Senior Research Clinical Psychologist

Job summary

This post will be split between two NIHR-funded, multi-site clinical trials: The Feeling Safer trial ( as part of the Psychosis Research Unit) and the Bipolar At-Risk Trial ( as part of the Youth Mental Health Research Unit).

The post-holder will have a central role in the trial, being responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the Feeling Safer trial within the local NHS trust. This will include delivering psychological therapy, supervising research assistants in the recruitment and assessment of trial participants, and supervising other intervention delivery staff in the delivery of the will receive supervision from Prof Daniel Freeman (Chief Investigator) and Dr Felicity Waite from the lead site in Oxford, in addition to local supervision from Professor Tony Morrison.

This post will include the support of the BART II trial, namely Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for young people meeting bipolar at-risk criteria (CBTBAR) throughout the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation (GMMH) footprint. The postholder will receive specialist manualised therapy training and frequent supervision from Professor Sophie Parker to conduct CBTBAR with this group. Other responsibilities will include contributing to the planning, coordinating and completing different research projects undertaken at the Youth Mental Health Research Unit. This will include the provision of clinical supervision to others Research Assistants.

Main duties of the job

To provide highly specialist, cognitive-behavioural assessment, formulation, therapy and supervision in the context of the clinical trials. Training in the interventions will be provided.

Responsibility for the organisation, day-to-day management, and running of one site of a large randomised controlled trial (Feeling Safer) with patients with psychosis and persecutory delusions. It will be particularly important to meet recruitment targets, ensure a high retention rate in the trial, and a high uptake of the Feeling Safer treatment.

To supervise other staff in the delivery of the treatment, ensuring high rates of engagement and fidelity to the protocol.

To supervise the research assistants working on the trial, ensuring recruitment targets are achieved, assessments are completed, and blinding of research assessors is maintained.

About us

The Psychosis Research Unit promotes a normalising approach to understanding psychosis. We believe experiences and beliefs commonly regarded as symptoms of psychosis are often highly understandable reactions to adverse life events. Our primary aim is to develop ways of reducing the distress of people with these experiences, as well as developing ways of restoring their autonomy and dignity. We have a strong emphasis on the involvement of service users and people with lived experience of psychosis in our research.

The Youth Mental Health Research Unit (YMHRU) at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is focused on early intervention, prevention of long-term mental health problems, reducing stigma and discrimination, and improving psychosocial interventions. Through a focus on early intervention, reducing stigma and discrimination, and innovative research, we hope to make a lasting impact on mental health outcomes for young people.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Heading

Duty/Responsibility

Clinical responsibilities

To administer cognitive behaviour therapy to participants taking part in research studies at PRU.

To deliver the therapy according to the study treatment protocol to ensure a consistent approach is taken throughout the trials.

To contribute to the developmental aspects of advancement of theory and clinical practice necessary for modification of the treatment manual for acute patient presentations.

To participate in training and clinical supervision and accept overall guidance from the Principal Investigator to ensure the study is conducted in a consistent and effective manner.

To liaise effectively with the other research therapists and team members to ensure communication about all aspects of the study are maintained.

To keep and file detailed and accurate records to ensure the correct data, as required for the study, is collected and recorded.

To adhere to high standards of data recording to ensure patient confidentiality is maintained.

To maintain links with appropriate personnel within the Trust to ensure there is twoway communication between the research team and Trust.

To undertake other appropriate duties as deemed necessary relevant to the position of SeniorTrial Therapist/Clinical Psychologist.

To be responsible for recording, monitoring and reporting on clinical and research work and communicating, in a skilled and sensitive manner, complex clinical information (including assessment, formulation, treatment plans and progress) to a variety of recipients ( trial colleagues, funder, patients, carers, other professionals) orally, in writing and electronically.

To engage in regular clinical supervision with the PRU team and contribute to the development of the research.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual participants as appropriate.

To develop and maintain the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the Principal Investigator and the Research and Development Manger within the Trust.

To provide clinical supervision and line management as needed for research assistants working on the trials.

To assess and manage any risk issues that are reported by research assistants.

To provide clinical supervision and line management to other staff delivering the interventions, including peer support workers, graduate mental health workers, therapists and clinical psychologists who are taking part in the trials.

Professional responsibilities

Organise own day-to-day activities; plan and prioritise own clinical workload and coordinate the activity of other trial staff.

Manage own waiting lists and patterns of participant attendance in consultation with supervisors and line management.

Develop professional skills in research, service evaluation, outcome measures and audit to contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the PRU teams operational policies and procedures.

To participate in writing papers for publication where appropriate to the role.

To be aware of national developments, attend national events and undertake any necessary and relevant training to keep up to date with research developments and related issues as required.

Comply with data management and quality assurance according to regulatory guidelines (ICH GCD and Data Protection Act 1998).

Comply with departmental policies concerning security, safety and patient confidentiality and to ensure that procedures are carried out with safe systems of work and current legislation

Keep appropriate records of clinical supervision of CBT trainees.

To assess the clinical and written work of CBT trainees where appropriate.

Assignment and Review of Work

The caseload will be generated and assigned by chief investigators and senior clinicians working on trials at PRU.

The post holder will be managed on a day-to-day basis by Dr Samantha Bowe, and Prof Tony Morrison.

Clinical supervision for the trials will be provided by appropriate experts within the research team.

The post holder will work within the agreed protocols for studies running at PRU and, as an employee of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, will adhere to local policies, procedures and codes of practice.

Comply with regulatory guidelines and NHS Trust policies

Comply with data management and quality assurance according to regulatory guidelines (ICH GCD and Data Protection Act 1998).

Comply with University and NHS Trust policies concerning security, safety and patient confidentiality and to ensure that procedures are carried out with safe systems of work and current legislation.

To ensure that the Safe Working Practices guidance is adhered to when researchers are visiting participants in their own home or at a service.

The post holder is expected to comply with all the relevant trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those related to equal opportunities, health and safety and confidentiality of information.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Doctorate in clinical psychology Experience of providing cognitive-behavioural approaches to clients experiencing psychosis and/or bipolar disorder minimum of 2 years post-qualification experience

Skills

Essential

Excellent cognitive therapy skills, including the ability to deliver a protocol intervention adherently and to a high standard of competence. excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) Ability to supervise graduate psychologists and researchers.

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