Community practitioner - personality disorder | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local NHS trust is seeking a Community Practitioner to support patients with personality disorders. The role offers the opportunity to develop clinical skills in a supportive multi-disciplinary team and includes training in evidence-based treatment models. This is a fixed-term position of up to 12 months, ideal for professionals looking to enhance their expertise in mental health care. Benefits include generous pay and flexible working options.

Benefits

Generous pay and pensions package

Career development opportunities

NHS discounts

Wellbeing events

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Interest in developing skills with personality disorder patients.
• Training in Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) and Structured Clinical Management (SCM).
• Willingness to work individually and in groups with personality disordered patients.

Responsibilities

• Provide maternity leave cover and support patients with personality disorders.
• Lead and facilitate therapeutic groups for personality disordered patients.
• Develop clinical skills through training and supervision.

Skills

Commitment to working with personality disorder

Confidence in therapeutic group facilitation

Experience in a multi-disciplinary mental health team

Education

Relevant professional qualification (Nurse, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist)

Job description

The Croydon Personality Disorder Service, based at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, is looking to recruit a Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist or equivalent to the post of Community Practitioner- specialist in personality disorder. We are also open to Band 5 applicants with appropriate qualifications/experience (see JD & PS). This is to provide maternity leave cover, so is for a fixed term/secondment for 12 months, which may end on 1st October 2026, with a potential to extend. It would be an ideal opportunity for someone interested in working with patients with personality disorder/complex emotional needs and wishing to develop their skills in working with these patients. You will have worked in a multi-disciplinary mental health team. We are looking for staff with a commitment to working with people with personality disorder along with the confidence and skill to work effectively in therapeutic groups.

This is an exciting opportunity to learn a range of clinical skills working in therapeutic groups, and with personality disordered patients. You will be trained in using Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) skills level A, the Structured Clinical Management (SCM) model, and in the competencies required to facilitate SUN (Service User Network) groups, and become an accredited SUN group facilitator. You’ll also learn skills working individually with personality disordered patients, from an experienced and well-established team.

We provide specialist, evidence-based MBT, psychotherapeutic day hospital treatment for working-age people with moderate to severe personality disorder. We also run The Sun Project, a coping skills development and crisis support group 3 times a week in central Croydon to people with or without a diagnosis of personality disorder. You will work within our team of psychotherapists, doctors, specialist community practitioners, nurses and care co‑ordinators.

We offer a strong, supportive and cohesive team and this exciting post means that you get the opportunity to develop your clinical skills to attain accreditation from us in facilitation of appraisal based coping skills development groups (the SUN project), develop MBT skills in working with personality disordered patients, SCM skills and will participate in learning identified in your appraisal and personal development plan.

Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

Benefits

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part‑time working and job sharing.
• Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars.
• Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites.
• NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well‑known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Staff restaurants

We look forward to receiving your application.

Please note vacancy may be closed early once capacity has been met.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.

This advert closes on Monday 3 Nov 2025