Senior Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Our Adults Community Mental Health teams in Thurrock, Brentwood and Basildon are looking for an enthusiastic Band 6 Senior Occupational Therapist to join our friendly and supportive service. You will play a key role in delivering high‑quality, recovery‑focused care for adults with complex mental health needs, working within a multidisciplinary environment that values collaboration, compassion and professional growth. Regular supervision, peer support and opportunities for ongoing development are built into the role.

As a senior clinician, you will manage a complex and varied caseload, providing evidence‑based occupational therapy through both one‑to‑one and group interventions. You will contribute to risk assessment and treatment planning, while also offering supervision and guidance to junior staff and students. We are looking for someone confident, motivated and passionate about mental health practice, with the skills to work autonomously while contributing positively to team culture and service development.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will assess and identify the patient’s needs, completing holistic evaluations and utilising specialist assessments when working with complex presentations. They will make informed decisions about the level and type of intervention required, undertaking detailed treatment planning and clearly communicating and negotiating these plans with patients and their carers.  The role involves sharing agreed treatment and care plans with multidisciplinary colleagues and partner agencies, contributing effectively to both formal and informal meetings. Working collaboratively with others, the successful candidate will also support activities of daily living assessments  while maintaining high standards of clinical reasoning and professional practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a Senior Occupational Therapist within the Adults Community Mental Health Service, the successful applicant will evaluate patients referred for occupational therapy, utilising specialist assessments where required and applying sound clinical reasoning to determine the most appropriate level and setting for intervention. They will plan and deliver a range of individual and group treatment plans, communicating and negotiating treatment plans with patients and carers while incorporating robust safety planning. The role involves making clinically informed decisions when delegating aspects of intervention to assistants, junior staff, students, carers and partner agencies. The successful candidate will maintain accurate and up‑to‑date clinical records in line with professional and local standards, and provide clear written and verbal reports at all stages of the treatment process.