Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner | South West London and St George\'s Mental Health NHS Trust

We are looking for an energetic Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner to come and join our team. Sutton Talking Therapies is a primary care, single point of referral, mental health and wellbeing service. Sutton Talking Therapies aims to support the mental health and wellbeing of the local community through provision of wellbeing support, self‑management courses, psychological therapy, and mental health assessment and recovery support. This post is located within the IAPT team at Sutton Talking Therapies.

This team aims to deliver a range of evidence‑based psychological interventions (e.g., CBT, IPT, DIT) to people with common mental health problems (i.e., depression, anxiety disorders and eating disorders) within a stepped‑care model. Sutton Talking Therapies is professionally managed by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and operationally managed by the Sutton Uplift Service Manager. The Talking Therapies team consists of approximately 40 staff including qualified Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, CBT Therapists, and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs), who provide evidence‑based psychological interventions in line with NICE guidance.

Across the rest of Sutton Talking Therapies you would work in conjunction with psychiatry, community nursing staff, social work and wellbeing navigators. The successful applicant will provide triage assessments, guided self‑help, computerised CBT and psycho‑educational group treatment to clients presenting with depression, anxiety disorders and bulimic eating disorders. There are also opportunities for project work where the successful candidate will link up with professionals/charities in the community and work to improve services for our diverse community.

As a qualified PWP, you will receive regular clinical supervision with a band 7 clinician and have access to weekly training on a range of topics relevant to your role and development.

The service operates from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. The post holder will be required to work flexible hours in line with this. This can be negotiated and will include week‑day evenings and occasional weekends.

Candidate must have relevant low intensity PWP training and be eligible for BABCP/BPS accreditation as a PWP.

• Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.
• Assess and support people with a common mental health problem in the self‑management of their recovery.
• Undertake patient‑centred interviews which identify areas where the person wishes to see change and or recovery and make an accurate assessment of risk to self and others.
• Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department’s referral protocols, referring unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary, or stepping‑up the person’s treatment to high‑intensity psychological therapy.
• Provide a range of information and support for evidence‑based high‑volume low‑intensity psychological treatments.
• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary.
• Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the overall number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.
• Attend multi‑disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.
• Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.
• Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols and use these records and clinical outcome data in clinical decision making.
• Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step‑up and step‑down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped‑care approach.
• Assess and integrate issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process.
• Operate at all times from an inclusive values base which promotes recovery and recognises and respects diversity.
• Prepare and present clinical information for all patients on their caseload to clinical case management supervisors within the service on an agreed and scheduled basis, in order to ensure safe practice and the clinical governance obligations of the worker, supervisor and service are delivered.
• Respond to and implement supervision suggestions by supervisors in clinical practice.
• Engage in and respond to personal development supervision to improve competences and clinical practice.

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.