DBT Therapist / Practitioner Psychologist / CBT Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

To deliver comprehensive DBT, including individual DBT sessions, skills training (group and individual), and out-of-hours DBT telephone coaching. This work will also include delivering Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE) for trauma, for clients with comorbid PTSD.

To provide specialist assessment and clinical formulation to clients with significant difficulties with emotional and behavioural dysregulation, particularly clients with Borderline/Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (BPD/EUPD) who engage in suicidal and parasuicidal behaviour and have co-morbid difficulties (e.g. substance misuse, eating difficulties, anger control problems).

To design and deliver adjunctive therapy groups, both for clients in the DBT Service and for appropriate clients in the Lewisham Treatment Service (e.g. DBT First Steps Group, Managing Emotions groups), monitoring outcomes and modifying and adapting interventions, drawing on principles and skills from DBT/CBT.

To work as an autonomous professional within Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the policies and procedures of the Trust and both the wider and local DBT Service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions, under guidance from both DBT Consult and individual DBT supervision.

To attend and contribute fully to the weekly DBT Consult team meetings on Thursdays. To work as an effective team member (being non-defensive, willing, fallible, open, supportive of others etc.)

To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review treatment plans and care plans.

To assess and monitor risk regularly in sessions and draw up appropriate risk management plans and adapt these plans accordingly, particularly for clients with multiple services involved.

To be responsible for delivering DBT-informed psychological interventions with carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients, including offering Family Connections groups.

To support DBT clients' care coordinators in the community teams and offer consultation to other team members with queries in relation to DBT service provision.

To advise other members of the DBT Service, the wider borough community services (Lambeth, Croydon and Southwark), and appropriate other services (e.g. PCMHTs, local CAMHS services, acute wards) on specialist psychological care of clients with BPD/EUPD and related difficulties.

To communicate complex and sensitive information skilfully, compassionately and thoughtfully to clients and carers, taking account of any sensory and cultural barriers to communication in line with clients' wishes.

Person Specification

Qualification

Essential

• Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession, and demonstrable psychotherapeutic practice in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy or a therapy relevant to the practice of DBT. Training can include professional Doctorate, or a combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level plus supervised practice and additional training, that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
• Registered with one of the following professional bodies, as appropriate to discipline: HCPC/SfDBT/BABCP/BACP/BABCP/ ACAT/NMC.

Desirable

• Completion of the Post Graduate Diploma in DBT, or Intensively trained in DBT
• Accredited with the Society for DBT or the Linehan Board of Accreditation.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
• Experience of working with clients who have received a diagnosis of Borderline/Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
• Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
• Experience of receiving regular clinical supervision across a range of client needs
• Experience of consulting with other staff

Desirable

• Experience of delivering comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
• Experience of developing and carrying out research projects
• The DBT Service, and the Trust as a whole, encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Theoretical knowledge of DBT
• Theoretical knowledge of CBT and psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
• Specialist and transferable psychological skills and knowledge relevant to working with clients with Borderline /Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
• Knowledge of psychological assessment and formulation
• Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner with appropriate level of clinical and managerial supervision

Desirable

• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for skills groups, presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
• Well-developed IT skills, particularly in use of Microsoft applications

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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

Employer details

Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Churchdown CMHT / 1a Churchdown / Downham / Bromley / BR1 5PS

1a Churchdown / Downham / Bromley / BR1 5PS

London

BR1 5PS

Employer's website

https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)