Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner

The closing date is 11 November 2025

Job summary

We are excited to announce that we have been awarded funding from Health Education England to offer the opportunity to come and train with us at Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust (SPFT) as a Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner (MHWP). Sussex Partnership is a mental health trust, offering care across Sussex to adults, older adults and children with mental health problems. The MHWP posts are new national roles based in our neighbourhood mental health teams. Those successful in the posts will be trained to offer psychologically-informed interventions to people in our NMHTs alongside our multi-disciplinary colleagues. You will be part of our psychological professions team, receiving high quality supervision and continued professional development and support. If you are successful in this post you will receive NHS funded training at Sussex University, and a salary with us at Sussex Partnership for the placement element of your training. The years training will then equip you to apply for qualified MHWP posts within our trust.

Please note, you cannot train or apply for another NHS England training (including clinical psychology training) within two years of taking on an MHWP role

It is hoped the interviews will be held on 17th and 24th Nov 2025

Main duties of the job

There has been recent national recognition that MHWP posts can play a key role in the provision of psychological therapies in our NMHTs. These are multi disciplinary teams that work with people in the community and you will be providing intensive short term therapeutic interventions within the context of the wider team. There are 3 posts which will be located in different teams in Mid Sussex, Worthing and Hastings. Two posts are in the Dementia and Older People's Mental health (Worthing and Haywards heath) part of the service and the Hastings post is Specialist adult. These teams work with a range of presenting mental health issues. You will all be interviewed as one cohort, but it will be possible to express a preference for a placement location at interview stage. We will be offering a centralised recruitment process where candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be invited to a single interview. Successful candidates will then be offered a post based on their preferences.

About us

Sussex Partnership is a fantastic Trust to work for and the psychological professions are highly valued. Our teams are welcoming and enthusiastic about providing the best possible care for people who access our services. Sussex is a beautiful county with good transport links, vibrant urban communities, rural areas and tourist attractions, including the Coast and the South Downs. The Trust has been rated by the CQC as Good overall and Outstanding for care.Supervision and wider professional support will be offered to all successful candidates. A specialised induction programme is also available and successful applicants will also be able to attend training that is offering at the Trust.

Date posted

28 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year pa

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

354-AE-21227

Job locations

Cavendish House

Breeds Place, , East Sussex,

Hastings

TN34 3AA

Job description

Job responsibilities

This is a training role within the NMHTs. The post-holder will be enrolled in a graduate certificate or postgraduate certificate training delivering the national curriculum for Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners. The post-holder will attend all elements of the programme of study and progress successfully through assessments of competence and attainment. In the remaining part of the week they will work as a trainee in the service, under close supervision and regular course assessment of practice competence. They will work within the limits of their experience and assessed competence for their stage of training: To work alongside service users, families, carers and multi-disciplinary team members to co-ordinate care, supporting collaborative decision making about care and treatment. To deliver a set of wellbeing-focused psychologically-informed interventions, aligned to cognitive-behavioural principles, based on the best evidence available, that address problems often experienced by people with severe mental health problems.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Batchelor's degree at 2:2 in any subject for entry toPostgraduate route
Enrolled on a programme of study for a graduate certificate (Level 6) or postgraduate certificate (Level 7) delivering the national curriculum for mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Adult Specialist Mental Health)

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

Experience of work interacting with the public
Experience working as part of a team
Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Batchelor's degree at 2:2 in any subject for entry toPostgraduate route
Enrolled on a programme of study for a graduate certificate (Level 6) or postgraduate certificate (Level 7) delivering the national curriculum for mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Adult Specialist Mental Health)

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

Experience of work interacting with the public
Experience working as part of a team
Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing

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.