Trainee Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist (23728)

We currently have a vacancy for 2 trainee cognitive behavioural psychotherapists within our Primary Mental Health team at Solar and would love to see if you are the person we are looking for. We are looking for vibrant, creative staff that are just as passionate about the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people as we are.

We are looking for individuals who are highly motivated, adaptable and flexible in their approach. Balancing the demands of the course with the fast-paced nature of the role can be difficult, therefore excellent organisational skills and time management are a must.

This is an exciting role providing opportunities to develop, train and deliver evidence-based interventions to children and young people in the Solihull area. We are a trauma informed service offering holistic, collaborative care with the child's voice always at the centre.

The post holder is responsible for assessment and provision of High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The role includes working throughout the Solihull Borough at several different locations, in addition to travel to the University of Derby on a weekly basis. In this instance, the University course is not optional, and candidates need to be in a position to enrol with University of Derby in addition to meeting their entry requirements.

The course you will be completing at the University of Derby as part of this role is a Level 2 accredited course with BABCP. This means that upon completion trainees will meet criteria to apply for provisional accreditation as a CBT therapist with the BABCP. To apply, you must meet the criteria for CBT training and also have a BABCP-recognised professional background in mental health or related areas. This means having a recognised Core Profession.

If you do not have a Core Profession, you must complete a portfolio of evidence to show that you have equivalent training and experience. This is known as the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes portfolio (KSA). If applying via the KSA route, you must have completed a self-statement for KSA criterion 4 before interview and, if successful at interview, will need to prepare the other required sections ahead of the start of the course (including obtaining references).

If you have undertaken low-intensity CBT training (e.g., PWP, CWP or EMHP) you must have at least 2 years' experience between the exam board of your previous training (not just coursework completion or a letter from the department) and the start date of any high-intensity training. This is nationally mandated and there are no exceptions; you will be asked to evidence your exam board date (or date of graduation certificate if no evidence of exam board) prior to invite to interview.

You will be expected to attend roughly 2-3 working days per week at university and the rest of the working week will be spent within the service. As you develop your skills as a trainee you will be expected to deliver a variety of interventions. You will be fully supervised throughout the course.

Solar is a partnership project between Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) and Barnardo's. It is a well established and nationally talked about service. We work together to provide emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Solihull who are aged between 0-19, based on the principle of children and young people only needing to tell their story once.

Solar utilise one clinical record and a single user led care plan, ensuring children and young people shape the service that they receive. Rated “good” by the CQC in January 2018, the service was peer reviewed by West Midlands Quality Review Service who said they “were impressed with the level of integration across the services - the feedback from service users and their families and carers was that the pathway was seamless between the various services.”

This is an exciting opportunity to be based within a dynamic NHS service but employed and supported by a charity with a long history of working with and for children and young people (over 150 years!). Solar is a multi-disciplinary service which provides a rich learning environment for all staff. Our work is holistic and evidence based and we actively encourage the participation of children and young people in their assessment, care plan and treatment.

What are the essentials that we need from you?

• To have experience working with children and young people in a mental health setting.
• To have the relevant qualifications and equivalent experience in order to enrol on the course.
• Ability to proactively manage a busy and complex diary in a fast-paced work environment.

Please see all attachments within the job advert for further information about the service, the post and the person specification. Please ensure you read the ‘additional information' sheet, as this tells you more specifically about the role.