Main area Clinical Psychology Grade Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 24 months (NHS-E funded training post with conditions) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 334-CLI-7254461
Employer South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Lambeth Secondary Care Psychology Therapies Town London Salary £42,471 - £50,364 per annum inclusive of HCAs Salary period Yearly Closing 29/07/2025 23:59
Trainee DBT Therapist Lambeth SCPT
Band 6
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role.We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, with NHS England, are offering opportunities for a candidate wishing to train in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for people presenting to secondary care inpatient and community mental health services with complex affective and interpersonal difficulties. Posts offer two years of DBT training with an NHSE funded provider. After two years' training, provided the candidate successfully passes the course and then gains accreditation as a DBT therapist with the relevant accrediting authority, they will progress into a qualified Band 7 psychological therapist post.
Candidates should have relevant core professional training e.g. Practitioner Psychologist, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist or Mental Health Nurse. People with training as clinical associate psychologists, or psychological/mental health wellbeing practitioners, and/or substantial experience in DBT informed working may be eligible to apply provided they can meet the requirements of the relevant Knowledge, Skills & Attitudes portfolios. These candidates would need to demonstrate at interview that they would meet the KSA after year one of training with the provider. The post falls under the NHS-E two year rule: successful candidates will be ineligible for NHS-E funding for other listed trainings for this period.
Main duties of the job
A 2-year fixed term appointment leading to a permanent psychological therapist post if the postgraduate diploma programme is completed successfully and full accreditation awarded. The post-holder will work within the service providing formal psychological interventions whilst undertaking a programme of training. This intensive training post will equip the post–holder to provide a DBT service to clients with the range of complex problems for which the interventions have been demonstrated to be clinically effective. The post- holder will work in relevant services for four days of the week using the newly developed skills whilst attending the training programme for the other day.
The post-holder must have experience of working with service users experiencing mental health problems and the skills and abilities needed to form effective and safe therapeutic relationships. They should have excellent written and verbal communication skills. The post-holder will work with people of different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities and the organisation's anti-racist commitment. The post-holder must be able to attend 70-80 days training over a 2-year course. This will include a day per week and 5-day intensive teaching blocks. They must be able to complete all the academic components of the course and have the ability to integrate training into practice under supervision.
Working for our organisation
Lambeth: the second largest inner London Borough with an official population of around 350,000. The local population has needs related to a high level of social deprivation such as unemployment, poor social housing and child poverty. There are also pockets of greater affluence. There are high levels of morbidity, and levels and complexity of mental health problems are above the national average
The Trust:The South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust is part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) and committed to innovation, effective interventions and improved service user outcomes. It provides mental health services to the people of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon, and some more specialist services to people from across the UK.
We believe strongly in staff development and have excellent opportunities to develop this through CPD opportunities across SLaM and through strong links with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.
The position is full-time and may involve remote as well as face to face working.
Lambeth is a borough of high social and psychological needs with considerable cultural diversity. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.
* Assess clients for suitability for DBT. Where the problems appear to be too complex or severe to be appropriate for a trainee, therapist to refer to manager/supervisor for advice on how to manage the case.
* Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the service’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, in inpatient and community settings, including care teams as needed.
* Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying DBT 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 and service flow.
* Assess and integrate issues surrounding wider care, such as discharge, accommodation, work and employment into the overall therapy process.
* Attend and fulfil all the requirements of the training element of the post.
* Apply learning form the training programme in practice.
* Receive supervision from educational providers in relation to course work to meet the required standards.
* Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. BPS, UKCP, BABCP), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the department of health (e.g. NHS plan, National Service Framework, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).
* Ensure that client confidentiality is protected at all times.
* Be aware of and keep up to date with advances in relevant spheres (DBT, presenting conditions).
* Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with senior therapists on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.
* Attend clinical/managerial supervision on a regular basis as agreed with manager.
* Participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives.
* Keep up to date all records in relation to C.P.D. and ensure personal development plan maintains up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.
* Attend relevant conferences / workshops in line with identified professional objectives.
* Contribute to the development of best practice within the service.
* To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and procedures in relation to Mental Health and Primary Care Services.
* All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health of safety of colleagues, patients and the general public.
* All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the Data Protection Act (2018) and Security and Confidentiality Policies.
* It is the responsibility of all staff that they do not abuse their official position for personal gain, to seek advantage of further private business or other interests in the course of their official duties.
For more detail please see the full attached Job Description & Person Specification.
Person specification
Qualifications
* A recorded/registered qualification in one of the following at graduate level in mental health or learning disability nursing, social work, counselling (accredited level), occupational therapy, arts therapy, medicine (psychiatry / general practice), psychological therapy (UKCP registered), Psychology (clinical, clinical associate, counselling, forensic or health). Please see the BABCP website for more detail of accepted qualifications. OR Evidence of meeting the Knowledge Skills and Attitude (KSA) requirements of BABCP. Please see the BABCP website for more detail of KSA requirements.
Experience
* Demonstrable experience of working in a service for severe mental health problems, ideally including inpatients
* Experience of working with service users presenting with EUPD/BPD and/or significant emotional dysregulation
* Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes
* Has received training (either formal or through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
* Experience of working with diverse communities within a multicultural setting
* Experience of having worked within a DBT or other PD/CEN service.
Knowledge & Skills
* Understanding of the DBT model, CEN and secondary care context, medication use
* Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets, work under pressure, manage own caseload and time
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, computer literacy,. Demonstrates high standards in written communication, able to write clear reports, letters etc.
* Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality
* Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training, develop good therapeutic relationships, team working, use of supervision
* Ability to deliver psychological therapy in another locally relevant language.
The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:
* Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
* Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
* We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity
Please note:
* That all applications for this post will need to be made online
* That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
* That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
* That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
* That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
* That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
* That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
* That we are a smoke-free Trust
SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
#J-18808-Ljbffr