Practitioner Psychologist

We are looking for an enthusiastic and innovative Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to work in our Community mental health services in North West Sussex (NWS). This exciting and varied full-time Band 7 post is located in the Mid Sussex Assessment and Treatment Team, with bases in Haywards Heath and East Grinstead. It is commutable from Brighton and London.

This post sits in a team alongside several other psychological therapists including psychologists and CBT therapists. The psychological therapists are embedded within a cohesive, experienced and friendly MDT which really welcomes psychological interventions and collaborative working. There is a very positive relationship between psychology and other disciplines within the team.

We are looking for someone with competencies in working with people with complex mental health difficulties and skills in evidenced based interventions. The post holder will also support psychological practice within the team by contributing a psychological perspective to team working and treatment planning and supervising psychologically informed work.

Applicants due to complete their training in September 2023 are welcome to apply. Interviews will be held in person in Haywards Heath on Weds 22ndFebruary 2023. Please do get in touch for an informal conversation to find out more about the role.

To protect the health and safety of our staff and patients, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

The post holder will provide assessments for psychological therapy and evidence-based interventions for a range of complex mental health problems (e.g. complex PTSD, psychosis, moderate-severe OCD/anxiety/depression and EUPD). They will be expected to provide psychological assessments, interventions and staff support such as reflective practice, training and de briefing. The ability to work alongside the MDT in case formulation, management of complex risk and team development will be essential. We are looking for a recovery focused Practitioner psychologist with a strong commitment to team working and service user involvement.

The post holder may provide supervision of psychologically informed practitioners such as Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioners and Assistant Psychologists.

We would welcome applicants with experience, training or interest in working with clients with complex mental health problems. Linked to this, there has been a recent expansion in funded training opportunities in the Trust for interventions such as CBT for psychosis, schema-informed CBT for complex emotional difficulties and Compassionate Resilience groups for PTSD.

The post holder will facilitate and lead on certain groups and group experience would be helpful. Some previous groups have included mindfulness based cognitive therapy, compassion-focused therapy, CBT for OCD, overcoming depression and groups for EUPD such as STEPPS and DBT skills.

Staff wellbeing is of central importance in the trust and remains at the forefront of our ongoing agenda both within psychological therapies and within the MDT leadership team. There is an emphasis on encouraging and supporting our staff to develop, whilst working in psychologically safe environments.

We are committed to the promotion of excellent professional standards by embedding professional practice within the Trust clinical governance structures and we facilitate continuing professional development by a range of support structures. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust promotes high quality clinical research, and our links with the research and development department are valued and strong. Recent examples of this include links with the Sussex Voices Clinic and the development of both a Compassionate Resilience clinic and SUPER (paranoia) clinic, operating in North West Sussex.

**Living and Working in West Sussex**:

- Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns
- According to the Met Office, West Sussex is the sunniest county in the UK, making exploring the vast countryside all the more enjoyable

We'd love you to join our Trust, rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by the CQC.
- work as a member of the mid Sussex ATS team, providing high quality evidence-based psychological therapy to clients, their families or carers. In addition, to support psychological practice within the team through consultation, supervision, formulation and training and by participating in systematic clinical governance. To work with complex presentations suitable for psychological therapy in the team, utilising a high level of knowledge and experience and adapting approaches as appropriate, with regard to evidence based practice

To be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload and to exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the planning and prioritising of own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients, within the bounds of the service opera