Clinical Psychologist

Job summary

The principal purpose of this jobis to improve the psychological health and wellbeing of women using thePerinatal Mental Health Service, their babies and their families.

Main duties of the job

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:

1.Providing a Clinical Psychology service to peopleusing the Perinatal Mental Health service,as a key component of services provided by Devon Partnership Trust

2.Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to clients, family members, carers and professionals.

3.Providing clinical supervision for trainees and volunteers employed by, or attached to, the Perinatal Mental Health Teams, and to the Psychology Service, as required.

4.Supported by senior colleagues within their specialist field, the post holder will be expected to make good use of the expertise of others within the service to further develop their clinical skills with this client group.

5.Working autonomously within professional guidelines and exercising responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional andTrust guidelines.

6.Receiving regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society.

7.Observing, and abiding by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice. The post holder will be fully registered with the appropriate recognized professional body.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed. Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day to day basis. Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health and social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice. Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the Trust. To foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Planning and Organisation

The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of the provision of psychological services within the Perinatal Mental Health teams to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities. The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy knowledge to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of the perinatal mental health service

Responsibility for Judgement and Analysis

To provide specialist clinical psychology expertise and advice. To provide assessments; to develop specialist psychological formulations and plans for psychological treatment; and to implement specialist psychological interventions for individuals, couples, families and groups. Experience of both individual and couple/family/group approaches is required. To support the Professional Lead, Perinatal Service Managers, Practice and Strategic Development Leads and Head of Profession by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological assessments; develop specialist psychological formulations and plans for psychological treatment and implement specialist psychological interventions for individuals, couples, families and groups. To make skilled evaluations about the management of risk. To demonstrate awareness of diversity issues. Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of client care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines. Policy & service: To support policy changes and service development within the Perinatal Mental Health Team, the Psychological and Psychological Therapy Service and the Trust. R & D: To support the R&D activities of the Perinatal Mental Health Teams and the Psychology and Psychological Therapy Service.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under own use.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management

Leadership & supervision: To supervise the work of assistants, trainees and/or volunteers as required. To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines

Information Resources and Administrative Duties

To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards. To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Responsibility for Research and Development

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work within the Perinatal Mental Health Service and Psychology and Psychological Therapies service. To support project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation. To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.

Freedom to Act

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trustguidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager. To provide specialist clinical/counselling psychology/psychological therapy expertise and advice/guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of client care to clients, colleagues, other service providers, supporters and families.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership. To ensure continuous updating of skills and techniques relevant to the clinical work. Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Qualified Clinical Psychologist ( eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status with the British Psychological Society and Registered with HCPC.

Desirable

Further training or experience in Perinatal Mental Health Further training in related area Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy IT Skills

Experience

Essential

Knowledge and familiarity of specialist mental health services and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychological therapies are commonly applied. Knowledge of policies and procedures relating to Child Protection Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings. Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality. Experience of working under supervision in secondary care adult mental health services

Desirable

Knowledge of specialist services for mothers and babies within the perinatal period Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting. Experience of working with perinatal and postnatal women with severe and complex mental health difficulties. Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

Essential

Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective. Proven organisational, planning and time management skills Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines Clear telephone voice Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people Ability to work independently and use initiative within a service consisting of a network of teams Ability to work as a member of a clinical team Ability to tolerate ambiguity and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts Ability to travel within the geographical area covered by the Devon Perinatal Community Mental Health Teams Be fully mobile around the Trust to meet the demands of the role

Desirable

Project management skills / experience

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