MBT Therapist

NHS; City Of London; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in London is seeking a registered Mental Health Professional for the role of MBT Therapist. This role involves providing psychological treatment and ensuring high standards of patient care. Applicants should have relevant qualifications and experience in mental health and be committed to effective teamwork. The position offers a salary range of £56,276 to £63,176 per annum, along with a variety of professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working

Career development opportunities

Training funding

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Professional with appropriate qualifications.
• Experience of working with adults with mental health problems.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practices and clinical governance.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessments of clients referred based on complex data.
• Formulate and implement plans for psychological treatment.
• Manage an individual caseload that includes individual and group-based therapy.
• Contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care.

Skills

Complex assessments

Risk assessment

Therapeutic interventions

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Crisis intervention

Education

Post graduate qualification in psychotherapeutic training

Core Mental Health Profession registration

Job description

Go back South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

MBT Therapist

The closing date is 14 October 2025

We are seeking a registered Mental Health Professional to join our team as a MBT Therapist. Complex Needs Team delivers psychological treatment and a care programme approach (CPA) for people who meet criteria for Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) within Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) or Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT). We are a friendly, warm multi-disciplinary team who are passionate about working with people to reduce distress.

There is earmarked funding for training for the post holder. If a core mental health professional without assessed psychotherapeutic training and/or MBT training and experience wishes to apply, they can be appointed at Band 6 whilst they do their MBT training and supervised experience.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work alongside senior clinicians of the service to ensure that the treatment programme is delivered, monitored and evaluated, including group work as required. The post holder is expected:

• To be committed to effective team working and to the coherent delivery of treatment models, Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT)
• To promote a high standard of patient care.
• To work within the Trust's CPA policy and the standards set out in the Community Operational Policy and PD Pathway. To provide out of hours work as and when required.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist assessments of clients referred based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources, as required including, as appropriate, psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care where necessary.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems), based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic interventions employed individually and in synthesis, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining formulations or understandings, drawing upon different explanatory models and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of efficacy.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options in line with the theoretical and therapeutic models and the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.

To manage an individual case load that includes individual and group-based therapy

To provide specialist clinical advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan, drawing on expertise in MBT.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other services across service lines on specialist risk assessment and risk management for this client group.

To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care. To prepare reports for, attend and contribute to CPA meetings. To be responsible for the flexible management of a defined caseload designed to meet the individual needs of the client and the carers within the trusts CPA policy and Mental Health Act frameworks.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress.

To ensure effective communication and share relevant information as required.

To implement and/or participate in crisis intervention measures with the client/family or in conjunction with other agencies.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Core Mental Health Profession registered with an appropriate professional body (e.g., NMC, UKCP, HCPC) OR Clinical Associate in Psychology who has completed a BPS accredited CAP training and who is eligible for registration on the BPS Wider Psychological Workforce register
• Post graduate qualification that includes supervised and assessed psychotherapeutic training OR Formal training MBT (basic and certificate training) with 2 years of supervised experience* -monthly external and weekly internal MBT supervision (as outlined in service), worked with 4 individuals and 1 group for at least 24 sessions. Having completed both MBT Intro and Advance Practitioner - a least 6 months apart.
• *Please note - If core mental health professional without assessed psychotherapeutic training and/or MBT training wishes to apply, they can be appointed at Band 6 whilst they do their MBT training and supervised experience as an MBT Therapist.
• Post registration qualification in group work
• Accreditation or working towards accreditation in MBT or DBT.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working with adults with mental health problems in a variety of community settings
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
• Experience of inter-agency working
• Experience of working with clients with a diagnosis of personality disorder
• Experience of the use of a variety of therapeutic tools
• Experience and skills in risk assessment and management
• Experience of considering the management of psychopharmacology in partnership with senior medical colleagues

Skills & Knowledge

• Good knowledge of Risk Assessment procedures and skills to make significant clinical decisions based on this knowledge.
• Ability to undertake complex assessments and develop comprehensive clinical formulations
• Ability to reflect on personal experience. Demonstrates capacity and willingness to use clinical supervision.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice, clinical governance and related knowledge for research and audit.
• Good knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to relevant fields.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Ability to consider differences and equalities both in therapy and professional relationships.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Salary: £56,276 to £63,176 a year per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAS