Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Psychological Therapist with enthusiasm and interest in working with older people to join a friendly and supportive specialist primary care team. Based at St James House, The Salford Older Adult Primary Care Psychological Therapies Service provides psychological therapies and counselling to older people within the Salford community. We are a unique service and passionate about the needs of older people and equal access to talking therapies.
We are looking for a compassionate and creative individual to deliver high quality talking therapies to older people presenting with a range of psychological difficulties in the context of ageing. You will also be passionate about promoting the mental health needs of older people. You would be part of a small, nurturing team, which includes Psychologists, Counsellors, Occupational Therapist, and a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. As a service we utilise a variety of therapeutic approaches adapted to the needs of our clients, including CBT, Compassion Focussed Therapy, EMDR and Person-Centred Counselling. We also run groups for carers of people with dementia to support their psychological needs.
The post involves community work and home visiting, so applicants must be able to demonstrate ability/offer a strategy to undertake visits safely and efficiently.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide specialist psychological assessment, intervention and therapy to older people referred to the service. This will be a mix of clinic based appointments and home visits. There will also be opportunities to be involved in group work.
The post holder will be able to work autonomously within professional guidelines to deliver therapy to older people presenting with a range of emotional difficulties. At times this may also involve working with carers, families and liaison with other health professionals.
There will be opportunities to contribute to research, audit and service development.
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description below for full detail on role responsibilities
See also attached the Person Specification for further information
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Qualification in health care at graduate level in counselling, nursing, social work or AHP plus post graduate diploma (or equivalent) in CBT accredited by BABCP
2. Relevant professional registration and accreditation HCPC / BABCP / BACP
Desirable criteria
3. Post qualification training in specialised area of psychological practice eg. CFT, EMDR, CAT
4. Training and or Qualification in clinical supervision
Experience
Essential criteria
5. Experience of providing talking therapies in mental health setting
Desirable criteria
6. Experience of providing talking therapies to older people
7. Experience of working with older people with cognitive difficulties
8. Experience of providing clinical supervision to others
The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.
The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click .
If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.