Psychological wellbeing practitioner
Health and science
Level 6 -
Helping people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression manage their conditions.
Reference: OCC0568
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 2229/09 Psychological wellbeing practitioners
- 2224/01 Cognitive behavioural therapists
- 2226/01 Counselling psychologists
- 2226/02 Educational psychologists
- 2226/04 Health psychologists
- 2226/05 Occupational psychologists
- 2226/07 Sports psychologists
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Avon & Wiltshire MH Trust, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, ELFT, Essex Partnership Trust, MHM, Warrington Primary Care Psychological Service, Norfolk and Suffolk FT, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Oxfordshire Health NHS Trust, Salford, Sunderland Counselling.
Summary
This occupation is found in the public sector within the NHS England Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) initiative, which is a world leading programme in psychological healthcare. This is an exciting role where practitioners make a difference to people’s lives. Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) deliver the service from different venues for example GP surgeries, community healthcare settings and other community based venues, such as job centres.
The broad purpose of the occupation is for PWPs to interact with adult patients in primary care, across a number of different services and variety of environments including being able to practice in diverse cultures. PWPs offer assessments for mild to severe common mental health problems, undertaking assessment of risk and making of safeguarding referrals. They offer evidence based interventions to patients with mild to moderate anxiety and depression as well as other common mental health problems determined by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)*1, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)*2 manual. PWPs operate within a stepped care service delivery model which operates on the principle of offering the least intrusive effective psychological treatment in the first instance, patients can then be ‘stepped up’ to a more intensive treatment if required. The treatment aids clinical improvement and social inclusion, such as a return to work, meaningful activity or physical wellbeing and is delivered through a variety of methods including individual work courses and group work, which can be via face-to-face, telephone, email or other contact methods including digital platforms.They work alongside existing psychological practitioners such as High Intensity Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Cognitive Behaviour Therapy practitioners. PWPs undertake assessments mainly for moderate anxiety and depression protocols with referral to senior professionals for complex problems.
*1 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance
*2 https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/the-iapt-manual.pdf
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a wider psychological therapies team which may include other health professionals such as psychologists, therapists, counsellors, employment specialists, community nurses and administrative staff. They will liaise across a number of different services including general practitioners (GPs), community physical health teams and charitable organisations that provide related support services, for example the mental health charity, Mind. An employee in this occupation will be responsible and accountable for safe, compassionate, patient-centred evidence based care. PWPs are autonomous practitioners who work within their scope of practice.
A PWP is responsible for managing a high volume caseload of people with common mental health problems efficiently and safely utilising clinical skills and case management weekly supervision and other forms of supervision identified as appropriate, e.g. line management. PWPs take responsibility for their own learning and development using reflection and feedback to analyse their own capabilities, appraise alternatives and plan and implement actions.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Avon & Wiltshire MH Trust, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, ELFT, Essex Partnership Trust, MHM, Warrington Primary Care Psychological Service, Norfolk and Suffolk FT, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Oxfordshire Health NHS Trust, Salford, Sunderland Counselling.
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Provide assessments to identify the common mental health problems of anxiety disorders and depression, including the assessment of risk and safeguarding issues and appropriate onward referral.
Duty D2
Provide NICE recommended treatments to patients with mild to moderate symptoms of the common mental health problems of anxiety disorders and depression.
Duty D3
Select and deliver treatment to aid recovery, promote social inclusion, and support an appropriate return to work, supporting overall wellbeing that helps with physical and psychological health.
Duty D4
Provide guided self-help treatment informed by cognitive-behavioural principles, which are patient-centred psychological treatments with an emphasis on self-management and are designed to be less intensive than other psychological treatments.
Duty D5
Provide support that enables patients to optimise their use of self-management / recovery information, which is delivered through a variety of methods such as face to face, telephone, or email, as well as other contact methods including digital platforms and group workshops.
Duty D6
Provide information on common medication prescribed for symptoms of anxiety/depression and support patients to optimise their use of such treatments.
Duty D7
Delivering within a “stepped care service delivery model”, to treat patients at the lowest appropriate level in the first instance, only 'stepping up' to intensive/specialist services as clinically required. The level of input is increased or decreased until satisfactory health status is achieved. The outcomes from sessions are routinely collected for clinical, social and employment results as part of a national outcome monitoring system.
Duty D8
Communicate effectively with and signpost to other agencies e.g. employment, occupational and other advice services.
Duty D9
Accurately record interviews and questionnaire assessments using paper and electronic record keeping systems in a timely manner.
Duty D10
Manage a caseload of people with common mental health problems efficiently and safely.
Duty D11
Handle personal and sensitive information in line with local and national policies.
Duty D12
Use a range of assessments to aid problem recognition and definition e.g. psychometric assessment, problem focused assessment and intervention planning assessment.
Duty D13
Use both clinical skills and case management supervision meetings to assist the delivery of low-intensity interventions.
Duty D14
Adhere to the employer’s code of conduct and policies, including values and standards.
Occupational Progression
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Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Health and science