Senior Psychosocial Practitioner

Job summary The IrisCentre, is the Therapeutic Community which forms part of the PersonalityDisorder and Complex Emotional Need Pathway.
It is a specialist team of mentalhealth professionals with qualifications and experience in offeringpsychotherapy and treatment to individuals with Severe and Complex personalitydifficulties.
The team includes psychosocial practitioners, Group Analysts,psychotherapists and Consultant Medical Psychotherapists.
This service wascommissioned to offer care and treatment to individuals with a diagnosis ofSevere and Complex Personality Disorder who have received treatment in out ofarea placements or would likely need to be treated in out of area placements,and to support the effective care and treatment of individuals with a diagnosisof personality disorder in community networks.We are lookingfor an experienced and dynamic individual with a passion for working with thosewho attract the diagnosis of Personality disorder.
The successful candidatewill join our highly skilled team and play a key role in the development of ourwork streams.Whatis Psychosocial Practice?Theclients who are referred to the Service often find that those activities, whichmost of us perform without thinking, are charged with emotion and conflict tosuch a degree that there is a breakdown in the manageability of dailylife.
The Psychosocial aspect aims toaddress, in a relational way, the difficulty clients have in carrying out theactivities of the day.
Main duties of the job Psychosocial group work encourages clients to use everyday tasks and relationships as a means of managing disturbance and also for exploring possibilities for change and growth.
It is not based solely on the tasks of the group but on the emotional reactions aroused when carrying them out and the group work includes promoting discussion about both these aspects.The practitioners try to erode the traditional professional: client dynamic in order to nurture the clients adult/functioning side to enable the clients to take as much responsibility for the effective functioning of the group as possible.
Key Qualities/Skills required Openness to both conscious and unconscious communication and recognises behaviours and affects are communication Communicates in a clear direct manner and actively listens and engages with others to further their understanding Can adapt the mode of communication appropriate to the audience Avoids telling others what to think but provides/creates opportunities for understanding to grow / develop / emerge.
Can think about ones own capacities and deficits in relation to the work.
Can work by continually being aware of ones responses to others and ones self Self-reflection / awareness - desire to know why one is drawn to this work Has self-knowledge - able to self-talk - adopt a third position About us About Devon Partnership TrustWe provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally.
We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing.
We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we doOur valuesWe not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values.
These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion.
We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010.
Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible.
We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities.
We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job description Job responsibilities Duties and ResponsibilitiesCommunication and Working Relationship SkillsCollaborate closely with the staff team offering the treatment programme in the other parts of the Personality Disorder & Complex Emotional Needs Pathway.Be committed to developing thoughtful and reflective relationships with other team members and service users.Contribute to the teams engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including staff, service users, their carers and other statutory and voluntary sector agencies.Impart complex and sensitive information to:Patients and families/carers re assessment, care planning, treatment and review.Multi-disciplinary teams to ensure the provision of consistent well coordinated care.Primary care teams regarding client care.External agencies also involved in the provision of care voluntary and private sector, police, social services, housing, employment etc.Service user/carer groups.Maintain professional working relationships with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and in the support of the treatment of personality disorders in community networks.Contribute to the safe and effective day to day operations of the service including the handling of clinical enquiries.Present information, some of which may be challenging to patients and their families/carers.Provide and receive information, some of which may be contentious, sensitive and highly complex, to and from individuals and their families/carers, where there may be barriers to their understanding.Provide a high standard of written and verbal communication, which is clear and in line with professional documentation standards.Participate in and chair clinical meetings, professional meetings and clinical risk meetings.Demonstrate the ability to communicate in a way that is empathic and reassuring whilst employing negotiating techniques to gain co-operation from highly complex individuals.Communicate information in a way that makes it relevant and understandable for service users and carers, working in line with practice standards and operational policies.Communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere, including situations where communications which are highly complex, sensitive or contentious and the degree of hostility and antagonism require the use of a high level of interpersonal and communication skills on an on-going basis.Analytical and Judgemental SkillsCan understand and acknowledge issues of authority, power, and leadership.Can understand the varied reasons for organisational anxiety, the defences which operate to avoid this and ones own role in managing this.Work with complex clinical situations requiring thoughtful analysis and interpretation of a range of factors and considerations, such as, safeguarding, risk, challenging behaviours whilst holding in mind unconscious processes and communications.Assessing and managing complex risk presentations within a relational and organisational context.Planning and Organisational SkillsConvene and attend management and professional meetings as required.Actively participate in team and other agency discussions to ensure the identification of need and participate in the development and delivery of integrated local services in line with local need.Responsible for planning and co-ordinating own day to day work load in collaboration with the needs of the community and the wider needs of the service.Ensure that interventions are planned in an integrated and co-ordinated manner particularly where dependent on other external agencies.Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and TherapyResponsible for developing care packages including assessing, planning, intervention and evaluation.
Ensuring active involvement of service users and their carers.Undertake psychosocial assessments of referred patients and contribute to the formulation and treatment planning.Provide specialist advice to referrers/other multi-disciplinary staff in relation to the care of the client.Enable communication and engagement of individuals and their carers to ensure that they have a voice about the services they receive and how these are developed.
This may include engagement of advocacy services.Document clinical activity in a timely and accurate manner, in line with professional guidance and best practice.
.Participate in safeguarding children to level 3 as set out in Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competencies for Health Care staff.Support the care pathway for the treatment of people with a diagnosis of personality disorder.Deliver interventions in one to one and group formats.Support the care and treatment of people with a diagnosis of personality disorder by other clinicians, teams and services.Responsibility for Policy and Service Development ImplementationParticipate in programmes of audit and research within the team and implement the findings.Contribute to professional clinical governance arrangements in order to ensure the quality of the service provided.Participate in the development of the Personality Disorder & Complex Needs Pathway.Be involved in the development of local systems and processes that promote the implementation of Trust policies.Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other ResourcesResponsible for care of own equipment.Responsibility for Human Resources, Supervision, Training, HR Advice and ManagementProvide clinical supervision for a number of qualified staff.In conjunction with Psychotherapists ensure the team makes reflective practice a key aspect of the clinical day.Take a clinical lead in the absence of the team leader.Mentor students allocated to the team.Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative DutiesMaintain up to date client records in a timely and accurate manner.Responsibility for Research and DevelopmentParticipate in research and development.Freedom to ActThe post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, head of Profession and General Manager.Work within the operational and service specifications.Work without direct supervision and take accountability for your own actions.Act autonomously within the health and social care framework to make clinical and non-clinical decisions and consults with senior staff and/or manager in accordance with their professional judgement.Any Other Specific Tasks RequiredEnsure that statutory training associated with the post is undertaken.Participate in own clinical supervision and PDR.Undertake any other reasonable management request.There is a requirement to work flexibly across both community and Iris sites.Professional DutiesCommunicate information in a way that makes it relevant and understandable for service users and carers, working to the principles of the functions policy implementation guidelines and practice in line with the standards and values set out in them.Ensure a duty of care to your patients and clients, who are entitled to receive safe and competent care.
The Service Users wishes, feelings, values and beliefs should be taken into consideration as well as the views of the people close to them.Take personal accountability for your own practice.
This means that you are answerable for your actions and omissions, regardless of advice or directions from another professional.Ensure that you remain professionally competent by participating in your own and others clinical supervision.Review of this Job DescriptionThis job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing service needs.
This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.
Person Specification Knowledge and Skills Essential A sound theoretical understanding of Personality Disorders.
Understanding of the emotional impacts of working with people with complex needs likely to receive a diagnosis of personality disorder.
An excellent understanding of the Mental Health Act, Deprivation of Liberty Knowledge of the role of psychosocial practice in the treatment of individuals with a diagnosis of personality disorder.
Understanding of the emotional impacts of working with people with complex needs likely to receive a diagnosis of personality disorder.
Act and Mental Health Capacity Act.
Desirable Awareness of community structures and social care options and processes.
Understanding of recovery principles in mental health.
Knowledge of working to the principles of a therapeutic community.
Qualifications Essential A core mental health qualification (includes HCPC registered qualifications) RMN, CQSW/ASW, BSc/Diploma in OT, SROT, Chartered Clinical Psychologist.
Introductory training in psychotherapy such as psychodynamic approaches, group therapy approaches or demonstrable proven experience of working in a Therapeutic Community, with patients attracting a diagnosis of personality disorder.
IT Skills Desirable Postgraduate training, qualification or equivalent experience relevant to the treatment of individuals with a diagnosis of personality disorder Experience Essential Extensive experience of working with people with a diagnosis of personality disorder Significant post qualifying experience.
Experience of working at a senior clinical level.
Experience of working within a community mental health setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
Experience of providing clinical supervision.
Work experience of enablement rather than doing for people.
Willingness to use supervision.
Ability to manage/experience of managing difficult situations.
Experience of risk assessment and risk management processes.
Ability to cope with impact of emotional distress.
Desirable Experience of managing staff.
Experience of setting up or working within a new service.