We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to train as an Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), supporting the development and delivery of early intervention mental health services for children and young people across the West of Berkshire. This training post is part of the national initiative to expand access to mental health support in educational settings. As a trainee EMHP, you will work under supervision within our Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs ), delivering evidence-based interventions to children and young people aged up to 18, helping to shape emotionally healthy school environments and provide direct support to those who need it most.
You will be co-located in schools across your locality, working collaboratively with education staff to promote a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health. The role requires creativity, flexibility, and a strong commitment to improving outcomes for young people.
You'll be b ased in West Berkshire, with vacancies in Wokingham, Reading, and West Berkshire localities. You will be e mbedded in clusters of schools, co-located with MHSTs, s upporting whole-school approaches to emotional wellbeing, w orking under supervision as part of a dynamic, integrated mental health team and e ngaging in academic and clinical training as part of the EMHP programme based at The University of Reading.
All applicants must demonstrate in their application the ability to work at degree level or have an equivalent level of relevant experience, with a proven record of previous learning or formal study in child development, wellbeing or mental health as well as a desire to work in children's mental health. Experience of working with children and young people and an understanding of the educational system in England is highly desirable .
During training, the post-holder will work under supervision to gain experience across healthcare and educational settings to enable them to gain the level of competence required to deliver high-quality, evidence-based early interventions for CYP experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems.
On successful completion of training, trainee EMHPs will be equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and capabilities to work as a qualified EMHP as autonomous and responsible practitioners within their scope of practice, alongside education colleagues.
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
Caring for and about you is our top priority
Committed to providing good quality, safe services
Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
Flexible working options to support work-life balance
27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
Generous NHS pension scheme
Excellent learning and career development opportunities
'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
Free parking across Trust sites
The "must haves" for this role:
work at degree level or have an equivalent level of relevant experience : An honours degree graded at 2.2 or above. If a candidate has a degree graded 2.3, they will be asked to provide evidence of successful study at Level 6 or equivalent and be required to pass a pre-entry essay, marked at master's level prior to acceptance on the training programme
Evidence of ability to study at Level 6 (i.e. previous successful study at level 5; or successful part completion of an Honours degree – level 6). (Must not have started or completed a HEE funded role in the previous 2 years, in line with the '2-year psychological professions funding rule)
Experience of working with children and an understanding of how to talk with them.
Some experience of working within a mental health setting or in an education setting.
Strong communication, IT & organisational skills.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips – see the help with your application document attached once you click apply.
If you're someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required .
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Jo Cocksey, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, or email: who will be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Successful candidates will be offered a full-time educational programme specifically for the role. On successful completion of the year long programme trainees will qualify as an Educational Mental health Practitioner (EMHP). Please note that this position is offered on a fixed-term basis, aligned with the duration of the training programm e and you will be required to sign a learning agreement before your employment starts. Trainees will be employed by Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust for the duration of the training at the Universit y of Reading and will be on placement during this time .
The training programme for this post starts in January 202 6, is 12 months in duration and will consist of academic and supervised practice learning across mental health services and educational settings, such as primary and secondary schools, and further education colleges. Delivery of the programme will be provided through a combination of taught days within a university; independent self-guided study days and experience gained in education wellbeing and mainstream mental health services. (please see the course details and dates for further information about the training)