Suicide Prevention Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Title: Suicide Prevention Therapist

Salary: £33,000 pro rata

Hours: 15 hours per week, to be worked Tuesdays and Thursdays

Location: Darlington with occasional travel to Newcastle

Reports to: Senior Therapist

The opportunity

We are looking to recruit a Suicide Prevention Therapist to support men in suicidal crisis at our new pilot service in Darlington. This role is part of an exciting new initiative for our charity.

We seek an experienced mental health professional or therapist with a proven interest in suicide prevention. The ideal candidate will assist clients and their supporters in recovering from suicidal crises and maintaining their safety.

We will provide training to help you develop your therapeutic skills to offer our collaborative, semi-structured, psychologically informed intervention to clients.

The successful candidate will join an experienced and supportive team, gradually building a caseload to assist men in suicidal crisis as we expand our referral partnerships and raise awareness in Durham and Teesside.

The Charity

James' Place is dedicated to preventing male suicide by providing free, life-saving therapy from trained professional therapists to men in crisis.

We opened our first centre in Liverpool in 2018, making it the first of its kind in the UK. In 2022, we launched our second centre in London, and our third centre in Newcastle opened in November 2023. So far, the charity has supported over 3,600 men through our life-saving interventions.

At James' Place, we aim to make finding help as easy as possible. We offer a brief, intensive therapeutic intervention in a safe and welcoming environment, ensuring that men who seek our support feel valued and respected.

Building on the success of our centres in Liverpool, London, and Newcastle, we are expanding our model to deliver a pilot service in Teesside to reach even more men in suicidal crisis. Our Birmingham centre will open in 2026.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Before starting your application, please read the below in full to understand the requirements of this role. The key criteria which will help us to assess candidates are listed below. There is guidance to highlight at which stage the criteria will be assessed.

Assessment Method: A Application / I Interview / T Task

Assessment Method

Essential Qualifications

A Core Profession such as Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Social Worker registered with NMC, HPC, BASW or,

A therapist registered with IAPT, BACP, UKCP, BABCP or,

A psychology graduate with experience of working as a Psychology Assistant or extensive experience of working within secondary mental health services

A

Essential Knowledge/Experience

Demonstrable experience working with adults experiencing acute psychological distress and evidence of delivering therapeutic sessions

A / I

Demonstrable knowledge of the impact of suicide on communities and individuals and knowledge of the particular difficulties contributing to male suicide

A / I

Demonstrable knowledge of the particular difficulties contributing to male suicide

A / I

Effective communication skills (written & verbal) and the ability to manage difficult situations

A / I / T

Able to assess, plan, implement & evaluate therapeutic interventions

A

Able to work as an effective team member

A / I

Self-motivated, uses own initiative and able to prioritise own workload

A / I

Good time management

A / I / T

Promotes peoples equality, diversity, and rights

I

Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding Procedures

A / I

Knowledge of Service Governance and Evaluation

A / I

Commitment to clinical supervision

A / I

James Place Values

Focus, Bravery, Compassion, Hope, Respect, Professionalism

A/I

Essential Skills

Commitment to working with men who are experiencing a suicidal crisis and their supporters.

A / I

Ability to work in a therapeutic environment and manage therapeutic sessions.

A

Ability to maintain boundaries within a time-limited intervention.

A

Ability to maintain up-to-date client records in line with James Place standards.

A / I

Able to conduct effective risk assessments and collaborative safety plans with men who are presenting with a high risk of suicide or be willing and able to learn how to do so.

A / I / T

Ability to maintain own personal safety and the safety of others.

A / I

An ability to manage an allocated caseload.

A / I / T

An ability to identify if the service offered is not adequate to maintain the persons safety and facilitate a rapid transfer to the most appropriate service.

A / I / T

An ability to collaborate with clients in the development of a person centred, individual intervention plan.

A / I

If you have any questions about the role please email John.Younger@jamesplace.org.uk

Closing Date

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

References and Checks

Any job offers made are subject to the receipt of two relevant, satisfactory employment references. We expect this to include one from your most recent or current employer. Any job offers made are also subject to a satisfactory DBS check and a Right to Work in the UK check.

Equality and Diversity

James Place is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community. Our aim is that no job applicant, temporary worker, or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender and transgender status, race and ethnicity, religion and belief (including no belief), marriage or civil partnership status or sexual orientation.

If you have a disability, which means you would benefit from any adjustments to the interview process to help you perform at your best, please do let us know in advance.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Skills, Knowledge & Experience
• Before starting your application, please read the below in full to understand the requirements of this role. The key criteria which will help us to assess candidates are listed below. There is guidance to highlight at which stage the criteria will be assessed.
• Assessment Method: A Application / I Interview / T Task
• Essential Qualifications
• A Core Profession such as Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Social Worker registered with NMC, HPC, BASW or,
• A therapist registered with IAPT, BACP, UKCP, BABCP or,
• A psychology graduate with experience of working as a Psychology Assistant or extensive experience of working within secondary mental health services
• Essential Knowledge/Experience
• Demonstrable experience working with adults experiencing acute psychological distress and evidence of delivering therapeutic sessions A / I
• Demonstrable knowledge of the impact of suicide on communities and individuals and knowledge of the particular difficulties contributing to male suicide A / I
• Demonstrable knowledge of the particular difficulties contributing to male suicide A / I
• Effective communication skills (written & verbal) and the ability to manage difficult situations A / I / T
• Able to assess, plan, implement & evaluate therapeutic interventions A
• Able to work as an effective team member A / I
• Self-motivated, uses own initiative and able to prioritise own workload A / I
• Good time management A / I / T
• Promotes peoples equality, diversity, and rights I
• Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding Procedures A / I
• Knowledge of Service Governance and Evaluation A / I
• Commitment to clinical supervision A / I
• James Place Values
• Focus, Bravery, Compassion, Hope, Respect, Professionalism A/I
• Commitment to working with men who are experiencing a suicidal crisis and their supporters. A / I
• Ability to work in a therapeutic environment and manage therapeutic sessions. A
• Ability to maintain boundaries within a time-limited intervention. A
• Ability to maintain up-to-date client records in line with James Place standards. A / I
• Able to conduct effective risk assessments and collaborative safety plans with men who are presenting with a high risk of suicide or be willing and able to learn how to do so. A / I / T
• Ability to maintain own personal safety and the safety of others. A / I
• An ability to manage an allocated caseload. A / I / T
• An ability to identify if the service offered is not adequate to maintain the persons safety and facilitate a rapid transfer to the most appropriate service. A / I / T
• An ability to collaborate with clients in the development of a person centred, individual intervention plan. A / I

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.

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

James' Place Charity

Address

Citizens Advice Bureau

Church Row

Darlington

County Durham

DL1 5QD

Employer's website

https://www.jamesplace.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)