Clinical / Counselling Psychologist

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

We are looking to appoint a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to work in the psychosis pathway in Barking and Dagenham Mental Health and Wellness Teams (MHWTs). The post is based at Barking Community Hospital.
 
The post holder will join a well-established psychological professions team, working across the Mental Health and Wellness Teams in Barking and Dagenham. The post holder will provide assessment and evidence-based interventions for clients experiencing psychosis, including individual, group, and family work. The post holder will be expected to work within the multidisciplinary team and offer support and supervision on psychological 
approaches to working with psychosis. 
The post will suit an enthusiastic psychologist with an interest in developing skills in applying evidence-based psychological therapies with this client group and working with multi-disciplinary teams.
The post holder will be part of a supportive psychological therapies service who work closely alongside a range of professionals, including community psychology and with complex presentations. The post holder will be expected to participate in supervision and CPD focused 
on evidence-based interventions in psychosis. This includes monthly supervision and practice development groups on Family Intervention, and group supervision in CBT for psychosis, in addition to individual supervision. The service has practitioners interested in ACT, Compassion 
Focused Therapies and EMDR, amongst other approaches.

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist psychological assessments for service-users based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of highly complex, sensitive and data. 
• Undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
• To formulate evidence based treatment plans, based on sound and current theoretical knowledge and good practice. 
• Make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about a range of 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 involve service users and their carers in planning and delivery of care.
• To provide psychological interventions to service users experiencing psychosis and their families and carers.
• To provide interventions in a manner that is consistent with evidence-based practice. 
• Implement a range of highly specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups specifically addressing the needs of people who have a diagnosis of psychosis.

Working for our organisation

Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focusing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff). 

High Cost Area Supplement - London

This post attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,551 and a maximum payment of £5,735 per annum pro rata).

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand and practice all relevant Trust and local policies and procedures. 
• Raise quality issues and related risks with team manager or senior manager. 
• Evaluate the quality of own work, making improvements when necessary. 
• Have a good understanding of the Trust’s Service User Led Standards and how it impacts on the performance of their team. 
• Be responsible for ensuring that accurate legible records are kept in accordance with Trust policies and legal requirements. 
• Report all complaints and or incidents in accordance with Trust procedures and ensure that the line manager is informed. 
• Cooperate with any investigation within the Trust. 
• To contribute to the operation of the Care Programme Approach process ensuring a full and comprehensive assessment including risk, the development of a care plan and reviews. 
• To be responsible for the management and prioritization of own work. 
• To participate in the setting of clinical standards of care in line with Clinical Governance. 
• To ensure all clinical policies and procedures are adhered to. 
• Assist in ensuring clinical audit becomes part of everyday practice.

Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

HCPC registered practitioner psychologist

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working in secondary care with clients experiencing psychosis Experience of working in a range of secondary care settings, including MDT working

Skills

Essential criteria

Skills in delivering evidence based interventions for people with psychosis Skills in offering assessments for complex clinical presentations

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Knowledge of a wide range of psychological approaches relevant to the client group

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.

---