Senior Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist

Job overview

We are excited to offer an opportunity for an experienced and innovative Senior Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist to join the Leeds Liaison Psychiatry Outpatient Service. In this role, you will provide specialist psychological therapy to service users across our Outpatient Service, the National Inpatient Centre for Psychological Medicine (NICPM), and a 2-year community pilot connecting both services. This position offers the chance to work with complex and varied presentations, develop innovative approaches, and contribute to integrated care pathways across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.

The postholder will primarily work within the Leeds Liaison Psychiatry Outpatient Service. This is a well-established service and is one of the largest liaison psychiatry services in the UK. The service works with service users who present with complex persistent physical symptoms and long-term conditions. The Liaison Psychiatry Outpatient Service focus is upon the biopsychosocial model and treatment by the multidisciplinary team.

The National Inpatient Centre for Psychological Medicine (NICPM) provides specialist, multidisciplinary care for service users with complex psychological and physical health needs, including trauma-focused and cognitive behavioural interventions to support recovery and improve functioning.

Main duties of the job

The Liaison Psychiatry Outpatient Service, in conjunction with the NICPM, is currently running a 2-year pilot allowing service users under the care of Outpatients and/or NICPM to receive treatment and therapy in the community. This approach aims to provide continuity of care, reduce length of stay, facilitate early discharge, and prevent unnecessary admissions.

As an integral member of the team, the postholder will provide specialist cognitive behavioural therapy to service users in the Outpatient Service, the community, and the NICPM. Trauma-focused therapy is a key intervention across all settings, with strong multidisciplinary support for working with people with complex trauma. The 2-year pilot offers opportunities to work in innovative ways and gain experience with complex and unusual presentations. Working alongside the consultant psychiatrist, psychotherapists also guide and supervise the team in psychological interventions, ensuring continuity of progress throughout the service user’s journey.

In return, we offer a comprehensive induction, robust support structures, regular management and clinical supervision, and a strong focus on leadership and professional development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide specialist cognitive behavioural assessments, formulation and treatment to service users experiencing concurrent physical and psychological problems within a ward-based setting, the community and the outpatient service
• To work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) consisting of Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Professionals, to provide joint treatment for service users in a specialist inpatient and outpatient setting.
• To lead the psychological aspects of the formulation and treatment of patients within NICPM and the outpatient service, (alongside the MDT), and contribute to the overall biopsychosocial formulation.
• To liaise with the heads of psychological services across the West Yorkshire footprint to establish a service users previous therapy and to organise continuation of psychological therapy after discharge from Liaison Psychiatry
• The post holder will be a member of the Liaison Psychiatry CBT team and is required to work closely with CBT colleagues in providing CBT services to the wider department.  This will include regular meetings to plan and develop the delivery of the service including clinical, supervisory, and teaching responsibilities.

• The Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist will work as an autonomous clinician providing specialist cognitive behavioural assessments, formulation and treatment to service users experiencing concurrent physical and psychological problems within a ward-based setting, the community and an outpatient service.
• They will provide trauma-focussed therapies (trauma-focussed CBT or EMDR) when clinically indicated.
• The post holder will provide supervision, consultation, and advice to staff within the ward and wider Leeds Liaison Psychiatry service. There will also be scope to assist in the delivery of specialist training to other professional groups.
• To take an active role in the development and implementation of the 2-year pilot taking a lead where needed
• To offer psychological therapies to service users in their own home/community setting when indicated