Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Job summary

The Merton CAMHS Single Point of Access (SPA) is a friendly, supportive team is based at Birches House, Mitcham. The team is multi-disciplinary and provides mental health screening assessments and brief family consultation interventions to children and adolescents experiencing a range of mental health, neurodevelopmental and emotional health difficulties. We aim to assess families within two weeks of receiving a referral.

Main duties of the job

The role is part of an exciting project to develop new support streams within Merton SPA. These include self-referrals for 16 and 17 years old, short-term treatment sessions and enhanced consultation to schools through our regular consultation slots. We have recently received additional funding for this role. The role will involve supporting the 8b in providing leadership to Merton SPA. This includes providing supervision to band 7 qualified clinicians, assistant psychologists and students, and taking a lead role in implementing these new support streams. The successful candidate will also take a lead in the day-to-day running of Merton SPA including supporting with case discussions for more junior colleagues. The role will also involve triaging and assessments within Merton SPA.

Supervision will be provided by senior 8a and 8b SPA Lead already in post.

We are looking for a Clinical Psychologist / Counselling Psychologist with strong communication and assessment skills who can work well under pressure. If you are looking for an interesting role that would support professional development this could be the job for you.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

About our locations:

Mitcham (Merton)

Based at Birches House overlooking the cricket green in Mitcham. The Merton CAMHS team base is convenient for local amenities and transport links.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complexdata from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and management of a childs difficulties and distress, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the childs problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy. To be responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic interventions employed individually and in synthesis, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining formulations or understandings, drawing upon different explanatory models and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of efficacy. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options in line with relevant theoretical and therapeutic models and the factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of an individual case load that can include individual, family, and group-based treatment. To provide specialist clinical advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to a childs formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and to provide advice to other teams and services on specialist risk assessment and risk management for this client group. To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans including children, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care. To communicate, in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children to parents and carers. To ensure effective communication within the team and share relevant information as required. To implement and participate in crisis intervention measures with families in conjunction with other agencies.

Teaching, Training, and Supervision

To participate in individual and team-based clinical supervision as required. To receive regular operational, clinical and professional supervision as appropriate. To provide clinical supervision to trainee psychologists or psychotherapists as appropriate to discipline. To contribute to pre- and post-qualification teaching. To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings.

Training and Development

To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy. To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Performance Appraisal and Development Review (PADR). To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).

Management, Recruitment, Policy and Service Development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit. To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological, psychotherapeutic, and organisational matters need addressing. To be involved in recruitment including short listing and interviewing of candidates. To contribute to a culture that is therapeutic, accessible, inclusive and flexible to meet the needs of the local population.

Research and Service Evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members. To undertake research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research as required. To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to develop service provision.

Other

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s). To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice and Trust policies and procedures. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health. To work within policy, professional and legal frameworks at all times and have a clear understanding of ones Code of Professional Conduct, risk assessment and child protection protocols, Mental Health Act and CPA, and Trust clinical policies. Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

Educated to degree level or equivalent Professional postgraduate qualification(s) in one of the following disciplines: oClinical Psychology oCounselling Psychology Registered with an appropriate professional body (HCPC, NMC, ACP, UKCP)

Desirable

Supervision training relevant to discipline

Experience

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of people with a wide range of mental health problems, of varying severity and complexity Significant experience of working with children with mental health problems in a variety of community settings Experience of multi-disciplinary team working Experience of inter-agency working Experience and skills in risk assessment and management Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a qualified psychological therapist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Director of Psychology

Desirable

Experience of the use of a variety of therapeutic tools Experience of working with diverse communities Experience of working with emotionally dysregulated service users

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