Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health services provider in England is seeking an Education Mental Health Practitioner Trainee to support early intervention mental health services for children and young people. This role requires a strong commitment to improving outcomes, offering training and collaboration with education staff. Conditions include good communication skills and an honours degree. The position is full-time, fixed-term for 12 months, starting January 2026, with various benefits including flexible working options and a generous NHS pension scheme.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days’ annual leave

Generous NHS pension scheme

Excellent learning and career development opportunities

Cycle to Work and car leasing schemes

Access to wellbeing tools and services

Retail and restaurant discounts

Free parking across Trust sites

Qualifications

• Work at degree level or have equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience of working with children and understanding how to talk with them.
• Some experience of working within a mental health or education setting.

Responsibilities

• Co-locate in schools across the locality to promote emotional wellbeing.
• Deliver evidence-based interventions to children experiencing mental health problems.
• Engage in academic and clinical training as part of the EMHP programme.

Skills

Communication skills

IT skills

Organisational skills

Education

Honours degree graded 2.2 or above

Evidence of ability to study at Level 6

Job description

Overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to train as an Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), supporting the development and delivery of early intervention mental health services for children and young people across West Berkshire. This training post is part of the national initiative to expand access to mental health support in educational settings. As a trainee EMHP, you will work under supervision within our Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), delivering evidence-based interventions to children and young people aged up to 18, helping to shape emotionally healthy school environments and provide direct support to those who need it most.

You will be co-located in schools across your locality, working collaboratively with education staff to promote a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health. The role requires creativity, flexibility, and a strong commitment to improving outcomes for young people. You’ll be based in West Berkshire, with vacancies in Wokingham, Reading, and West Berkshire localities. You will be embedded in clusters of schools, co-located with MHSTs, supporting whole-school approaches to emotional wellbeing, working under supervision as part of a dynamic, integrated mental health team and engaging in academic and clinical training as part of the EMHP programme based at The University of Reading.

Responsibilities

• Co-locate in schools across the locality and work with education staff to promote a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• Deliver evidence-based early interventions to children and young people (CYP) experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems under supervision.
• Engage in academic and clinical training as part of the EMHP programme.
• Collaborate with MHSTs and education colleagues to shape emotionally healthy school environments.

What you'll need to start

• work at degree level or have equivalent relevant experience; an honours degree graded 2.2 or above (2.3 with evidence of successful Level 6 study and a pre-entry essay may be required).
• Evidence of ability to study at Level 6 (e.g., prior Level 5 study or partial completion of a Honours degree); must not have started or completed a HEE-funded role in the previous 2 years (2-year funding rule).
• Experience of working with children and an understanding of how to talk with them.
• Some experience of working within a mental health or education setting.
• Strong communication, IT and organisational skills.

Post-training

On successful completion of training, trainee EMHPs will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to work as autonomous practitioners within their scope of practice, alongside education colleagues.

About Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we are committed to providing the best possible care and offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people feel a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Benefits

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service, with option to buy/sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• Cycle to Work and car leasing schemes (including electric vehicles)
• Access to wellbeing tools and services
• Retail and restaurant discounts
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, environment and armed forces community
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

Application information

• The advert closes on Thursday 18 Sep 2025. If you have a high number of applications, we may close earlier.
• We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and address them point-by-point in your supporting statement.
• Contact Jo Cocksey, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, at 07866 787757 or [e-mail] for questions.
• Successful candidates will be offered a full-time educational programme for the role. This is a fixed-term position aligned with the training duration; you will sign a learning agreement before employment starts. Trainees will be employed by Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust for the duration of the training at the University of Reading and will be placed accordingly.

Please note: this role starts in January 2026 and lasts 12 months, comprising academic and supervised practice learning across mental health services and educational settings. Training is delivered through a combination of taught days at the university, self-guided study days, and placement in education wellbeing and main-stream mental health services. See course details and dates for more information.

Equal opportunities

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.