Job overview
We are pleased to offer a full time, permanent, band 7 Specialist DBT Therapist post in our Southwark Service. This post offers the opportunity to join a friendly team of committed clinicians and to work with complex presentations and includes the management of risk, personality difficulties, complex trauma, mental health and social inequalities.
An important part of the role is supporting CMHT colleague in the work they do with clients with Borderline Personality Disorder who may present with high risk and interpersonal challenges. This is an ideal post to apply these skills as well as to provide training and education to care coordinators and teams.
The DBT service delivers the full DBT programme, consisting of weekly individual therapeutic work, group sessions, phone consultation as indicated, and weekly DBT team consultation.
A commitment to considering the impact of a client’s cultural context is essential working in Southwark. We welcome applicants with experience in working with a diverse population and a desire to reach out to under-represented groups.
Main duties of the job
- To offer 1:1 DBT therapy to clients from the Southwark DBT WL and to co-facilitate skills training groups.
- To provide additional DBT skills groups as per service need (DBT-S or a waiting list group)
- To offer regular consultation to teams eg CMHTs offering DBT understandings of BPD and enhancing the skills of the teams in these spaces.
- To offer planned training and education to care coordinators and teams in DBT.
- To attend and contribute to the weekly DBT Consult space (Wednesday’s 2.30pm – 5pm).
- To contribute to the efficient running of the service in use of the systems and processes in place.
- To help contribute to the development of the service to perform at its maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To provide a specialist Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) service to clients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and comorbid difficulties associated with underlying emotional dysregulation. The job will entail delivering comprehensive DBT (individual DBT sessions, DBT skills training [group sessions], DBT telephone coaching and attending weekly DBT Team Consult meetings), planning and delivering DBT-S groups within the community teams, conducting specialist assessments and comprehensive monitoring of clinical outcomes. The job will also require the post holder to offer consultation to other professionals and teams as appropriate, and plan and deliver training or teaching as needed. The post holder will also be required to contribute to service evaluation, audit and research.
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information. (A/I/R)
- To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews. (A/I/R)
- To plan allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists. (A/I/R)
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials. (A/I/R)
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data. (A/I/R)
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of evidence based interventions for emotional dysregulation and high risk presentations, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy principles. (A/I/R)
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the DBT (A/I/R)
- Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics. (A/I/R)
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities. (A/I/R)
- Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis. (A/I/R)
Desirable
- Experience with adapting interventions for neurodiverse clients.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature including Borderline Personality Disorder and/or Emotion Dysregulation. (A/I)
- Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs. (A/I)
- 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. (A/I)
- Experience of developing and carrying out research projects. (A/I)
Desirable
- Experience of delivering comprehensive DBT (A/I)
- Experience of delivering Group Skills Training
- Experience of working with adult clients with a range of difficulties using CBT principles/skills (A/I/E)
- The DBT Service and the Trust as a whole encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.
- Working with CMHT Teams and providing crisis support
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; or Counselling psychologist: MSc and PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology; that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. (A/I)
- Accredited with SfDBT/LBC (or if not yet accredited, must become SfDBT accredited within 2 years to remain in post, by completing relevant training and/or additional accreditation tasks) (A/I)
Desirable
- Intensively trained in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy / PGDip in DBT
- Training in other models/interventions related to DBT including CBT, DBT-PE / DBT-PTSD and Family Connections.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Practitioner Psychologist & Psychological Therapist with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Nurse practitioner role. The advertised salary is £58,133 - £65,261 per annum incl. of HCAs (inner). The contract type is 12 months (12 months fixed-term). The application deadline is 08 Jul 2026.
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