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Job overview
Lambeth Secondary Care Psychological Therapies (SCPT) is looking to recruit a band 6 (MBT trainee) or band 7 (MBT accredited) clinician, dependent on MBT accreditation. Please make it clear which band you would like to be considered for.
SCPT is an innovative, dynamic service offering a stepped care pathway. They offer a range of modalities, including MBT, DBT, psychodynamic therapy, CAT, and trauma focussed therapy, working with personality difficulties, complex trauma and other complex emotional needs. The Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) programme is part of Lambeth’s pathway for complex emotional and relational needs and part of its stepped care model. Support for MBT in the wider organisation is excellent with Trust wide special interest groups and strong links to the Anna Freud Centre. This is a great opportunity for a clinician who has completed MBT training.
In addition to this post being open for qualified MBT practitioners, a suitable candidate might be an experienced community mental health clinician wishing to move into a psychological therapy post. Equally, this post might be suitable for a psychologist or psychotherapist who wishes to enhance their psychological training / experience, specifically in the field of MBT. If applying for the latter, the post will be a band 6 post with the expectation that training will be undertaken when this becomes available.
Main duties of the job
- To deliver as part of a team a specialist Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) service to individuals and groups of people with personality disorder / complex emotional and relational difficulties. This includes specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation, and monitoring of outcomes.
- To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
- To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate.
- To promote service evaluation, audit, and research.
- To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions with support of clinical supervisor.
- To be active in the provision of staff support within area, including but not limited to Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- If not already in possession, post holders will be expected to work towards gaining MBT practitioner status through training funded as part of the post.
- The post holder will provide individual and group MBT, conduct assessments, complete MBT formulations / relational passports, co-facilitate psychoeducational groups, will organise, and participate in regular MBT clinical reviews and offer a bank of MBT follow-up sessions. The post holder will also be expected to take an active part in the MBT team timetable of clinical and supervision meetings.
- To provide expertise in a specialist clinical area for the psychological needs of those experiencing complex needs and multiple disadvantage (incl. homelessness).
- To provide specialist assessment and clinical formulation to clients with a wide range of mental health needs, including complex trauma, personality disorder, anxiety and depression, addictions, learning difficulties and psychosis.
- To select, administer and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests, involving skilled manipulation of test materials and high-level analysis of findings from the assessments.
- To select and deliver evidence-based specialist psychological treatments, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical options.
- To advise other team members and partner services on specialist psychological care of clients.
Teaching, training, and supervision
- To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist or psychotherapist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
- To provide specialist training in psychological and trauma-informed approaches to care for other professionals as appropriate, particularly to third sector staff, peer support workers, project MDT within the Housing First project team.
- To provide clinical supervision for psychological work undertaken by assistant psychologists, placement students, trainee psychologists and the MDT team as appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To identify any aspects of the service which could be improved and contribute to the service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
- To manage own workload and the agreed workload of junior staff, as required, under supervision from a more senior psychologist.
- To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the Directorate clinical governance committee and team.
Research and service evaluation
- To lead, support and/or participate in service evaluation, including gathering and analysing output and outcome data, as required.
- To carry out appropriate research to improve the quality of care and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service.
General Responsibilities
- To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with HCPC, BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.
A full Job Description and Person Specification is attached to the advert.
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- Practitioner skills in MBT or readiness to undergo and complete MBT training under supervision
- To conduct specialist assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
- To plan and schedule assessments and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers (and for meetings such as case reviews where appropriate).
- To administrator of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials)
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
Knowledge
Essential
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for Mentalization Based Treatment
- Knowledge of the theory of psychological therapy and it’s therapeutic application. Associated awareness of assessment and clinical psychometrics
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care
- To deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic therapy across cultural and other differences
Experience
Essential
- Experience of assessment and intervention with adults with a range of complex emotional and relational needs associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder.
- Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs.
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
- Experience of developing and carrying out audit/research projects
- Significant post-qualification/graduation experience including experience of individual and group therapy with people with complex mental health needs
Desirable
- Experience of providing supervision to junior colleagues.
Qualifications
Essential
- You will be either: A. Registered with Anna Freud Centre (AFC) as an MBT practitioner (band 7) B. Ready to undergo AFC MBT training to achieve this (training provided and paid for through the Trust). (band 6 rising to band 7 upon accreditation) (A/I) You will have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions, e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical/counselling psychology, psychotherapy, social work and occupational therapy (see below) OR to have equivalent relevant experience and demonstrable competence to work in the mental health field in the NHS. For Psychologists: · Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. (A/I) (for a job requiring specific professional qualification(s), change this point to specify the required qualification(s): Clinical psychologist: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; Counselling psychologist: MSc and PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology; Forensic psychologist: MSc in Forensic Psychology plus completion of the British Psychological Society’s Qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2) For Family / Systemic Psychotherapists: Post-graduate qualification in relevant mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (A/I) PLUS Masters level qualification in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy or equivalent qualification, accredited by UKCP (A/I) For Psychotherapists: Entry-level qualification in Psychotherapy that has been accepted by the APC/BPC/ACAT/UKCP/BACP/BABCP (specify which, according to nature of post) for purposes of professional registration For Arts Therapists: Masters Degree (or equivalent) in Arts Therapy or Dance Movement Therapy. (or specify Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Dramatherapy or Dance Movement Therapy)
- Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) Practitioner with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Nurse practitioner role. The advertised salary is £47,951 -£56,863 or £58,133 -£66,274. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 23 Jul 2026.
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