High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Job responsibilities

ORGANISATIONAL EXPECTATIONS:

Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service is a Talking Therapy (IAPT) and Primary Care Mental Health service commissioned by Leeds CCG. It is a partnership between:

Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds GP Confederation, Northpoint Wellbeing, Community Links, Touchstone, Womens Counselling and Therapy Service, Homestart Leeds, Ieso Digital Health, SilverCloud Health and SignHealth.

LMWS was launched in November 2019 and brought together Leeds IAPT (talking therapies), a citywide primary care mental health support service, and psychological support for women in the perinatal period, into one service.

https://www.leedscommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services-a-z/leeds-mental-wellbeing- service/home/

We are looking for high intensity cognitive behavioural therapists to join our team of dedicated clinicians based in Leeds. There are a number of full time and part time posts available with Leeds Community Healthcare (LCH), Community Links, Touchstone and Northpoint Wellbeing.

You will be given opportunity at interview to state any preference regarding your employing organisation. Where possible we will aim to accommodate this subject to each partners respective vacancies.

These vacancies provide an exciting opportunity for experienced mental health professionals to be part of a forward thinking, ambitious service which aims to improve

the quality of life for people with common and complex mental health difficulties in Leeds and address health inequalities within mental health care in the city. We aim to provide a

high-quality service by adhering to the principles of best practice, working positively with diversity and promoting equal opportunities.

The service expects all its employees to carry out their duties in a professional manner with a client focus, ensuring that respect and courtesy is shown to them, colleagues, other service providers and all those in contact with the organisation. You are expected to uphold the values and ethos of the Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service at all times.

OUTLINE OF POST:

The post holder will work as part of an established Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) framework and will provide high intensity cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) interventions as part of a stepped care model of care within a multidisciplinary team. The post holder will work with clients who have a range of anxiety and depression related problems for which CBT is demonstrated to be clinically effective.

We would accept applications from people who are not yet qualified but are within 4 months of completing their qualification. We also welcome applications from therapists dual trained in EMDR.

The post holder will work with people from a wide range of age groups and cultural backgrounds, using interpreters when necessary and must be committed to equal opportunities and delivering an inclusive practice. We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, and we particularly encourage applications from BAME and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Hours of work: Full-time posts within the respective partners range from 35hrs - 37.5hrs a week, Monday to Friday. Part-time opportunities are also available (0.6 FTE and upwards).

A minimum of 10% of clinic time will be required outside of these standard hours eg an 8am start or 7pm finish. In line with the needs of the service some weekend work may be required.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, LMWS has followed a 'Digital First' approach and is providing face to face support in person only for those clients for whom digital and non-face to face support is not appropriate. The role will involve delivery of both face to face and online therapy, but at present the majority of the work is taking place remotely. This may be subject to review as Covid restrictions ease.

MAIN TASKS:

1. Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.

2. Assess clients for suitability for CBT.

3. Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to referral and risk assessment protocols, and refer clients for whom the service is unsuitable on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary.

4. Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients.

5. To ensure that support undertaken is meaningful, respectful, promotes self- determination and is in line with the individual support plan.

6. Assess and integrate issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process

7. Work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team and service ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.

8. Liaise with other health and social care staff from a range of agencies in the care provided to clients

9. Promote and maintain links with Secondary Care Staff to help co-ordinate the provision of an effective Psychological Therapies Service.

10. Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. 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 Clinical Excellence).

11. Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.

12. Ensure that client records and other information systems are completed accurately and within agreed timescales.

13. Participate in service improvement by highlighting issues and implementing changes in practice and keep up to date with advances in the spheres of CBT and other psychological therapies.

14. Ensure that client confidentiality is protected at all times.

15. To adhere to organisational policies and procedures relating to risk and personal safety.

16. To contribute to the achievement of annually set individual and team targets.

17. To participate in regular supervision.

18. To work across the city as required to meet service demand.

19. Keep up-to-date with policies, guidelines, procedures and practices.

20. Participate in team meetings, multidisciplinary meetings (MDTs) and other meetings as required.

21. Represent your organisation in a knowledgeable and professional manner at all times.

22. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times.

23. Identify own training and development needs in conjunction with your line manager and participate in training opportunities as directed.

24. Partake in your organisations Personal Development Review system.

Please note this job description is intended to provide a guide to the general duties and responsibilities of the role, however the post holder is expected to adopt a flexible approach to the tasks. It should not be regarded as a contractual document.

Jobs descriptions within the respective partners may vary slightly and each will be provided at interview stage for the applicants consideration.

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualification from High Intensity IAPT Course (Post Graduate Diploma)
• OR
• A post graduate qualification in CBT to at least the equivalent of a post graduate diploma
• We would accept applications from people who are not yet qualified but are within 4 months of completing their qualification.

Approach

Essential

• Demonstrate understanding and commitment to equal opportunities and diversity.
• Demonstrate understanding of health inequalities and a commitment to delivering an inclusive practice.
• Demonstrate a commitment and enthusiasm for working with our service user group.
• Able to build and maintain relationships whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Demonstrate a willingness to participate in shaping the future of the organisation by taking on responsibilities and projects in addition to core workload.
• Demonstrate the ability to undertake work with high degree of accuracy and strong attention to detail.
• Prepared to work in a variety of locations and settings.

Experience

Essential

• Clinical experience of working in a mental health setting.
• Experience of working in a service where agreed targets were in place, demonstrating clinical outcomes.
• Experience of mental health either as service user, carer, worker or volunteer.
• Knowledge and awareness of mental health issues.
• Ability to assess and manage risk in a stepped care setting.
• Ability to work as a member of a team by contributing positively to multidisciplinary team and develop links with other health professionals and organisations referring to the service.
• Good organisational skills, ability to manage own caseload and time in order to meet service standards and agreed/specified activity targets.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other
• professional colleagues both within and outside NHS.
• Knowledge of confidentiality issues.
• Good IT skills and ability to use competently a range of Microsoft Office packages (outlook, email and word).
• Good verbal, written and numeracy skills sufficient to be able to make accurate written records.
• Ability to use clinical and managerial supervision positively and effectively.
• Have access to a car for work purposes or must be able to travel to different sites in Leeds.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a stepped care setting.
• Experience with routine outcome monitoring.
• Language skills e.g. Urdu, Polish, BSL.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).