The Role
We are looking for a mental health practitioner to join our multi-disciplinary service of counsellors, mental health practitioners, welfare practitioners and disability practitioners who provide a range of supportive interventions for students.
As a clinical mental health practitioner, with a professional registration in mental health nursing, Occupational Therapy or mental health social work, you will be a key member of York St John University’s multi-disciplinary Wellbeing Team. Your role will involve managing and coordinating a caseload of students carrying out mental health assessments, risk assessments, and providing brief interventions to support the mental wellbeing of students.
The successful candidate will also work in the Wellbeing drop-in service where you will be responsible for providing in person support and guidance to students. Students attend the Wellbeing drop-in service on an as needed basis and your role will be to respond adaptively and effectively to a range of presentations, including students presenting high levels of clinical risk or in crisis. The drop-in service provides mental health support to students who may be experiencing anxiety, stress, thoughts of suicide, difficulties related to studies, relationship difficulties, and other concerns.
You will have experience of the clinical assessment and management of risk, and be able to utilise these skills in a fast-paced environment where high levels of situational awareness are essential to ensure agility of response. The candidate will have strong skills and experience of delivering effective brief interventions.
A key part of the role involves collaborating with other key University services and academic departments/School teams, making and receiving effective referrals to ensure that the support students receive from the wider University is properly coordinated. You will also follow up with internal and external stakeholders following serious student incidents, such as a student being hospitalised or an incidence of serious self-harm, to ensure such cases are properly coordinated across the University.
Other teams will look to you for clear and effective guidance on how to respond effectively to concerns regarding student wellbeing. You will also contribute to the delivery of training across the University to academic and professional services colleagues on how to respond to students in distress, receive and respond to disclosures and de-escalate risk.
Key requirements
Candidates will be mental health practitioners with a current registration with either the NMC, HCPC or Social Work England (mental health nurse, Occupational Therapist, mental health social worker).
Further information
It is anticipated that the selection process will include an interview. Further details will be provided if you are shortlisted for interview.
Unfortunately this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship however we welcome your application if you are able to evidence right to work in the UK via an alternative route.
We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive policies and facilities and welcome applications from individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. As part of our commitment to providing an inclusive working environment, consideration is given to all requests for job share or flexible working arrangements.
This vacancy is scheduled to close on the date indicated at the bottom of this advert, but we may close earlier if we receive a high level of applications.
Application process support
We are keen to support you throughout the recruitment process. Before starting your application please refer to the attached candidate application form guidance below which provides advice about completing the application process.
Please note that CVs are not accepted in place of the application form. Within the application process you will be asked to answer a selection of work-related questions. Our aim is to get to know you, and understand your individual skills and experience, and how you would apply these within the role. We are aware that AI can assist you with this, but we would prefer you to share your answers in your own words.
Our benefits package
We offer a wide range of employee benefits including -
- Excellent annual leave entitlement, including five discretionary university closure days over the Christmas period
- Disability leave (applies to staff who have disclosed a disability and is also available to staff with disabled dependants)
- Pension scheme
- Health Cash Plan after six months service
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Paid leave for Armed Forces Reservists
- On-campus courses, one-to-one tutorials, and online resources to help you develop your digital skills and work with new software
- Relocation expenses package for certain roles
- Reimbursement of Skilled Worker Visa application fees and for additional costs (if applicable to the role)
Further information about life at YSJ
Our attached 'further information' document below provides further information about our culture, achievements and testimonials from our employees.
Closing Date - Thursday 28 August 2025 at midnight Provisional Interview Date - Thursday 18 September 2025