Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

NHS; North East; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent mental health service provider in the North East of England seeks an experienced mental health professional to provide assessments and cognitive behaviour therapy for individuals in the community. The role requires engagement with service users and collaboration with various healthcare partners. Successful applicants will possess a PWP qualification and experience in managing mental health issues. This full-time position offers a salary of £31,049 to £37,796 per year, on a fixed-term contract basis.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Support for pursuing research agendas

Qualifications

• Experience of working with people with common mental health problems in an IAPT setting.
• Ability to implement NICE guidance for Step 2 interventions for mental health problems.
• Understanding of anxiety and depressive disorders.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessments and interventions for mental health needs.
• Work alongside psychological colleagues and partner organizations.
• Attend weekly supervision for professional development.

Skills

Computer skills

Excellent verbal communication

Ability to develop therapeutic relationships

Ability to work under pressure

Utilise psychometric tests

Effective planning and organisation

Education

PWP qualification from accredited program

BABCP or BPS accreditation as PWP

Job description

Overview

Durham Tees Valley Mental Health Treatment Requirement (DTV MHTR) is one of three community sentence treatment requirements available for individuals considered for a community or suspended sentence. DTV MHTR currently covers County Durham and Teesside, offering a service into Durham Crown Court, Teesside Magistrates and Crown Courts, Peterlee Magistrates Court, Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court and the Intensive Supervision Court at Teesside Crown Court. The service is aimed at adults currently going through the Criminal Justice System who have pled or been found guilty, whose offence meets the threshold for a community sentence, and who have consented to engage (our service is voluntary). As part of a team, with compassion you will actively work to support service users to improve mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

Main duties

The main focus of the role will be to provide assessment and subsequent intervention for up to 12 sessions. Primarily the model adopted will be cognitive behaviour therapy based to address primary care mental health needs such as anxiety and depression.

You will be led by a psychologist who operationally and clinically leads the service. You will work alongside psychological colleagues as well as partner organisations such as probation, the courts and other healthcare providers to ensure the aims and objectives of the service are met. There will be weekly supervision for the post holder and there are other supervision forums and support in place for learning and development.

The role covers the courts in Durham and Teesside. There is a considerable amount of travel required in the post.

We offer a wide range of professional development opportunities and training and encourage individuals to further develop their own clinical skills and experience. We also have a large research agenda within the Forensic Service and encourage individuals to pursue this.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby. We work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for. We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help, and we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health. We are committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region and connect with communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

Details

Date posted: 18 September 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for Change

Band: Band 5

Salary: £31,049 to £37,796 per year

Contract: Fixed term

Duration: 12 months

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 346-FMH-090-25-A

Job locations: Sniperley House, Lanchester Road Hospital, Durham, DH1 5RD

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for detailed role criteria and application requirements. Applicants must have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis. If permanent funding is secured for this post, the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• PWP qualification from a British Psychological Society accredited PWP programme or apprenticeship
• If qualifying by the apprenticeship route, have also passed the apprenticeship end point assessment
• Accredited with the BABCP or BPS as a PWP (or working towards accreditation if within six months of qualifying)

Desirable

• Key skills in literacy, numeracy and IT
• Core profession in mental health nursing, social work, occupational therapy, psychology

Skills

• Computer skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including telephone skills
• Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients
• Ability to work with service users in a way that helps address resistance
• Able to work under pressure
• Utilise psychometric tests competently
• Record keeping
• Plan and organise effectively to meet required timescales

Knowledge

• Ability to implement NICE guidance for Step 2 interventions for mental health problems
• Knowledge of factors that can impact common mental health problems
• Competent in risk assessment
• Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depressive disorders and how they may present in Primary Care
• Understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post

Desirable

• Knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health
• Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems

Experience

• Experience of working with people with common mental health problems in an IAPT setting
• Experience of offering and delivering a full range of evidence based IAPT low intensity interventions
• Experience of screening, assessing and working with a range of mental health issues at step 2
• Experience of working with and managing risk

Desirable

• Experience of partnership working
• Experience of working in a service with agreed targets demonstrating clinical outcomes
• Experience of working with forensic population

Other information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a submission for Disclosure to the DBS. This post may require UK skilled worker sponsorship. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer: Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust