Band 3 Lived Experience Practitioner - Bristol

at  Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

We are looking for motivated people with lived experience of significant mental health challenges, in particular inpatient care, unusual experiences, intense emotions and psychosis to join the Inpatient Psychology service at Callington Road Hospital. You will need to be comfortable sharing your how you experienced and managed your mental health problems. We provide training to do this appropriately. There is an initial induction period and you will receive ongoing support and supervision and join a wider network of lived experience staff.
The successful applicants will help establish a therapy group programme using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) adapted for mental health crisis. They will use insight and wisdom from their own experience to contribute to the delivery of group material and discussions and visit wards to promote the groups and support people to attend.
This role would suit those looking for their first role working in mental health services, or those with previous experience. It is suitable for those who are empathic, compassionate, and patient with a calm and professional response to distress, disturbance and unpredictability.
Please describe how your lived experience would fit this role. We can offer a short Teams/phone call to help people think about writing their lived experience statement. Contact: Louisa Foxwell, Trust Lead for Peer Support and Lived Experience practice at louisa.foxwell@nhs.net to arrange a time, week days between 0930 - 1530
Collaborate in developing the content and materials for allocated therapy groups.
Co-deliver therapy groups for people experiencing a mental health crisis alongside a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
Promote the therapy groups to people admitted to hospital and support them to attend the groups.
Support the smooth running of the groups.
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
We welcome informal enquiries and visits.
The role of Inpatient Lived Experience practitioner (LXP) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of serious mental health difficulties, in particular inpatient care, unusual experiences, intense emotions, and psychosis.
The Inpatient Lived Experience Practitioner (LXP) will use their lived experience to contribute to group and course under the supervision of a Practitioner Psychologist.
The courses and groups combine psychoeducation with a Lived Experience perspective and learned skills following training appropriate to the intervention
This post is suitable for someone who is empathetic, compassionate and patient with a calm and professional response to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
The focus will be on providing empathic and compassionate emotional support to Service Users.
The Inpatient LXP will share their lived experience in a way that is constructive and safe
The Inpatient LXP will undertake brief training in order to assist in the delivery of groups and courses

To have a role in assessing suitability of referrals, assisting the delivery of the group alongside a clinician and supporting the organisation around the delivery of the group such as advertising.

• They will assist the evaluation of the project, supporting the use of relevant and appropriate outcome measures and contribute to the write-up and presentation/ dissemination of the project’s evaluation when required.

They will work closely with the Inpatient therapy team members
Attendees at groups and courses will be people of all ages and backgrounds, and as such the Lived Experience practitioner will assist in delivering training which is sensitive to the needs of a range of attendees.
Work within the AWP peer support practice values model and AWP PSWLXP Code of conduct
Enable self-advocacy for Service Users in relation to their care and treatment in AWP and with other organisations they may be working with.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

To work as a fully integrated member of a team consisting of other LXP and AWP clinical staff to deliver groups and courses.
To assist in the delivery of groups to Service Users
To use the principles of psychoeducational approaches and to implement them in all areas of your work.
To champion psychological approaches and lived experience practice when speaking with the wider staff group.
A willingness to share personal lived experiences in an appropriate manner.
To assume an along-side style role supporting group attendees
To assist attendees to identify how they can apply their learning in practice.
To facilitate or assist attendees in identifying appropriate ongoing support (formal or informal), which may aid their own wellbeing or the wellbeing of those the people they care for.
To work under the supervision of line management.
To contribute to the evaluation of the service.
To communicate and manage difficult, challenging conversations in a calm, skilled and sensitive manner.
To exercise good personal time management, punctuality, and consistent reliable attendance.
To be aware of, teach others and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate.
To adhere to relevant operational policy and Trust policies and guidelines.
To attend relevant lived experience training
To attend Trust wide Peer support and lived experience practitioner community of practice
To receive peer practice supervisio

To have a role in assessing suitability of referrals, assisting the delivery of the group alongside a clinician and supporting the organisation around the delivery of the group such as advertising.

• They will assist the evaluation of the project, supporting the use of relevant and appropriate outcome measures and contribute to the write-up and presentation/ dissemination of the project’s evaluation when required