We support, and would consider, applications from those seeking flexible, part-time and/or job-share working arrangement.

This post offers an exciting opportunity for a Psychological Therapist to provide psychological input to the North West Integrated Community Pathways Service (ICPS). The successful candidate will contribute to the delivery of a psychologically-informed service that supports the effective management and engagement of offenders with personality disorders/difficulties whilst they are residing in the community. This will comprise the provision of consultancy (both on a group and individual basis) and training to a range of staff within Probation Service London as well as to other allied professionals. The successful candidate will also hold a caseload of service users, who require comprehensive clinical assessments/formulations/risk management plans, and will contribute to the delivery of intensive psychological interventions across the North West, including Mentalisation Based Treatment, schema therapy or trauma-focused interventions. The service also provides opportunities for developing specialism in particular aspects of service delivery, for example working with women, engaging young people or promoting trauma-informed approaches.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver services under the national Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway to offenders with complex personality difficulties. This provision supports the management /engagement of these service users in the community. The NW ICPS integrates Core Offender Management (CORE-OM) and Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Services (IIRMS). Within Core-OM, the post holder will contribute to a consultation service to Probation Practitioners within NW London and, occasionally, across London. This will involve screening of caseloads, facilitating individual/group consultations and delivering training. The post holder will also contribute to multiagency working, e.g. through MAPPA meetings and liaison with CMHTs. Within IIRMS, the post holder will provide specialist psychological services to the multi-disciplinary team and to offenders with personality difficulties. This will involve completing clinical assessments/formulations/risk management plans, informed by best practice in risk assessment, working with personality disordered offenders and desistance. The post holder will also deliver part of the Enhanced IIRMS treatment programme, which includes MBT, schema therapy, Challenge (for male sexual offenders) and trauma treatments.

The post holder will utilise research skills to enhance service development/delivery through audits and other research/development activities.

The post holder will be required to supervise assistant and trainee psychologists.

About us

LPP is committed to providing a comprehensive training package to all staff in order to promote continuing professional development. Recent training events have focused on structured professional judgement tools, cultural competency and resilience. The service also provides opportunities for developing specialism in particular aspects of service delivery, e.g. working with women or young people, or promoting trauma-informed approaches.

The service covers Camden and Islington, Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Haringey, Ealing, Harrow & Hillingdon, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To formulate, implement and provide ongoing oversight of plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, 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 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 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 formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.

To facilitate cross- and multi-agency meetings and to offer psychological opinion about clinical risk management and subsequent intervention pathways.

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

To act as care coordinator, 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.

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 both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording, and report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance, in accordance with professional codes of practice of required professional accrediting body, and Trust policies and procedures.

To work innovatively and in conjunction with colleagues (both LPP and probation staff) to develop appropriate, evidence based and effective services for those on the OPD pathway.

Teaching, training, and supervision

To receive regular clinical supervision from a suitably qualified and experienced psychological therapist and, where appropriate, other professional colleagues.

To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work, as appropriate.

To provide professional and clinical supervision of Band 6 psychological therapists, assistant/graduate psychologists and, as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of individual cases for trainee psychologists and psychological therapists.

To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of applied psychology and psychological therapy, as appropriate.

To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.

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

To manage the workloads of Band 6 psychological therapists, assistant and graduate psychologists, within the framework of the services policies and procedures.

To develop, with colleagues from probation, health and third-sector organisations peer led/service-user facilitated support, education and treatment programmes.

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 undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues to help develop service provision.

To familiarise themselves with, and to comply with, the Trusts requirements on research governance.

IT responsibilities (other than those used for research)

The post holder will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data and provide this to the Service Manager/Head of Speciality when necessary.

The postholder will engage in relevant computer and IT training as required.

The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that the psychology service staff they are responsible for/supervise engage in relevant computer and IT training as required and will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data.

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, in consultation with the postholders professional and service manager.

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 and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of applied psychology and related disciplines.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.

To be noted:

• This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.

• This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the post holder.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology or its equivalent, accredited by the BPS. Training in models of developmental lifespan psychology, psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology and two or more distinct psychological therapies. HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist. OR A recognised post graduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (or equivalent). Accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) (via having a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions e.g. nursing, psychology, medicine, social work, occupational therapy or evidence of having achieved the Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSA) route) OR A recorded/registered qualification in counselling or psychotherapy and further post accreditation qualification in a nice recommended or evidence-based therapy (e.g. CBT EMDR) Accreditation with a Professional Standards Authority recognised Accreditation Body.

Desirable

• Other relevant CPD qualifications, pre- or post-training. Especially training in working with people with trauma presentations, research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• Training in more than one psychological therapy.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience working with and delivering psychological therapy to those with a diagnosis of personality disorder and/or a history of self-harm and substance misuse and experience of working with complex trauma.
• Experience of delivering brief, primary care, CBT interventions or equivalent
• Experience of working effectively in multidisciplinary settings.
• Experience of teaching and training.

Desirable

• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural and specialist contexts.
• Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
  
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