Would you like:

• To work for an award-winning specialist healthcare company that is dedicated to improving and delivering services rather than delivering the same for less?
• Outstanding personal development and CPD opportunities?
• Flexibility that enables you to balance your work life and personal commitments?

If you answered yes to the above Vita Health Group is your perfect next employer!

The Role:

Are you an experienced mental health professional or social care worker? Have you considered training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and getting paid to do it? 

Applications are invited from those who either hold a core profession in mental health, or who have their skills and experience working in mental health outlined in a KSA portfolio, to apply for the two-year IAPT post graduate diploma courses based at Newcastle University. 

• You will receive high quality training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at Newcastle University, working towards a Post Graduate Diploma in High Intensity Psychological Therapies.
• You will provide High Intensity CBT interventions recommended by NICE to clients with moderate to severe common mental health disorders.

• The Trainee position is aimed at mental health professionals or those with experience of psychological therapy, who would like to develop their CBT skills and deliver therapy as part of the IAPT programme.

Course Structure

• Year 1
• This is a 2-year part-time course, and all teaching sessions will be conducted in-person at Newcastle University.  Teaching days are from 9.45am – 4.15pm. A three-day induction block will start on 14.09.22 for the 2022/2024 cohort and thereafter teaching will be as follows: -
• Week 2,3 & 4 – 2 days teaching per week (Thursdays & Fridays)
• Week 5 onwards – 1 day of teaching per fortnight to the end of June 2023 (with breaks for half-terms, Christmas & Easter)
• From October 2022, trainees will also be offered 2 hours of university-based supervision per fortnight. These sessions will take place in small groups and will be offered at times that are convenient for both trainees and supervisors. For some trainees, supervision can be offered in person, but it is anticipated that the majority of supervision will be undertaken by video conference.

• Year 2
• Trainees will attend a three-day induction block in September 2023. From then  onwards they will attend 1 day of teaching per fortnight until April 2024 (with breaks for half-terms, Christmas & Easter). They will then attend one day of teaching per week until the end of June 2024.
• Trainees will continue to be offered two hours of university-based group supervision per fortnight until April 2024. Additional supervision sessions can be offered after then as needed.

The remainder of each week will be time in service. This will be a hybrid model of remote and in clinic.

Applicants without a recognised and accredited core mental health professional training (such as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners or Psychotherapists and Counsellors without UKCP or BACP accreditation) are eligible to apply, but must have a portfolio ready to submit at the interview stage.

For more information about Core Professions:

https://www.babcp.com/Accreditation/Provisional-Accreditation/Core-Professions

For more information about the KSA requirements:

https://www.babcp.com/Accreditation/Provisional-Accreditation/Knowledge-Skills-and-Attitudes

Skills and Experience:

Essential:

• Core Professional qualification or completed KSA portfolio.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent in a discipline connected to mental health (or ability to study at third year undergraduate degree level).
• Membership of the BABCP (from the time that the course commences).
• Availability to attend university as required.
• Experience of working in mental health services, including risk management.
• An understanding of anxiety and depression and how it presents in Primary Care.
• An understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies.
• Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets.
• Ability to manage own caseload and time.
• IT literacy and the ability to use patient record information systems, diary systems and maintain clinical records in a timely and accurate manner.
• Evidence of values that are consistent with the NHS constitution and VHG’s values.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including telephone skills.
• Interpersonal skills to engage and develop working alliances with colleagues and patients, including the ability to develop good therapeutic relationships and inter-agency relationships.
• Evidence of an openness to learning new knowledge and skills.
• High level of enthusiasm and motivation.
• Willingness to travel, which may include overnight stays on occasion, as and when required.

Desirable:

• Evidence of foundation level or sustained CPD in CBT.
• Evidence of supervised CBT practice.
• Experience of working in Primary Care/IAPT services.
• Worked in a service where agreed targets are in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.

Other Requirements:

• A Disclosure and Barring check (DBS, formerly CRB) will be required by the service for appointment to post.

Why Vita Health Group?

Vita Health Group celebrates life. Improving lives physically and mentally drives everything we do.

We are physical and mental health specialists with over 30 years of experience.  We work in partnership with the NHS, support the UK’s largest corporate companies to help assist their workforce and provide a full range of physiotherapy services to private customers.

To achieve our mission of making people better, we recognise the importance of investing in our staff. In addition to a competitive salary, we also offer the opportunity of a flexible work life balance and a comprehensive benefits package which you can view in full on our website.  To progress your skills and enable career development we provide Continued Professional Development opportunities including secondments, management training, a mentoring scheme and regular events and webinars across a range of clinical disciplines.

Vita Health Group is proud to be an equal opportunities employer.  We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion best practice and positively encourage applications from candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion/belief, marital status, or pregnancy/maternity.  To support this we have a dedicated team of EDI specialists and run a range of active in-house diversity networks.

We are actively seeking to increase the diversity of our workforce, to ensure we are representative of the communities we serve at all levels. We therefore welcome applications from candidates with a wide range of lived experience.

We are committed to equitably support the wellbeing of all employees as demonstrated by:

• Our association with the MINDFUL EMPLOYER Charter for Employers who are Positive About Mental Health.
• Our status as a Disability Confident  Employer dedicated to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. All disabled candidates that meet the minimum essential criteria will be invited to interview.
• Our status as a Menopause Friendly Committed employer.
• Our sign up to the Employer with Heart Charter.
• Our commitment to meet the standards outlined in the NHS Equality Delivery System (EDS2), Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES).
• The provision of access to health and wellbeing services for colleagues which includes a team of trained Mental Health Advocates and an Employee Assistance Programme.
• An embedded “speaking up” culture facilitated by Freedom to Speak Up Guardians.

Should you wish to discuss any adjustment or assistance you might need in the application or interview process please contact recruitment@vhg.co.uk and we will arrange.

Please note, all applicants must be legally entitled to accept and perform work in the UK and all positions are subject to a DBS check. 

Any data which you share with us throughout the hiring process will be stored securely within the UK and is accessible only by staff who require it. Should your application be unsuccessful, your data will be securely destroyed after 6 months. 

Vita Health Group reserves the right to close this job when sufficient applications have been received.

Vita Health Group