Occupational Therapy Technician

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Walsall; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare provider in Walsall is seeking an Occupational Therapy Technician to join its Community Mental Health Team. The successful candidate will help support individuals with mental health issues through one-on-one and group interventions. This position requires good communication skills and an understanding of mental health. Benefits include access to wellness programs and training opportunities. Ideal for motivated individuals looking to make a difference in the community.

Benefits

Staff counseling

Mindfulness groups

Vivup services

Qualifications

• Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent.
• Understanding of mental health issues.
• Experience of working with mental illness.

Responsibilities

• Support recovery of service users through psychosocial interventions.
• Work with service users presenting highly complex mental health needs.
• Assist in the implementation of clinical care based on care plans.

Skills

Understanding of mental health issues

Experience of working with mental illness

Education

Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent

Job description

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Occupational Therapy Technician

The closing date is 01 January 2026

We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our community mental health team. We are looking for someone who has a passion for mental health and supporting people to achieve their goals and work towards their recovery. We are looking for someone who wishes to develop their skills and knowledge to support others. You will be part of a dynamic, supportive and diverse multi-disciplinary team.

This is a great opportunity to join a team of highly skilled staff working to make a difference in our community.

This is an exciting time to join our Black Country Healthcare Foundation Trust to be part of the Community Mental Health Transformation. We are looking for enthusiastic and committed individuals to join our Walsall North Community Mental Health Team.

Main duties of the job

You will be a caring and considerate person who has an enthusiasm for working in mental health. You will have an allocated caseload of patients who you will support through their recovery process. This will be through a combination of one to one and group work as part of your role. You will support them to learn new skills and how to manage day to day tasks through a number of interventions within the community.

You will be supported to develop your skills and knowledge in of mental health and the role of the Occupational Therapy Technician within the community mental health team. We currently have two Occupational Therapists within the team who you will directly be working with.

Within the team we have a robust Occupational Therapy leadership. You will have regular caseload supervision from an Occupational Therapist. We have regular opportunities to develop clinical and professional practice in line with service user needs and organisational values. We have a peer support group which you are encouraged to attend to develop your skills.

The team is committed to providing safe, sound and supportive services.

About us

As a trust we are committed to ensuring staff wellbeing, providing access to various networks, trust wide mindfulness groups, self-referral physio services, staff counselling. In addition to this you will have access to the Vivup services, Car lease schemes and other benefits.

Job responsibilities

To assist the support and recovery of service users within the Community Mental Health Team in order to provide a range of psychosocial interventions with service users which aim to improve a persons mental health in three main areas of self-care, productivity and leisure and also reduce their emotional distress.

The post holder will work predominantly with service users presenting highly complex mental health needs, and often displaying challenging behaviour including verbal aggression, that requires a high degree of sensitivity, tact and effective communication skills.

The post holder is generally guided by the CMHT operating Procedures however, qualified staff will be available for reference and advice.

• To undertake any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of this post in order to provide a quality service.

Under supervision and guidance of the Occupational Therapist the post holder will take responsibility for supporting a pre directed care plan for the service user, contributing to the implementation of clinical care and providing feedback on progress of the service user.

The post holder will take responsibility for safe use of all equipment and will be expected to support the service user in practical activities which may include domestic work, relaxation and daily living tasks. These may be one off sessions or ongoing programmes, sometimes requiring the post holder to exert light physical effort.

Undertaking individual therapeutic activities with clients to promote independence and wellbeing, sometimes requiring tact and persuasion or where there may be barriers to understanding. Assessing clients responses to activities and amending programmes of activity where necessary, making judgements on when to elevate clinical issues to the Occupational Therapist.

To work collaboratively with multidisciplinary team members/service provider in the provision of supporting the service user. To effectively communicate and highlight any clinical risks and report this to the multidisciplinary team in a proficient and timely fashion and if necessary contribute to ongoing risk reduction and management.

To gather information from the service user/carer as part of the care plan process and activities identified within it, communicating effectively with clients where there are barriers to understanding and where clients are highly emotive or distresses and often presenting challenging behaviour.

To ensure all written and electronic work is accurate and kept up to date e.g. patient notes and contacts on Rio, in accordance with professional and Trust standards.

To effectively use clinical supervision to discuss and reflect on own practice.

To maintain and demonstrate up-to-date knowledge of national guidelines, standards, legislation and professional developments in current methods in the treatment of service conditions.

To ensure all Trust policies and procedures are implemented and adhered to within area of practice and making suggestions for changes to working practices within the CMHT.

To participate in own Personal Development Conversation by completing preparation documentation and actively participating in the appraisal process.

To actively engage in and maintain the organisations standards of clinical governance including participation in audits, clinical supervision and research into clinical practice.

Undertake relevant activities to meet training objectives and maintain up to date mandatory training.

To undertake own continual professional development by demonstrating an ongoing reflective learning style in the workplace. This should be clearly and regularly documented in a personal portfolio.

Person Specification

• Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent
• Understanding of mental health issues
• Experience of working with mental illness

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.

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust