DBT Therapist

Job SummaryWe are inviting applications for a psychological therapist from a core professional background (e.g. CAP's, Psychiatric nurses, Social workers, OT's) to join our Personality Disorder Pathway in the South West of Hertfordshire. The post-holder will be based in Watford and Borehamwood.Working closely with the local DBT leads, this post offers an exciting opportunity to join an established group of therapists who provide a local DBT service, as well as joining the wider network of therapists, locally and across the trust.The post holder will provide specialist psychological assessment and treatment to clients with a diagnosis of personality disorder within the service and provide specialist support, guidance and consultation to colleagues, carers and other agencies regarding the psychological care of clients.There will be many opportunities for close working with local and quadrant-wide psychological therapy teams and other psychological therapy colleagues.The post holder will act as a resource on positive risk-taking and the management of people with personality disorder, for staff within the community hubs, and work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team's policies and procedure.Main duties of the jobTo have good working relationships with multi-disciplinary colleagues in the community mental health team settingTo maintain close working relationships with psychological therapy colleagues both locally and quadrant-wideTo promote and maintain good working relationships with colleagues in the local Hub and beyond and with GPs and other stakeholders in the service.To work closely with both psychological therapies staff and other non-psychological therapy colleagueTo work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team's policies and procedureTo utilise research skills for audit, teaching, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/serviceTo provide specialist psychological assessment and treatment including a range of evidence-based group and individual psychological interventionsTo provide specialist support, guidance, and consultation relevant to personality disorders on clients' psychological care to other multi-disciplinary professionalAbout UsHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.Our Trust Values Are:The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?DetailsDate posted17 October 2025Pay schemeAgenda for changeBandBand 6Salary£38,682 to £46,580 a year Per annum, Pro rataContractPermanentWorking patternPart-timeReference number367-ACMS-9784Job locationsColne House, Upton Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0JPUpton RoadWatfordWD18 0JPJob DescriptionJob responsibilitiesTo provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self- report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients' care.To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settingTo be responsible for implementing psychological interventions from within your area of specialty for individuals, carers, families, and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining the psychological formulation according to the evolving clinical scenario.To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or groupTo exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care planFor full details of the role and responsibilities for this vacancy please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification documents attached.Job DescriptionJob responsibilitiesTo provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self- report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients' care.To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settingTo be responsible for implementing psychological interventions from within your area of specialty for individuals, carers, families, and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining the psychological formulation according to the evolving clinical scenario.To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or groupTo exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care planFor full details of the role and responsibilities for this vacancy please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification documents attached.Person SpecificationEssentialKNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCEQualification and continuing registration* in one of the core mental health professions e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical or counselling psychology, Clinical Associate in Psychology, social work, or occupational therapy.*Continuing registration with body overseeing practice of core mental health profession e.g. AND: NMC or HCPC.Intensive training in DBT OR commitment to complete of DBT Intensive Training and commitment to achieve DBT Accreditation when this becomes available, if possible, through the PG Diploma in DBT. Continuing registration with body overseeing practice of core mental health profession, e.g., NMC or HCPCEssentialAREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGEExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, adult mental health and in patient settingsExperience of working with complex presentations including adults with personality disorders and maintaining professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuseKnowledge and understanding of trauma informed care.Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaborationAbility to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settingsAbility to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risksAwareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding ProceduresAwareness of current NHS initiatives and DevelopmentsKnowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to clients with severe and enduring mental health problems including personality issues.Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a teamExperience of facilitating groupsAbility to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groupsDesirableExperience of service development/project managementExperience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.Person SpecificationEssentialExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, adult mental health and in patient settingsExperience of working with complex presentations including adults with personality disorders and maintaining professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuseKnowledge and understanding of trauma informed care.Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaborationAbility to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settingsAbility to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risksAwareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding ProceduresAwareness of current NHS initiatives and DevelopmentsKnowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to clients with severe and enduring mental health problems including personality issues.Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a teamExperience of facilitating groupsAbility to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groupsDesirableExperience of service development/project managementExperience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.UK RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Additional informationDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.UK RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Employer detailsEmployer nameHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation TrustAddressColne House, Upton Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0JPUpton RoadWatfordWD18 0JPEmployer's websitehttps://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)Employer detailsEmployer nameHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation TrustAddressColne House, Upton Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0JPUpton RoadWatfordWD18 0JPEmployer's websitehttps://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)