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Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner is an exciting new role that is being developed to support the transformation of adult community mental health services.
MHWPs work within wider multi-disciplinary team providing interventions and skills to support individuals to promote good mental health and recovery from severe mental health problems. MHWPs work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals (including registered nurses, Psychiatrists, GPs, Cognitive Behavioural Therapists, Psychologists and employment advisers as well as other community organisations) to improve access to psychological interventions and support the delivery of an overall care plan.
MHWPs will work with adults from many different backgrounds with severe mental health problems. The role of a MHWP includes providing person centred assessment, thorough risk assessment, collaboratively agreeing and coordinating a care plan and providing specific evidence based treatment interventions alongside signposting to and supporting engagement with other professionals and agencies.
Interventions are currently provided on a one-to-one basis. Delivery of interventions can be in the patient’s own home, telephone or video.
Specific treatment interventions provided by MHWPs are based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT informed interventions focus on areas where the person wishes to change how they feel, think or behave to help improve how they feel and their quality of life.
To train as a MHWP, you need to apply for a post as a trainee MHWP. These roles are advertised on the NHS Jobs website.
Training is available for those who do not have an honours degree as well as those who are graduates who can meet the academic requirements for the post graduate level qualification. You can train for either a graduate or post graduate certificate but you will need to be able to demonstrate you can study at degree level or above.
All applicants must be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and be committed to working with people with complex mental health needs.
The training is fully funded and you will be paid a band 4 AfC salary.
For further information on entry and training requirements please see here.
Once you are qualified and experienced as a MHWP there are opportunities for you to develop your skills further such as supervisory training/role and ongoing skills development training. MHWPs may also later go on to train as Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist or Psychologists
If you completed NHS funded training you will usually be unable to access further NHS funded training in a new roles such as CBT training until you have a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience (Any queries regarding this should be directed to the service and/or training provider).
As MHWP is a new emerging role, there is currently no registration scheme available. Working collaboratively with NHSE and BPS this is something we hope to be able to provide in the future.