Senior Clinical Psychologist/Senior Psychotherapist

Job summary

This permanent post is in the Mood, Anxiety, PTSD, Psychotherapy Service (MAPPS), part of the Specialist Psychotherapy Service (SPS). You'll need an enthusiasm for, and experience of working with service users with complex needs in multidisciplinary teams. We are aiming to recruit someone who has experience of providing time limited interventions for people with complex emotional needs and/or experiences of complex trauma.

This post involves working as part of an MDT providing highly specialised evidence-based psychological therapies to people with complex PTSD, anxiety and mood disorders. The role involves direct clinical work with service users and their families/carers, psychological interventions for people who require highly specialised psychological therapies and for whom there has been an inadequate response to 'first line' interventions, or for whom these interventions are not appropriate.

We are looking for a Senior Psychological Therapist/Clinical Psychologist who is qualified and registered with the relevant body (Health Professions Council, NMC, BABCP, ACAT, UKCP, BPS) who is interested in working with adults with clinical complexity.

Our longest waiting times are for Trauma-Focused Psychotherapies for PTSD, so an ability to deliver safe, effective, evidence-based Trauma Focused Psychotherapy to this population is key. We particularly welcome applicants trained in our core trauma focused therapy approaches (EMDR and/or CBT).

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy at the same time as offering highly specialised advice and consultation on service users' psychological care to psychologist/therapist colleagues, non-colleagues and to other, non-professional carers.

In common with all Clinical Psychologists/Psychotherapists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with good practice.

To provide clinical supervision and line management to less experienced psychologists/psychological therapists, assistant(s), trainee(s) or other professionals.

To contribute to the work of the team through regular participation in team meetings, governance, team development slots and collaboration with other senior members of the team.

To contribute to team working groups, for example, around developing our co-production strategy, inclusivity, staff well-being or outcome measures.

To take sole professional responsibility and exercise autonomous professional and clinical judgement within the overall framework of Trust, HCPC/BPS/BABCP/RCN or other accrediting organisation as appropriate and other policies/guidelines/standards.

To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team.

About us

We are passionate about providing the very best care to the people we support, and we're looking for amazing people who share this passion to join us.

What is it that makes our Trust such a special place to work? Well, it's all about the people. Our staff, service users, carers and families all come from such diverse backgrounds and all have expertise and stories to share.

It's important that you feel supported in your role, that the people who you work with are as passionate as you are and that your health and wellbeing is taken care of.

If you're interested in developing your career, you'll have access to a range of training and education opportunities, including apprenticeships, work experience and placements, as well as the chance to get involved in research.

We are all very proud of the difference we make to people's lives each and every day and if that's something that you'd like to be part of we'd love to have you with us.

We aim to be an organisation that is diverse and inclusive and to meet this aim we welcome applications from people with a wide range of life experience and whose diversity echoes the diversity of Sheffield, that of the people who use our services, and that of the people who may need to use our services but face barriers to access. We have six diverse staff network groups that welcome new members.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide highly specialist psychotherapy assessments to service users referred to the Team, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the persons care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment/ psychotherapy implementation and/or management of a service users problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the persons problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across a full range of care settings.

To work on a daily basis in face to face individual, family and/or in group therapy settings with service users presenting with highly complex and distressing psychological problems.

To be responsible for implementing a range of specialist psychotherapeutic interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of different provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychotherapy based standard care plans.

To provide highly specialist psychological/psychotherapeutic advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals (both psychologists/psychotherapists and non-psychologists) contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all users of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the service user group.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To coordinate, where appropriate, complex intervention plans, taking responsibility for initiating planning and reviews of plans, and including service users, their carers, referring agents and others involved in the network of care.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor progress during both the course of uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

Teaching, Training and Supervision

To receive regular clinical and professional supervision in accordance with professional practice HCPC, BPS/BABCP/RCN, UKCP or other accrediting organisation as required ACAT and Trust guidelines.

To provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work, as appropriate.

