Specialist Practitioner (Psychology, Nursing, OT, Art Therapy)

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and motivated MBT Specialist Practitioner to join a reflective, multidisciplinary service working with adults presenting with complex emotional and relational difficulties.

You will deliver Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) informed individual and group interventions, undertaking assessment, formulation, and collaborative treatment planning. The role involves working thoughtfully with risk, supporting service users to improve emotional regulation, relational understanding, and reflective functioning.

You will join a supportive team that values high-quality clinical practice, supervision, and professional development. There will be opportunities to contribute to service development, training, and the ongoing strengthening of an MBT culture within the Trust.

This post is well suited to a clinician who is confident working with complexity, maintains a strong mentalizing stance under pressure, and is committed to compassionate, evidence-based care.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will join a dynamic, creative, and skilled multidisciplinary team. The Barnet CEN Pathway aims to deliver high‑quality clinical interventions within a trauma‑informed framework, and the post holder will have the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development and growth of psychological treatment pathways for people with complex emotional needs.

The Barnet CEN Pathway currently offers Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Structured Clinical Management (SCM), and Mentalization‑Based Treatment (MBT). The role provides ongoing training and professional development opportunities, including training within the MBT model. The service works closely with the Anna Freud Centre, and training opportunities can be provided as part of the role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To deliver individual and group psychological interventions, under supervision, in accordance with the Mentalization‑Based Treatment (MBT) model.
• To demonstrate explicit application of the MBT framework across all clinical work, including case supervision, clinical meetings, and reflective practice groups.
• To undertake comprehensive psychological assessments for clients referred to the service.
• To formulate, implement, and review plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of clients’ mental health difficulties, drawing on appropriate conceptual frameworks and evidence‑based interventions across a range of care settings.
• To implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups, working both independently and collaboratively across teams. This includes adapting and refining formulations by drawing on multiple explanatory models and maintaining provisional hypotheses.
• To evaluate and make informed decisions regarding treatment options, taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models alongside complex historical, developmental, and contextual factors affecting individuals, families, or groups.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the psychological assessment, treatment, and discharge of clients managed under psychologically informed care plans.
• To provide specialist psychological advice, consultation, and guidance to other professionals contributing to clients’ formulation, diagnosis, and treatment planning.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically informed framework of understanding and care across all settings and partner agencies serving the client group.
• To undertake and oversee risk assessment and risk management for individual clients, and to provide consultation to other professionals regarding psychological aspects of risk.