Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity within the Durham area working with older adults for a Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work under close case management supervision from an HCPC registered applied psychologist to provide specified psychologically-informed wellbeing-focused interventions, with a level of autonomy in community working.
About us
We are the Mental Health and Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York & Selby.
We are committed to co-creating safe and personalised care that improves the lives of people by involving them as equal partners. The most important way we will get there is by living our values, all of the time.
Psychological Professions staff will be expected to display the Trust values at all times, working as part of the collective team with shared accountability and responsibility for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of patient care is delivered in a patient centred manner. They will also contribute to ensuring the culture of our services is built upon the Trust Values and the trust's strategy - Our Journey To change (OJTC).
We're also committed to co-creating a great experience for our colleagues- find out more about why you should come and work for us here Why choose TEWV? - Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust
We are committed to developing a team that is fully representative of the communities that we serve, and especially welcome applications from individuals with protected characteristics that are currently under-represented in our workforce.
Details
Date posted
16 June 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 5
Salary
£29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
346-DDM-026-25-A
Job locations
Bowes Lyon Unit, Lanchester Road Hospital and Derwent Clinic
Durham and Shotley Bridge
DH1 5RD
Job description
Job responsibilities
The role of the Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner is to:
Develop and practice psychologically informed interventions under supervision, working directly with adults in the community.
Support collaborative care planning, alongside other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
Work closely alongside a team of mental health professionals to deliver a set of brief wellbeing-focused psychologically informed interventions:
Behavioural Activation and Graded Exposure using the GOALS programme
Problem-solving
Improving sleep
Recognising and managing emotions
Guided self-help for bulimia and binge-eating
Confidence building
Support with medicines management
Carry out relevant risk assessments and risk management with the multi-disciplinary team
Engage calmly and with sensitivity and empathy to support service users in highly distressing or emotional circumstances.
Engage with and gather information from service users, relatives and patient records to develop a formulation.
To work in collaboration with the individual service user and their family and carers as appropriate to develop care plans that are focused on strengths and are outcome based.
To set collaborative goals for intervention with service users.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
1. A graduate certificate (Level 6) or postgraduate certificate (Level 7) delivering the national curriculum for Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Adult Specialist Mental Health)
Knowledge
Essential
2. Knowledge and experience of working with people with mental health needs gained through a graduate certificate or postgraduate certificate training with significant supervised practice
Knowledge/Skills/Experience
Essential
3. Experience running groups/activities
4. Experience working as part of a team
5. Experience of being supervised
6. Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing
7. Able to establish and maintain empathic, supportive relationships with people in significant distress or who are cognitively impaired, their families and carers
8. Able to receive, understand and communicate confidential client information of a sensitive and often complex nature, including discussing care with family members within boundaries of confidentiality
9. Able to communicate in a sensitive and reassuring manner, with empathy, and where appropriate reassurance
10. Able to communicate in a sensitive and reassuring manner, with empathy, and where appropriate reassurance
11. Liaise with other teams and services including external agencies as required for the wellbeing of service users
12. Able to assist in assessment and observation activities related to individual's health and wellbeing, arriving at judgments about how to respond within the care plan
13. Able to contribute to risk assessment drawing on complex and multiple sources of information, under clinical supervision
14. Able to analyse and synthesise multiple sources of information to contribute to the team's understanding and formulation of service users' difficulties and development of a multidisciplinary care plan
15. Able to assist in planning and delivering psychologically informed interventions to meet people's health and wellbeing needs
16. Able to prioritise workload according to peoples' changing needs and the priorities of the team
17. Able to assist in maintaining own and others health safety and security
18. To be able to use basic computer skills to collect, collate and report on client's progress on a daily basis
19. Able to plan and deliver interventions with a variety of service users presenting with mental health difficulties, their families and carers and the clinical team, on a daily basis
20. Experience of considering the impact of public health within an individual's care
21. Experience in discussing and responding to issues related to cultural diversity, intersectionality and inclusivity, including working with vulnerable groups (. those for whom English is not their first language)
22. Experience of managing multiple demands/ working in challenging environments
23. Awareness of systemic barriers to accessing psychological services/healthcare for minoritised communities
24. Awareness of the relationship between social, economic and environmental factors and mental health
Desirable
25. Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties