DBT Specialist Therapist

Job overview

We are seeking a registered Mental Health Professional with a particular interest in working with clients who meet criteria consistent with a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder to join our team as a DBT practitioner. There is earmarked funding for training for the post holder. If a core mental health professional without DBT training and experience wishes to apply, they can be appointed at Band 6 whilst they do their DBT training and supervised experience (approx. 2 years).

This service forms part of our clearly defined complex emotional needs (CEN) pathway that includes other interventions such as Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT), Structured Clinical Management (SCM) and DBT skills only groups. The CEN pathway within this Trust provides treatment options within generic CMHT/RST/IRH’s and specific complex needs teams. This post is located within a complex needs team that provides DBT and MBT to residents of the Kingston and Richmond boroughs.

This post will be based at Tolworth Hospital in Surbiton close to several shops and with good transport links close to the A3, and a bus ride away from Surbiton station, which has fast connections to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.

Main duties of the job

To work as a core member of the community specialist complex emotional needs service, Kingston complex needs pathway. The post holder will work alongside senior clinicians of the service to ensure that the treatment programme is delivered, monitored and evaluated, including group work as required. The post holder is expected:

• To be committed to effective team working and to the coherent delivery of the treatment model which is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
• To promote a high standard of patient care.
• To work within the Trust policy and the standards set out in the Community Operational Policy and personality disorder pathway. To provide out of hours work as and when required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide specialist assessments of clients referred based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources, as required including, as appropriate, psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care where necessary.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems), based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic interventions employed individually and in synthesis, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining formulations or understandings, drawing upon different explanatory models and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of efficacy.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options in line with the theoretical and therapeutic models and the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.

To manage an individual case load that includes individual and group-based therapy

To provide specialist clinical advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan, drawing on expertise in MBT and/or DBT.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other services across service lines on specialist risk assessment and risk management for this client group.

To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care. To prepare reports for, attend and contribute to CPA meetings. To be responsible for the flexible management of a defined caseload designed to meet the individual needs of the client and the carers within the trusts CPA policy and Mental Health Act frameworks.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.

Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.