Band 6 Specialist Practitioner and Group Facilitator - BNSSG Sequoia

Avon And Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Nhs Trust; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional mental health service provider in England is looking for a Band 6 Specialist Practitioner and Group Facilitator. This role involves delivering group interventions to support adults with emotional needs and personality difficulties. The position requires strong facilitation skills for DBT and MBT groups and involves working closely with service users to enhance their emotional management and recovery goals. Competitive support and supervision structures are in place to assist during challenging interactions within a community-focused environment.

Benefits

Ongoing CPD opportunities

Robust supervision

Social engagement with colleagues

Qualifications

• Experience in delivering Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Mentalisation-Based Treatment groups.
• Ability to assess referrals and determine service suitability.
• Experience in clinical leadership and mentoring within a team.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate DBT and MBT informed groups, adapting content as needed.
• Support delivery of psychoeducation and peer support courses.
• Assess referrals and plan with service users for safe discharge.
• Contribute to crisis planning and safeguarding efforts.

Skills

Facilitation of DBT and MBT groups

Clinical leadership

Crisis planning

Mentoring

Job description

Overview

Sequoia is a specialist NHS-commissioned service, co-delivered by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) and Rethink Mental Illness, supporting adults with mild-moderate complex emotional needs (CEN) and personality difficulties across the BNSSG area. Rooted in lived experience and recovery principles, the service provides evidence-based group interventions including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed groups, Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT)-informed groups, psychoeducation courses, and peer support programmes. As a Band 6 Specialist Practitioner and Group Facilitator, you will either deliver DBTi or MBTi groups, enabling service users to manage emotional intensity, build resilience, and achieve recovery goals. You will work collaboratively with NHS teams, voluntary and community partners, and service users to promote wellness, safety, and inclusion. This role is offered at four days per week, with potential to increase to full-time (37.5 hours). Most service-user facing work runs 9:00am-5:00pm, though some evening sessions are required, so flexibility to work one evening weekly is essential. Delivery blends in-person work across community bases in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire with online interventions, typically facilitated from home. Recognising the emotional impact of this work, we provide robust supervision (individual and team-based), ongoing CPD opportunities, and regular chances to connect socially with colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate either DBT and MBT informed groups, adapting content to meet service user needs.
• Support delivery of psychoeducation and peer support courses.
• Assess referrals, determine service suitability, and plan reviews and next steps with service users.
• Support safe discharge back to GP care following programme completion.
• Contribute to crisis planning, safeguarding, and protective interventions.
• Provide clinical leadership, mentoring, and supervision within the team for our Rethink colleagues.
• Work as part of the duty team dealing with ad hoc situations that arise.
• Maintain accurate records and meet reporting requirements.
• Participate in service development, supervision, and training.

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care. AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services. At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.