Senior Mental Health Practitioner/Specialist Therapist

Internal Only

This post is 37.5 hours a week, and we will endeavour to support you to work flexibly.

Job summary
Are you a creative and dynamic clinician with a passion for making a real difference to young peoples lives? Barnsley CAMHS has an exciting Band 7 opportunity to join the Core Team as either a Senior Mental Health Practitioner or Specialist Therapist.

The Core Team is part of our multidisciplinary service providing specialist trauma-informed mental health assessment and intervention for children, young people and their families. We work closely across the service with our Assessment and Brief Intervention Team, Crisis and Home-Based Treatment Team, Child in Care pathway, Eating Disorder Team and Learning Disability Team. This will also involve working with partner agencies.

You will be a member of a skilled and compassionate team offering evidence-based assessment and therapeutic interventions to young people and their families who face a range of mental health needs, neurodiversity and systemic challenges. We offer a range of therapies, including high intensity CBT, EMDR, Family therapy, Play Therapy, Dramatherapy, and integrative psychological approaches.

Staff wellbeing is important - you will be supported to flourish and have access to regular line management, clinical supervision, peer support and professional development. This is a great opportunity to be part of a very special team and help shape the future of the wonderful young people in Barnsley.

Main duties of the job
You will have specialist training in a therapy modality and will work directly with children and young people up to the age of 18, having positive outcomes which are recovery focussed. This will include:

• Delivering robust assessments, formulations and evidence-based interventions
• Fostering creative, engaging therapeutic relationships
• Using a range of therapeutic approaches, tailored to each individual
• Providing supervision and consultation across the multidisciplinary team
• Participating in MDTs, inter-agency meetings, and service development

You should have significant experience and/or appreciation of the richness and complexities of working with young people experiencing mental health difficulties. Good interpersonal and communication skills are essential, including the ability to adapt approaches to meet a wide variety of need. You will also be able to manage risk in a calm, resilient and professional manner, which supports and advocates engagement with the young person whilst working collaboratively with the systems around them.

Please specify which role you are applying for (SMHP/Specialist Therapist). You only need to evidence skills for the relevant person specification for which you are applying .

At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.

About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means were accountable to our members, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Details
Date posted: 30 June 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: C9378-B2341
Job locations: New Street Health Centre, Upper New Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire, S70 1LP

Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The post-holder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.

The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the post-holder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

To provide highly specialist skills and expertise, facilitating interventions of the highest quality in the field of mental health, including emergency assessments and intensive interventions with children, young people and their families.

To work autonomously and collaboratively within the MDT, providing consultation and teaching for other agencies/professionals.

To provider supervision and teaching to all other disciplines within CAMHS and to deputise as agreed for the team leader.

To promote safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to have their up-to-date flu vaccination to protect staff and patients.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Experience of delivering training to others.
• Extensive experience in identified portfolio requirements.
• Substantial post qualification experience, some of which must be working with Children, young people and their carers in a mental health or other complex care setting.
• Experience of working in different cultural contexts.
• Knowledge and experience of working with Equality and Diversity.
• Multidisciplinary team working.
• Inter-agency liaison and consultation.
• Experience of providing highly specialist advice and supervision to other professionals.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance for working with children, young people, mental health and safeguarding.
• Evidence of advanced clinical/therapeutic knowledge and skills in mental health.
• Extensive experience in assessment and risk management and ability to implement evidence based practice.
• Advanced experience of safeguarding children and young people.

Desirable

• Experience of community settings.

Special Knowledge/Skills
Essential

• Excellent verbal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage own caseload and to be a self-reliant and autonomous practitioner.
• Excellent negotiation skills, and problem solving skills.
• Customer service orientation.
• Excellent record keeping and report writing skills to include care planning and risk assessments.
• IT skills.

Physical Attributes
Essential

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Qualifications
Essential

• Relevant professional qualification, e.g. nursing, or other professional allied to medicine.
• Post qualification training in identified portfolio, e.g. LD. LAC, eating disorder.
• Dip SW or relevant mental health profession.
• A teaching and assessing qualification.
• Membership of professional body.

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification in mental health (e.g. CBT, Family Therapy, Counselling).
• Masters Level qualification.
• Formal management/supervisory qualification.

Personal Attributes
Essential

• Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Commitment to multi-agency approach/working.
• Ability to work and make decisions under pressure.
• Calm, confident, innovative, creative and assertive.
• Ability to make and lead decisions under pressure/crisis situations.
• Willingness to be flexible and adaptable in accordance with changing service priorities.
• Commitment to challenging discrimination and improving accessibility of services.
• Ability to cope calmly in a crisis.
• To demonstrate good self-care and encourage the same in team members.
• A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).
• To have integrity, be honest, open, transparent and respectful.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This 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 Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
Address: New Street Health Centre, Upper New Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire, S70 1LP
Employer's website: https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Sarah Cimikoglu
sarah.cimikoglu@swyt.nhs.uk
07825842995