Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Job summary

This flexible and well supported preceptorship post is ideal for newly qualified or experienced Clinical/Counselling Psychologists seeking to develop well-rounded skills in our Community Mental Health Team and Memory Service. We offer:

-Ample room for expanding and honing competencies, including access to specialist Systemic, CBT, ACT, DBT, FIP, EMDR and Neuropsychological training and supervision.

-Flexibility in agile working and opportunities to work in other parts of the Older People Service.

- Depending on skills and interests, opportunities to support areas including service user involvement and the enhancement of our care pathways for people affected by dementia, personality disorders, trauma and psychosis.

Bexley OPMH Psychological Therapy Team offers a broad range of evidence based psychological interventions and support to all OPMH services. The successful candidate will join the well-established CMHT and Memory Service multi-disciplinary teams, alongside a well regarded and expanding team of Psychological Therapy colleagues

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will provide a comprehensive assessment and therapy service , including neuropsychological assessment, individual, family and group therapy for service users and carers, as well as contributing to the therapeutic functions of the teams including training, supervision, consultation and psychological formulation. The post-holder will be professionally accountable to the OPMH Head of Psychological Therapies, and specialist clinical supervision will be provided within the OPMH service. They will also be supported by the CMHT and Memory Service team managers.

We encourage research and audit interests, including co-producing research with our service users through our strong, co-led, Research-Net group. Supervision and CPD is prioritised in the Trust with a range of training and specialist supervision opportunities available, as well as a newly qualified CPD programme . The Trust Psychological Therapists boast a variety of therapeutic skills including group analysis, psychotherapy, MBT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, art and family therapy and neuropsychology. We welcome students across professions to support the next generation of clinical staff. The successful candidate will be encouraged to consolidate and develop their skills and expertise in a friendly, supportive multi-professional, multi-agency context.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

We're Kind We're Fair We Listen We Care Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to OPMH teams based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources. To formulate and implement plans for formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients dementia/ mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations. 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 clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework or understanding and care to the benefit of all clients or the service, across all the settings and agencies. To undertake risk assessment and management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management. To act as lead professional, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.

Communication

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of care.

Teaching, training and supervision

To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior psychologist and where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues. To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience of psychology. To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work. To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant/graduate psychologists and , to contribute to the supervision of trainee psychologists. To contribute to the pre and post qualification teaching of relevant healthcare staff.

Research and service evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in your work. To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research. To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation

IT Responsibilities

To be proficient in the use of IT for email, intranet, recording and monitoring purposes. To be familiar with word processing, database and statistical packages, and to use such packages for complex data analysis as necessary. To use appropriate computer software for clinical or other service-related documents.

Management and Leadership

Contributing to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service and evaluation and audit. Advising both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing. Management of assistant, graduate and trainee psychologists, including managing workload and implementing appropriate HR policies. Being involved in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists or other staff members. Leading initiatives to support and develop the service eg contributing to the facilitation of away days or supervising non-psychological therapy staff.

General

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. To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision l and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the, HCPC, British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both dementia and to mental health. Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical or counselling psychology. Eligibility for entry onto the HCPC Register of Practitioner Psychologist.

Desirable

Training in psychological interventions that may be applied in the context of trauma or loss ( tf-CBT; EMDR). Training course in clinical supervision.

Experience

Essential

Experience of working under supervision in secondary care mental health services. Experience of specialist psychological assessment and the delivery of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based interventions with service users who have a range of psychological needs of a complex nature. Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.

Desirable

Experience of working in a specialist perinatal mental health service or mental health service in maternity. Experience of the co-production of services and/or working alongside peer support workers. Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision. Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for women presenting with mental health difficulties in the perinatal period. Knowledge of the impact of maternal mental illness on the baby, including the impact on the mother-infant relationship. Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.

Desirable

Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities. Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.

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