Specialist DBT Therapist

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

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical

• To deliver comprehensive DBT, including individual DBT sessions, skills training (group and individual), and out-of-hours DBT telephone coaching. This work will also include delivering Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE) for trauma, for clients with comorbid PTSD if training for this has been successfully completed.
• To provide specialist assessment and clinical formulation to clients with significant difficulties with emotional and behavioural dysregulation, particularly clients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)/complex emotional needs, who engage in suicidal and parasuicidal behaviour and have co-morbid difficulties (e.g. substance misuse, eating difficulties, anger control problems).
• To deliver and to design adjunctive therapy groups, (e.g. DBT-Skills Only, Family Connections, Managing Emotions, Waiting List group), as appropriate, monitoring outcomes and modifying and adapting interventions, drawing on principles and skills from DBT/CBT.
• To work as an autonomous professional in line with your regulatory body and the policies and procedures of the Trust, and both the wider and local DBT Service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions, under guidance from both DBT Consult and individual DBT supervision.
• To attend and contribute fully to the weekly DBT Consult team meetings. To work as an effective team member (being non-defensive, willing, fallible, open, supportive of others etc.)
• To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients, to develop and review treatment plans and care plans.
• To assess and monitor risk regularly in sessions and draw up appropriate risk management plans/DBT Crisis Plans and adapt these plans accordingly, particularly for clients with multiple services involved.
• To be responsible for delivering DBT-informed psychological interventions with carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients, including offering 'Family Connections' groups when appropriate.
• To support DBT clients' care coordinators in the community teams and offer consultation to other team members with queries in relation to DBT service provision.
• To advise other members of the DBT Service, the CEN pathway, the wider borough community services (Lewisham, Croydon and Lambeth), and appropriate other services (e.g. PCMHTs, local CAMHS services, acute wards) on specialist psychological care of clients with BPD/complex emotional needs and related difficulties. To communicate complex and sensitive information skilfully, compassionately and thoughtfully to clients and carers, taking account of any sensory and cultural barriers to communication in line with clients' wishes.

Teaching training, and supervision

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior member of the DBT Service, according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
• To attend and participate fully in the DBT Consult team meetings on a weekly basis.
• To provide specialist training in DBT-informed ways of working with complex/emotionally and behaviourally dysregulated clients, to other professions as appropriate.
• To provide consultation and support for DBT-informed work undertaken by Band 6 community team members, or assistant psychologists linked to the DBT Service.
• To provide supervision for the DBT-informed work of other multi-disciplinary staff 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 agreed workload of assistant psychologists, as required, under supervision from the Band 8a or a more senior DBT clinician.
• To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services:
• To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the Directorate clinical governance committee and team.

Research and service evaluation

• To contribute to the development of the DBT Service through undertaking service evaluation and audit.
• To contribute to the development of systematic outcome measurement, assessment, implementation and assisting other staff in the implementation of same.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

General Responsibilities

• To maintain accreditation with SfDBT or LBC.
• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with Trust Continuing Personal and Professional Development Plan requirements.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in DBT and in professional and clinical practice, and of relevant legislation and policies.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
• To comply with your regulator’s Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct, ensuring you meet the requirements to maintain your professional registration.
• To ensure that all services provided are acceptable and accessible to the diverse communities which make up the Treatment Service in Southwark.