To provide supervision for trainee psychological therapists/clinical psychologists (as appropriate)

To provide clinical supervision to less experienced qualified clinical psychologists/psychotherapists, counsellors, assistant(s), or other professionals

To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of psychotherapy/clinical psychology.

To provide highly specialised advice, consultation and training to staff (including psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and non-psychologists) working with the service user group across a range of agencies and settings.

Management, Recruitment, Policy, Organisational and Service Development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of aspects of the teams clinical practice through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.

To contribute to the governance of psychotherapy practice within their own team by developing and collecting relevant measures of outcome and audit and to provide consultation to other health and social care professionals to enable them to develop their own effective systems of governance.

To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant psychologists and other more junior staff and other recruitment where appropriate.

To manage the work of assistant psychologists and other psychological therapists where appropriate within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.

To manage any waiting lists within the team and participate as a senior clinician in the allocation of cases taking into account skill mix and caseload. To respond to referrals, making autonomous professional and clinical judgements based upon complex information, prioritising accordingly and contributing to multidisciplinary decision making.

To implement the policies and propose changes to working practices/procedures concerning professional good practice for the provision of psychotherapy services as applicable to the Team in order to ensure the highest standards of service to the service user group.

To propose policy or service changes which impact beyond own area of activity by participation in Trust working parties and other local development groups.

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 appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.

To supervise DClinPsy/Psychotherapists research projects as appropriate.

To supervise the research activities of assistant psychologists where appropriate

To initiate, undertake and supervise project management, service evaluations and complex audits with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

To disseminate research findings through publications and conference presentations.

Working Environment

To provide psychotherapeutic care to service users and their carers in the least restrictive and least stigmatising environment.

The job role will involve working alone in situations where there may be some risk of verbal or physical aggression from service users, carers, and the general public.

General Requirements

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 contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychotherapy across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology/psychotherapy and related disciplines.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC, BPS, UKCP and other accrediting organisations ( ACAT, EMDR Association) as appropriate and Trust policies and procedures.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues.

To attend and contribute to relevant professional meetings.

To develop and maintain good working relationships with colleagues within Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust and in the statutory and voluntary services with the aim of promoting high standards of care and clinical practice

To maintain professional registration as a Psychological Therapist/Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and to maintain accreditation as required/appropriate with other accrediting organisations

Person Specification

Training and qualifications

Essential

Post-graduate, doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the HCPC and/or BPS Registration as a Clinical Psychologist with the HCPC OR Post-graduate Diploma qualification in a therapy modality relevant to the service or additional therapeutic training Full accreditation and registration with the relevant professional body related to the psychotherapeutic training BABCP/BACP/UKCP or other body, dependant upon therapeutic modality. Additional and relevant accredited psychotherapeutic training relevant to a trauma informed clinical model including psychotherapy, CBT, CAT, EMDR or other psychotherapy qualification. A core mental health professional qualification and, where required, registration ( Psychotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Registered Mental Health Nurse or other)

Desirable

Qualification in another recognised NHS psychotherapy model such as EMDR, CAT, CBT etc. Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology/psychotherapy. Additional, post-qualification short courses Formal training/qualifications as a clinical supervisor

Experience

Essential

Ability to work with service users presenting with complex psychological difficulties, including those who have difficulties AW personality disorder/complex trauma

Qualifications

Essential

Significant experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of service users with difficulties associated with a diagnosis of anxiety, mood disorders and/or PTSD/complex trauma, using a limited-limited therapy intervention. Ability to work with service users presenting with complex psychological difficulties. Ability to work with the potential of individuals or their carers becoming highly distressed, abusive or aggressive. Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse. Evidence of being able to work effectively in multi-disciplinary settings and teams Experience of working with physical health conditions Demonstrates further training/experience normally through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a psychological therapist or clinical psychologist

Desirable

Experience of teaching and/or training Experience of providing supervision Experience of the application of clinical psychology/psychotherapy or other psychotherapeutic modality in different cultural contexts.

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