# CYPMHS Lead Cognitive Behavioural Therapist > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/cypmhs-lead-cognitive-behavioural-therapist/b200ec88-5c56-46ad-8cb5-5f19f97ef382 - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/cypmhs-lead-cognitive-behavioural-therapist/b200ec88-5c56-46ad-8cb5-5f19f97ef382.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust - **Town:** Prescot - **Region:** North West - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Manager and corporate - **Grade:** Band 8 - **Salary:** £66,582 - £77,368 per annum - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Full time - 37.5 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-08-17T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-07-22T11:12:35.810Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Merseyside/St_Helens/Mersey_Care_NHS_Foundation_Trust/Children_Young_Peoples_Mental_Health/Children_Young_Peoples_Mental_Health-v8174477 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8174477?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced CBT therapist to join our Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS). This is a brand new post that will support implementation of the expansion of our Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) alongside providing professional leadership to our many CBT therapists and wellbeing practitioners across the CYPMHS footprint. We are looking for someone who can strengthen delivery of CBT across all ten of our CYPMHS teams , including core CYPMHS, MHSTs, Crisis Response/Home Treatment, and Children & Young People's Eating Disorders. The ideal candidate will be someone who will thrive in a role that balances service development, provision of supervision, and delivery of CBT-based interventions to young people under the care of MHSTs. ### Main duties of the job To provide clinical and professional leadership for CBT therapists and wellbeing practitioners within the CYPMHS service line To work collaboratively with other lead psychological professionals to develop and strengthen the psychological therapies offer across the service line To work with managers and clinical leads to implement the expansion of MHSTs, in line with the national target to provide support to 100% of schools To take a role in the CYPMHS Senior Leadership Team To undertake and support service development, audit and research activities To have oversight of clinical supervision for CBT therapists and wellbeing practitioners in the service line To provide clinical supervision to CBT therapists To provide CBT-based therapeutic interventions to young people and their families who are being supported by our MHSTs ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities Clinical To hold a caseload of highly complex psychological assessment, treatment and consultation work based upon a highly specialised, conceptual framework and employing research-based evidence. To be responsible for the provision of highly specialist cognitive behavioural psychotherapy with clinical autonomy drawing on a range of models, and to incorporate specialist theoretical and practical knowledge. To practice in a manner that is inclusive and considerate of the needs of the child/young person and family within the highly complex systems in which they live. To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist cognitive behavioural psychotherapy interventions with children/young people and their families, including groups, drawing upon different explanatory models, to maintain a number of provisional hypotheses in reaching a formulation and a treatment plan. To work in ways that are sensitive to the needs of children/young people and their families from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. This includes an ability to understand and offer therapeutic intervention to children and young people with a wide range of external and systemic influences on their mental health, as well as individual factors such as neurodivergence. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account multiple and highly complex factors which may conflict or contribute to high levels of ambiguity and instability for children/young people and their professional networks. To exercise responsibility and autonomy, within supervisory, managerial and accountability structures, for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients engaged in psychological therapy. To deliver case management as required, ensuring effective assessment, care planning and risk management processes are maintained. Involve the views of families, referring agents and other professionals involved in the network of care including organising and chairing (as required) multi-agency meetings. To organise and provide CBT in line with service and training needs. To provide live supervision of other psychological therapists where needed. To hold responsibility for standards of clinical practice within CBT in CYPMHS and MHSTs, by ensuring appropriateness of referrals, competence of therapists, and suitability of supervisors. To work jointly and collaboratively with other team members in order to enhance and develop the provision of services to young people and their families. To provide specialist theoretical cognitive behavioural knowledge and skills in childhood or adolescence. To have an effective knowledge base of other modalities so as to engage and work with colleagues in other disciplines. To provide consultation, advice and guidance to colleagues, teams and external agencies, which is underpinned by highly specialist theoretical cognitive behavioural knowledge pertinent to childhood and adolescence, to promote effective multi-agency work. To contribute highly specialist knowledge to the process of managing risk within the multi-agency network. Undertake and oversee risk management as a senior clinician, offering consultation and advice to high-risk emergencies, contributing to the team's duty rota as appropriate and considering the protective and risk factors present in the network of significant relationships. To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children, young people and their families, and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both multi and uni disciplinary care. To effectively communicate professional opinions, verbally and in writing to other relevant professionals. To maintain current knowledge of the operation of video equipment and promote ethical and effective use in line with Trust Policy. Introduce the practice to children, young people and families in a sensitive manner, To engage with using routine outcome measures as clinically appropriate including their use in clinical practice and inputting data into clinical records. To work collaboratively with families and contribute to the Trust's and CYPMHS' service-user participation agenda. Teaching, Training and Supervision To provide highly specialised professional supervision (including live supervision, where necessary) to CBT practitioners, wellbeing practitioners and other professionals both within the service and in partner agencies. To provide supervision to professionals training in CBT and support them to meet the requirements of their training. To support training of other professionals and therapists, to familiarise them with cognitive behavioural models of practice, and to support them to apply core CBT skills in clinical practice. To offer CBT-focused supervision where appropriate. To develop CBT-related training opportunities within the teams and support the development of a bespoke cognitive behavioural training plan for staff based on best practice and the evidence base. Implementation of cognitive behavioural training across the service line to all staff groups that are delivered by the Trust. Work collaboratively with partner agencies within the principles of THRIVE. This will include joint working; clinical supervision; consultation; training