University Therapy and Liaison Practitioner | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	11 December 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£38,682 - £46,580 per annum
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	10 January 2026
Location:	Liverpool, L2 2AH
Company:	Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7661510/350-MHC7661510

Summary

The UCOPE (University Community Outpatient Psychotherapy Education) /Office for Students service offers brief psychological intervention to students within six of the main Universities of Liverpool.

The service provides intervention to students who are at risk of self-harm and utilises a blended model of Psychodynamic Interpersonal therapy (PIT) and Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) over a time limited period. The student liaison service forms part of this role, and includes liaison between health care services and Universities
The role delivers brief psychological interventions to university students at risk of self-harm, using a blended model of Psychodynamic Interpersonal Therapy (PIT) and Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT).

Responsibilities include conducting comprehensive clinical assessments, managing risk, and recommending appropriate psychotherapeutic treatments.

The postholder provides up to five structured intervention sessions plus follow-up, supported by training and regular supervision.

Duties involve maintaining accurate clinical records, using screening tools, and monitoring outcomes via CORE and other trust-approved measures.

The role requires collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, universities, and external agencies, including liaison with families and carers where appropriate.

Additional responsibilities include safeguarding, supervising unqualified staff, contributing to audits and service evaluation, and supporting reflective practice within the team.

Strong interpersonal skills, organisational ability, and a proactive approach to crisis management are essential to ensure safe, effective, and evidence-based care for students.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

The UCOPE (University Community Outpatient Psychotherapy Education) /Office for Students service offers brief psychological intervention to students within six of the main Universities of Liverpool.

The service provides intervention to students who are at risk of self-harm and utilises a blended model of Psychodynamic Interpersonal therapy (PIT) and Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) over a time limited period.

The student liaison service forms part of this role, and includes liaison between health care services and Universities

To support the wider services across the mental health care division, to understand the principles of the Psychodynamic Interpersonal therapy (PIT) and Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT)

To conduct comprehensive clinical assessments of patients where needed

To support the clinical management of individuals within the service, which could include assessment and engagement, appropriate signposting, or referral into more suited secondary services such as Community mental health teams or Early intervention services

To make recommendations, based on these assessments, about appropriate psychotherapeutic treatments and issues relating to risk management in order that students receive treatment that is appropriate to their needs.

To use clinically appropriate assessment and screening tools i.e. Clinical Screening Tool for self-harm repetition and suicide to understand nature of presentation.

Provide five psychologically informed Brief Intervention for Self-Harm sessions (based on Psychodynamic Interpersonal Therapy and Cognitive Analytic Therapy) with a one session follow up.

Applicants are not expected to be experienced or trained therapists as training will be delivered once recruitment has occurred. However, applicants will be chosen on the basis of high level interpersonal skills. Regular psychotherapy supervision will be provided.

To run a therapy outcome data base (CORE) and use therapy tracking scales ) as well as trust identified screening tools (PROMS/ReQuol or Dialogue)

To support, develop and review co-produced goal based care plans, along with therapy mapping tools

To contribute to a culture of reflective practice, helping to identify underlying processes and dynamics, and facilitate resolution of conflicts

To model good organisational skills and good boundary management.

To engage in a constructive and honest approach to working with conflict, making good use of supervisory structures

To support and manage clients in crisis through an effective and robust multidisciplinary risk management framework

To work in collaborative partnership with colleagues in the multi-disciplinary team particularly regarding a constructive vigilant attitude to the management of risk.

To attend professional and clinical meetings to advise on the clinical management of clients within the universities

To liaise with family members, carers and significant others when completing the assessment and developing a care plan.

To undertake and supervise risk assessments and formulation of risk management plan for students under your care, taking note of the contributions from other members of the team, family members carers and significant others.

To ensure Safeguarding Children and Adults requirements are followed and participate in meetings as appropriate.

To direct unqualified staff in order to ensure delivery of a high standard of care to students.

To participate in setting standards for care based on sound evidence based and research findings.

To support the development of statistical information and audits, working closely with our data analyst

To participate in the systematic monitoring and evaluation of students.
To communicate to other members of the multi-disciplinary team information which has an impact on the service user’s care.

To use verbal and non-verbal communication skills gained through training or experience to impart sensitive information.

To check understanding of information where there are barriers to effective communications.

To give and receive accurate up-to-date information regarding students’ care in reviews and multi-disciplinary meetings etc. These reviews may be external to the trust.

To have accurate and up-to–date knowledge of the Mental Health Act / Mental Capacity Act and other relevant legislation.

To ensure that all relevant information with regards to a students care and treatment is documented accurately and legibly into the health record. To supervise and monitor the entries made by unqualified staff.

Provide reports both in written and verbal formats as requested.

Responsible for knowing about and following all clinical procedures and policies of the Service, especially with regard to child protection, risk assessment and management and the reporting of incidents.

Ensure that accurate and concise clinical records are kept of all work undertaken to improve communication, facilitate investigations and promote transparency.

To ensure that all incidents or near misses are documented as per trust policy and that any follow up action is taken.

To react pro-actively in cases of service user crisis and put in place immediate plans to resolve the situation with supervision and guidance as appropriate.

To supervise nursing, social work, allied professionals and other students

To actively participate in team and triage meetings.

To participate in the induction of new staff.

To actively participate in clinical audits, issues of clinical effectiveness and research, including the on-going assessment, monitoring and evaluation of the clinical work.

To keep up-to-date and engaged with developments in the NHS, particularly in regard to assessment, risk assessment and psychosocial interventions


This advert closes on Monday 5 Jan 2026