Specialist MBT Therapist/Qualified Mental Health Professional

NHS; Teddington; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in Teddington is seeking a Specialist MBT Therapist to work within a dedicated team focused on providing high-quality psychological treatments for patients with Personality Disorders. The ideal candidate will be a qualified Mental Health Professional with experience in MBT and will work collaboratively to enhance patient care. This position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Flexible working

Career development opportunities

Diverse and inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Professional with relevant qualifications.
• Post registration qualification in group work.
• Demonstrable experience working with adults with mental health problems.

Responsibilities

• Conduct specialist assessments for referred patients.
• Formulate and implement care plans for patients.
• Manage individual caseload including MBT interventions.

Skills

Knowledge of Risk Assessment

Group work skills

Therapeutic tools experience

Complex assessments

Inter-agency working

Education

Degree level education

Post graduate qualification in MBT

Formal training in psychotherapeutic practice

Job description

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

Specialist MBT Therapist/Qualified Mental Health Professional

The closing date is 21 September 2025

We are seeking a registered Mental Health Professional to join our team as an MBT Therapist. Richmond Personality Intensive Treatment Team (PDITT) delivers psychological treatment and a care programme approach (CPA) for people who meet the diagnostic criteria for Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) through Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT). We are a small, cohesive, and committed multi-disciplinary team, dedicated to working empathically alongside our patients.

The post holder is expected to:

• Be committed to effective team working and to the coherent delivery of treatment model Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT Therapy)
• Promote and deliver a high standard of patient care.
• To work within the Trust's CPA policy and the standards set out in the Richmond PDITT Operational Policy and PD Pathway criteria.
• To provide out of hours work if required.

Main duties of the job

• To work as a core member of Richmond PDITT.
• To participate with initial screenings for patients referred to the borough-based CEN Pathway Referrals Meetings, to conduct specialist assessments, and to provide a series of planned assessment and engagement sessions for those patients where MBT is the indicated model of treatment, and to prepare the patient for the MBT Introductory Workshops.
• To hold a caseload of CEN Pathway Assessment Patients.
• To be a co-facilitator for MBT Introductory Workshops.
• To provide an In-Reach component to the post - providing engagement with patients who are in-patients or to link in with other Trust teams who are considering making a referral to Richmond PDITT and impart the function of the CEN Pathway processes.
• To work alongside senior clinicians of the service to ensure that the MBT Intensive Treatment Programme is delivered, monitored, and evaluated, including group work as 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 for patients referred, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation, and integration of complex data from a variety of sources, and conduct specific psychological tests, use self-reporting measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, or semi-structured interviews with the patient, with others involved in the patients care, and when indicated, with family/significant others.
• To formulate and implement care plans for patients being assessed or for those engaging with the MBT Intensive Treatment Programme, including risk management, physical health needs, vocational needs, financial needs etc, and based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems, and employing MBT-based interventions upon evidence of efficacy.
• To evaluate and make clinical decisions at team level, 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 MBT individual and group-based interventions.
• To provide specialist clinical advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis, and care plan, drawing on expertise in MBT.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to the MBT based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all patients within the service, and across all settings and agencies serving the patient group.
• To undertake risk assessment and formal risk management planning for individual patients and to provide advice to other services across service lines on specialist risk assessment and risk management for this patient population.
• To act as a care co-ordinator for allocated patients and take responsibility for care planning and conducting patient treatment reviews under enhanced CPA. If agreed with the patient, to signpost if there are named carers needs, and transparently maintain co-working relationships within the patients network of care, for example, external agencies. 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 ensure effective communication and share relevant information at team level to ensure a whole team approach to patient care is consistently sustained for the containment of the patient.
• To implement and participate in crisis intervention measures with the patient, or in conjunction with other agencies or with significant others.

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Core Mental Health Profession registered with an appropriate professional body (NMC, UKCP, HCPC, SWE)
• Post graduate qualification that includes supervised and assessed psychotherapeutic training.
• Formal training and experience in the practice of MBT with at least two years supervised experience, with evidence of internal/external MBT supervision, and having completed both the MBT Introductory and Advanced Practitioner training, at least six months apart
• Post registration qualification in group work

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 working with diverse communities

Knowledge & Skills

• 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
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Ability to consider differences and equalities both in therapy and professional relationships. This includes age, disability, culture and race, sexual orientation and religion/belief systems.

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.

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

£53,751 to £60,651 a year inclusive outer London HCAS