NHS Talking Therapies Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

Transformation Unit; Cheltenham; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave

Training opportunities

NHS pension

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (Band 5) to join our Talking Therapies service. The role focuses on delivering low-intensity interventions, mainly by telephone and in groups, with some face-to-face work, to adults with common mental health problems.

You will work within a supportive team, receive regular supervision, and have access to bespoke CPD training to support your career development. Pro rata salary applies.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree standard enabling psychological mindedness.
• PWP Certificate in Low Intensity Psychological Interventions.
• Has completed the LTC IAPT top up training.
• IAPT supervisor training (Desirable).

Responsibilities

• Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.
• Assess and support people with a common mental health problem in self-management of recovery.
• Deliver LI treatments, primarily on the telephone and in groups, with some face to face work.
• Undertakes patient-centred interviews identifying areas for change or recovery and assesses risk to self and others.
• Make decisions on suitability of new referrals and refer to appropriate services or up-treat as needed.
• Provide information and support for evidence-based high volume low-intensity psychological treatments (e.g., guided self-help, computerized CBT).
• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary.
• Attend multi-disciplinary meetings and complete data collection requirements.

Skills

LI treatments delivery

Telephone-based therapy

Group sessions

Risk assessment

Clinical interviews

Care planning

Education

Degree in psychology or related

PWP Certificate in Low Intensity

LTC IAPT top up training

IAPT supervisor training

Job description

Main area Allied Health Professions Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Part Time hours considered) Job ref 327-26-782

Employer Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Countywide Town Cheltenham , Gloucester, Stroud Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 30/10/2026 23:59

NHS Talking Therapies Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

Band 5

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking 'what matters to you '.

We're passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Are you a qualified PWP and looking for a new challenge in a well established service, that prides itself in the quality of the therapy we provide to our clients and of the support and opportunities we offer to our staff. We have access to Bespoke CPD training and offer regular supervision to our staff to ensure you are valued and supported in your career development.

Our NHS Talking Therapies teams include a Clinical Leads, Operational Leads, Psychological Therapists, Lead Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and Assistant Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners. We also train significant numbers of trainee therapists.

We offer flexible working and encourage a blend of home and base working for our PWP's

We can offer contracts on either our Trust Bank or contracted hours from 22.5 hours a week up to 37.5 hours.

Main duties of the job

• Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.
• Assess and supports people with a common mental health problem in the self-management of their recovery.
• Deliver LI treatments, primarily on the telephone and in groups, with some face to face work.
• Undertakes patient – centred interviews which identifies areas where the person wishes to see change and or recovery and makes an accurate assessment of risk to self and others.
• Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department’s referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary or steps-ups the person’s treatment to high intensity.
• Provide a range of information and support for evidence based high volume low – intensity psychological treatments. This may include guided self – help computerised CBT, information about pharmacological treatments. This work may be on the telephone, via other media or face to face.
• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary.
• Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.
• Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.
• Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live. Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care. So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Please note your BABCP accreditation status in your application.

Interviews will be held in Cheltenham in person.

During the probation period the successful candidate will be expected to work daily from the office base. Partial remote working will only be considered after the initial induction and probation period. The position is office based with some flexibility to work remote.

Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.

• Educated to degree standard in a subject enabling the post holder to demonstrate psychological mindedness, e.g. Psychology, social sciences or health. or Equivalent level gained through prior relevant experience and accredited courses.
• Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) Certificate in Low Intensity Psychological Interventions
• Has completed the LTC IAPT top up training
• Has completed the IAPT supervisor training Desirable Application

Experience

• Evidence of working therapeutically with people who have experienced a mental health problem
• Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care.
• Experience of facilitating psycho-educational groups.

Professional

• To be ‘registered’ as a PWP with the BABCP or BPS
• Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post.

PERSONAL SKILLS ABILITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

• Demonstrates high standards in written communication.

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Good luck with your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.