Senior Mental Health Practitioner (With CBT Training Opportunity)

NHS; Exeter; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Exeter is looking for a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join their team and undergo fully funded CBT training. The role involves managing a caseload of children and young people with mental health difficulties, providing comprehensive and evidence-based assessments and interventions. Ideal candidates will have a relevant degree and experience in a community mental health setting.

Benefits

Fully funded 1-year CBT training programme

Permanent contract from day one

Opportunity to work within a supportive team

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in psychology, nursing, social work, or occupational therapy.
• Experience managing complex caseloads with children and young people.
• Working knowledge in community CAMHS settings.

Responsibilities

• Undertake academic and clinical practice training.
• Deliver high-quality mental health services.
• Manage a defined caseload focusing on expert assessment and treatment.
• Collaborate with statutory and non-statutory agencies.

Skills

Clinical assessment skills

Planning for care plans

Understanding of Mental Health Act

Understanding of child development

Education

Professional qualification at degree level or equivalent

Professional registration/accreditation

Job description

Senior Mental Health Practitioner (With CBT Training Opportunity)

Please note interviews will be held on 29th September

Exciting Opportunity: Train as a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist with a Fully Funded Programme!

We are thrilled to offer two passionate practitioners the chance to join us in permanent roles and train as Cognitive Behaviour Therapists (CBT) through a fully funded 1-year programme with the University of Exeter. After completing training, postholders will continue to work with us as valued Senior Mental Health Practitioners - CBT Therapists, contributing to evidence-based mental health interventions for children and young people.

What We Offer:

• Fully funded 1-year CBT training programme through the University of Exeter.
• Permanent contract from day one.
• Continued employment as a Senior Mental Health Practitioner - CBT Therapist after completing the programme.
• Candidates who hold a Level 6 qualification and BABCP registration.
• Those who are yet to achieve these but are eligible to take the Knowledge, Skills, Attributes (KSA) route. More information on eligibility requirements can be found here.

Key Dates:

• Interviews will be held on 29th September
• Start date required by January 2026 to align with the course commencement.

This could be the next step in your career, providing you with a rewarding opportunity to make a lasting impact on the mental health of children and young people in Devon.

Main duties of the job

The CYP IAPT Recruit to Train programme involves both academic learning, coursework and supervised clinical practice. Alongside this, the post holder will work with colleagues in a specialist CFHD pathway, building relationships and wider skills in working children and young people with complex emotional and mental health needs in the community. This will include evidence-based assessment and outcome-monitored interventions in conjunction with the training. There will also be opportunities to engage in Participation and service development as well as contributing to service delivery within the team as required.

The post holder will be an employee of CFHD on a substantive contract and also enrolled on a Postgraduate Diploma course with Exeter University. It is essential that applicants are able to balance a busy work and study schedule. As this is a Postgraduate level training, you will be required to study and perform at academic level and be prepared to work towards your studies outside of identified study time. Study time and/or teaching days are typically two days a week during term.

About us

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) comprises an Alliance of NHS organisations working together to improve health outcomes for children and young people in Devon.

CFHD provides integrated care and treatment for children and young people across physical and mental health. We are working closely with other organisations and providers to ensure we deliver locality and county-wide based integrated access to all of our services, based on the i-Thrive Framework, in response to consultation with our service users and communities.

CFHD works closely with our local universities of Plymouth, Exeter & the Peninsula Medical School where we support students in clinical training placements and in addition support our own staff to undertake post graduate training.

Our integrated care and treatment has been developed and refined in partnership with children, young people and their families/carers.

We would like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to be understanding, patient and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make us feel safe and comfortable. It is important that they use their skills and experience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way. When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment that is informal and without pressure.

Our vision is to be a successful, vibrant, partnership that benefits the communities we serve.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will undertake academic and clinical practice training in evidence based psychological therapies and is required to attend, complete and pass all elements of the allocated CYP-IAPT training.

The post holder will deliver high quality comprehensive mental health services.

The role involves managing a defined caseload with a focus on providing expert assessment, formulation and evidence-based treatment for children and young people with complex mental health difficulties and their parents/carers in line with NICE guidance.

Collaborative working with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory agencies is central to this role.

The post holder will contribute to the multi-disciplinary approach of the team, providing integrated healthcare for children across Children and Family Health Devon.

Bringing professional expertise, skills and knowledge to multi-disciplinary team work, the post holder will work with, and offer supervision/consultation/advice to others.

With a focus on providing high quality, safe and compassionate care to children/young people the post holder will engage in team and service development including participating in audit, evaluation and review.

Successful applicants will be employed by Devon Partnership Trust

Successful applicants will also be enrolled on the HEE funded CYP IAPT Training course, CBT Modality at Exeter University.

As these are training positions initially, please be aware that you must both gain employment in a CFHD SMHP Recruit to Train role and be accepted onto the University Course. You will be interviewed for both in one interview on the date listed. If you are ineligible for the University Course, we will be unable to offer the role. If you withdraw from an employment offer but you have accepted a university offer, you will be unable to join the course.

Please note for this role, the training course is not optional; the roles are dependent on meeting all course requirements. Applicants for this training will need to be available to start by January 2025 when the course starts.

If you apply to this job, you are giving permission that information relevant to establishing eligibility can be shared between the CYP IAPT programme at Exeter University and CFHD. No irrelevant information will be disclosed or discussed.

Person Specification

Other

• Excellent clinical assessment skills.
• Able to plan creatively to maximise effectiveness of care plans, including complex multi-agency care plans
• An understanding of the Mental Health Act/ Mental Health Capacity Act requirements.
• An understanding of child development

Qualifications

• A professional qualification at degree level or equivalent e.g. Psychological profession, Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, or equivalent.
• Professional registration/accreditation with a recognised body, e.g. NMC, HCPC, Social Work England, UKCP, BABCP

Experience

• Substantial experience of managing an extensive and complex caseload and working with children/young people presenting with a range of complex mental health presentations.
• Working within a community CAMHS mental health setting.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment.

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.