBT interventions with regular clinical supervision; there may be opportunities to use or develop supervisory skills to support other therapists as well as maintaining or achieving BABCP accreditation.

  The successful applicants will be required to work Monday- Friday 9am-5pm. Applicants must be willing to travel to different locations throughout the Trust for clinical work, training and supervision purposes. Bases for this team include Harry Blackman House, Knowsley R&R and other sites across both boroughs of St Helens and Knowsley.

  Person Specification

  Experience/Knowledge

  Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services.
  • A range of experience of delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to adults.
  • Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets.
  • Ability to manage own caseload and time.
  • Demonstrates high standards in written communication.
  • Able to write clear reports and letters to referrers.
  • Experience with routine outcome monitoring.
  • Experience of teaching/training and liaising with other professional groups.
  • Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and can demonstrates 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.
  • 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.

  Desirable

  • Experience of working in Primary Care Services treating anxiety and depression.
  • Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.

  Skills

  Essential

  • Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007).
  • Computer literate
  • Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
  • Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice.
  • Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients.
  • High level of enthusiasm and Motivation.
  • Advanced communication skills.
  • Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
  • Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively.
  • Ability to work under pressure.
  • Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
  • Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with individuals, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
  • The ability and skills to act as an advocate for a new service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health and social care system.

  Desirable

  • Trained in provision of supervision for CBT.
  • Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation
  • Completed clinical audits within a service.
  • Car driver and/or ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation.
  • Fluent in languages other than English

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • Post Graduate Diploma, or equivalent Post Graduate level CBT training certificate which confers eligibility for BABCP accreditation
  • Has BABCP accreditation or able to achieve Provisional Accreditation within one year

  Desirable

  • Relevant professional qualification (e.g. Nursing, social work, Allied Health Professional etc.)

  Values

  Essential

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented

  Person Specification

  Experience/Knowledge

  Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services.
  • A range of experience of delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to adults.
  • Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets.
  • Ability to manage own caseload and time.
  • Demonstrates high standards in written communication.
  • Able to write clear reports and letters to referrers.
  • Experience with routine outcome monitoring.
  • Experience of teaching/training and liaising with other professional groups.
  • Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and can demonstrates 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.
  • 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.

  Desirable

  • Experience of working in Primary Care Services treating anxiety and depression.
  • Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.

  Skills

  Essential

  • Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007).
  • Computer literate
  • Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
  • Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice.
  • Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients.
  • High level of enthusiasm and Motivation.
  • Advanced communication skills.
  • Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
  • Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively.
  • Ability to work under pressure.
  • Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
  • Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with individuals, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
  • The ability and skills to act as an advocate for a new service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health and social care system.

  Desirable

  • Trained in provision of supervision for CBT.
  • Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation
  • Completed clinical audits within a service.
  • Car driver and/or ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation.
  • Fluent in languages other than English

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • Post Graduate Diploma, or equivalent Post Graduate level CBT training certificate which confers eligibility for BABCP accreditation
  • Has BABCP accreditation or able to achieve Provisional Accreditation within one year

  Desirable

  • Relevant professional qualification (e.g. Nursing, social work, Allied Health Professional etc.)

  Values

  Essential

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented

  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.

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Harry Blackman House, Peasley Cross

  Marshalls Cross Road

  St Helens

  WA9 3DE

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Harry Blackman House, Peasley Cross

  Marshalls Cross Road

  St Helens

  WA9 3DE

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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