Job summary
We are looking for a highly motivated graduates with a minimum 2:2 degree in any subject to join our service as a Trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner. This is an exciting, new role created by NHS England and Improvement to support the transformation of adult community mental health services. Your training will be fully funded by the NHS. If you successfully pass the postgraduate training, you canprogress to the Band 5 position on a permanent basis. Please be aware that if you embark on this training, you will not be eligible for other NHS funded training for 2 years after the course has ended.
You will need to have a passion for working with adults with severe and enduring mental health problems. On appointment the trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner will be enrolled on to the University College London one-year postgraduate certificate training which will take up one or more days a week during term time. The training will cover assessment and collaborative care planning with patients and training on wellbeing-focused psychologically informed interventions for serious mental health problems. Please see UCL website for more information about the course:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/study/postgraduate-taught-degrees/clinical-psychology-and-psychotherapy/mental-health-wellbeing
Main duties of the job
For the remainder of the week, you will work in our community mental health team where, under supervision, you will practice and develop the knowledge and skills taught on the course. This will involve individual work with patients as well as support for their families and carers, in line with the education provider's expectations. Supervision of psychologically informed interventions will be from a qualified clinical or counselling psychologist. You will receive case management supervision from another qualified mental health professional in the team.
In order to start the postgraduate training programme, successful applicants need to be able to start employment by 26th January2026 at the latest Please do not apply if you are unable to start by this date.
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services, including Tolworth Hospital, as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together.We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Carry out relevant risk assessments and risk management with the multi-disciplinary team
2. Engage calmly and with sensitivity and empathy to support service users in highly distressing or emotional circumstances.
3. Engage with and gather information from service users, relatives and patient records to develop a formulation.
4. To work in collaboration with the individual service user and their family and carers as appropriate to develop care plans that are focused on strengths and are outcome based.
5. To attend multi-disciplinary reviews and act as a care co-ordinator, for a caseload of service users in order to support and monitor progress during multi-disciplinary interventions.
6. To set collaborative goals for intervention with service users
7. To deliver specified wellbeing-focused psychologically informed interventions, in line with best available evidence, under close supervision from a clinical psychologist or CBT therapist including:
a. Behavioural activation and graded exposure
b. Teaching problem-solving skills
c. Improving sleep
d. Recognising and managing emotions
e. Guided self-help for bulimia and binge-eating
f. Building confidence
8. To be responsive to service users needs and choices; and uphold their right to be treated with dignity and respect.
9. To include carers and families in line with the service users wishes.
10. To liaise with other health and care providers, including third sector agencies and primary care, to ensure continuity of care for service users.
11. To communicate information concerning the assessment, formulation and care plans of service users in a skilled and sensitive manner in order to promote effective multi-disciplinary working and therapeutic outcomes for clients.
12. To develop collaborative plans for relapse prevention
13. To deal with endings appropriately and safely with service users, families and carers.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Carry out relevant risk assessments and risk management with the multi-disciplinary team
2. Engage calmly and with sensitivity and empathy to support service users in highly distressing or emotional circumstances.
3. Engage with and gather information from service users, relatives and patient records to develop a formulation.
4. To work in collaboration with the individual service user and their family and carers as appropriate to develop care plans that are focused on strengths and are outcome based.
5. To attend multi-disciplinary reviews and act as a care co-ordinator, for a caseload of service users in order to support and monitor progress during multi-disciplinary interventions.
6. To set collaborative goals for intervention with service users
7. To deliver specified wellbeing-focused psychologically informed interventions, in line with best available evidence, under close supervision from a clinical psychologist or CBT therapist including:
a. Behavioural activation and graded exposure
b. Teaching problem-solving skills
c. Improving sleep
d. Recognising and managing emotions
e. Guided self-help for bulimia and binge-eating
f. Building confidence
8. To be responsive to service users needs and choices; and uphold their right to be treated with dignity and respect.
9. To include carers and families in line with the service users wishes.
10. To liaise with other health and care providers, including third sector agencies and primary care, to ensure continuity of care for service users.
11. To communicate information concerning the assessment, formulation and care plans of service users in a skilled and sensitive manner in order to promote effective multi-disciplinary working and therapeutic outcomes for clients.
12. To develop collaborative plans for relapse prevention
13. To deal with endings appropriately and safely with service users, families and carers.
Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential
- A graduate certificate (Level 6) or postgraduate certificate (Level 7) delivering the national curriculum for Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Adult Specialist Mental Health)
Desirable
- Any training relevant to the service user group
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with people with mental health needs gained through a graduate certificate or postgraduate certificate training with significant supervised practice
- Experience running groups/activities
- Experience working as part of a team
- Experience of being supervised
- Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing
Desirable
- Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Able to establish and maintain empathic, supportive relationships with people in significant distress or who are cognitively impaired, their families and carers
- Able to receive, understand and communicate confidential client information of a sensitive and often complex nature, including discussing care with family members within boundaries of confidentiality
- Able to communicate in a sensitive and reassuring manner, with empathy, and where appropriate reassurance
- Commitment to team working and ability to work successfully in a team
- Able to make good use of clinical supervision in a group and/or individual format
Desirable
- Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health
Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential
- A graduate certificate (Level 6) or postgraduate certificate (Level 7) delivering the national curriculum for Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Adult Specialist Mental Health)
Desirable
- Any training relevant to the service user group
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with people with mental health needs gained through a graduate certificate or postgraduate certificate training with significant supervised practice
- Experience running groups/activities
- Experience working as part of a team
- Experience of being supervised
- Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing
Desirable
- Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Able to establish and maintain empathic, supportive relationships with people in significant distress or who are cognitively impaired, their families and carers
- Able to receive, understand and communicate confidential client information of a sensitive and often complex nature, including discussing care with family members within boundaries of confidentiality
- Able to communicate in a sensitive and reassuring manner, with empathy, and where appropriate reassurance
- Commitment to team working and ability to work successfully in a team
- Able to make good use of clinical supervision in a group and/or individual format
Desirable
- Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