and service development aiming to develop joint working across agencies and disseminate psychological practices. Management, Policy and Service Development Convene, attend and chair meetings as appropriate. Identify CBT-related priorities and initiatives within and across services and advise managers on the level of resources required for service development. Contribute to the service's evidence-based practice by utilising research skills and engaging with audits and evaluations as appropriate. To act as a senior clinician in interview processes and undertake selection and recruitment activities on behalf of the service e.g., shortlist, interview and assist in the induction of recruited staff. To manage the workload of CBT practitioners and, where appropriate, provide line management to psychological professionals. Provide specialist knowledge to a variety of disciplines to contribute to service development and primary care. To exercise responsibility for managing the CBT resources available to the service both in terms of delivery of psychotherapy and ensuring access to appropriate clinical materials. Take a clinical leadership role within the service and Trust, including taking responsibility for a section of service delivery delegated to them. Participate and contribute to the decision making within the Trust on specific areas of delegated responsibility. Contribute to service and Trust policy development as appropriate. Research and Service Evaluation To maintain up-to-date knowledge of the evidence base in relation to CBT and other related psychotherapies, with a focus on building expertise in children and young people's mental health To contribute to planning and implementing systems for evaluation and monitoring of therapeutic practice and outcomes of clinical work within the CYP MH service line To carry out research in order to contribute to knowledge within the clinical specialty or advance a particular service area. Undertake and participate in appropriate audit, quality assurance programmes and research. Continuing Professional Development To receive and engage in regular clinical supervision in accordance with Trust Clinical Governance Standards and the Code of Practice and ethical guidelines of BABCP (British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies). To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training BABCP requirements for CPD and accreditation. To contribute to the development of best practice in CBT by taking part in regular supervision and appraisal and maintaining awareness of current developments in the field. To maintain BABCP accreditation as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist. ## Person Specification ### Skills **Essential** - Ability to work within a culturally diverse community in a wide variety of contexts, including specialist skills for working in settings outside of the clinic - Advanced skills in the use of videotape and other multi-media materials suitable for presentations in public, professional and academic settings - Advanced skills in providing consultation to other professionals and non-professional groups - Ability to take full clinical responsibility for patient care and treatment, both as a case manager and within the context of a multidisciplinary team - Interpersonal skills of the highest level to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in order to convey complex and clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages and to a wide range of lay and professional people, within and outside the NHS - Ability to convey and to model sophisticated understanding of the BABCP standards of conduct, performance and ethics in all areas of professional conduct - Physical stamina to support a clinical caseload which requires intense concentration, whilst sitting with client groups, observing clients for prolonged periods. Also to maintain concentration and involvement in professional meetings. - Emotional stamina and the ability to respond constructively in highly stressful situations, where individuals hold very different perspectives, and there is a high level of distress, ambiguity and conflict - Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills, and to articulate the values added by cognitive behavioural psychotherapy to multidisciplinary work - Ability to organise and co-ordinate areas of work that are complex and demanding - Ability to identify and provide appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours **Desirable** - Information technology and management skills using word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software ### Knowledge **Essential** - Advanced knowledge and skills in using the complete range of models and approaches within cognitive behavioural therapy and practice as required to meet the needs of different patients and settings - Advanced level knowledge of the mental health needs of children and adolescents - Knowledge of research design and methodology consistent with cognitive behavioural practice - Knowledge of legislation and strategic frameworks and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management, in relation to the full range of client groups - Commitment to the continuous improvement of services using feedback from individual clients, families, user surveys, and clinical research - Knowledge of, and the ability to employ as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice **Desirable** - High level knowledge and/or training in other psychological therapies ### Experience **Essential** - Substantial post-qualification experience as a cognitive behaviour therapist, including multidisciplinary experience of working with children, adolescents, families and groups - Significant leadership experience - Experience working across different services - Experience of teaching and training cognitive behavioural psychotherapy in multiple contexts - Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity, including a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse **Desirable** - Experience of representing a team or the profession at a local level and Trust level - Experience of professional management of staff and/or managing budgets. - Experience in the field of children and young people’s mental health - Experience of providing line management - Substantial experience in relevant first profession or equivalent experience ### Qualifications **Essential** - Masters (MSc) in CBT - Core, professional/graduate qualification in a relevant field of mental health or social welfare e.g. nursing, social work, psychology and substantial post-qualification experience - Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - Up-to-date Professional Registration (to be maintained) – BABCP accreditation; meeting CPD requirements including short and long training events - Formal training in clinical supervision (CBT-specific training preferred) - BABCP Accredited Clinical Supervisor (or commitment to working towards this) **Desirable** - A relevant management qualification and/or training - Training in additional psychological therapies, complementary to CBT - Hold a recognised qualification in teaching ## Documents - [oh risk id (pdf, 496.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10477112) - [job description (pdf, 792.3kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10477111) - [employee benefits (pdf, 950.7kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2853) - [a great place to work (pdf, 2.1mb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=1400) - [your recruitment journey (pdf, 291.0kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2941) - [our people promise and charter (pdf, 5.8mb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2513) - [guidance for applicants: using ai to support your application (pdf, 92.7kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=3044) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.