An exciting opportunity has arisen in our multidisciplinary Integrated Care Services for an experienced clinical, counselling or health psychologist, supporting the delivery of training and consultancy to Care Homes in Hertfordshire, with the aim of reducing distressed behaviour in residents who are living with dementia.

The service is a true example of integrated physical and mental health care, with the psychologist role very much viewed as an integral part of the team. This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in its ongoing development, and to be involved in a cutting edge service.

The post holder will join an established and supportive wider team of multi-disciplinary professionals and psychologists working with older people.

Main duties of the job

• Training and consultancy to staff groups in relation to understanding and reducing distressed behaviour in care home residents who are living with dementia.
• Advice and consultation on psychological care and wellbeing to non-psychology colleagues and professional carers.
• Advice on specialist psychological assessment, formulation and delivery of evidence based psychological treatment in relation to behaviour of concern in the context of dementia.
• Clinical supervision and support of psychological and behavioural assessment interventions provided by assistants, and other members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment.
• Use of research skills for audit, policy and service development and research.
• Contributing psychological expertise to assist service development and policy change within the area served by the post.
• Governance of psychological practice within the service.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Job description

Job responsibilities

• You will provide specialist training, support, guidance, and consultation in relation to distressing behaviour and behaviours of concern for care home residents with a diagnosis of dementia to other multi-disciplinary professionals.
• You will support other professionals to implement a range of psychological interventions for individual residents and influence team practice.
• You, alongside the Principal Psychologist, will be responsible for Psychological practice within the service.
• You will work closely with psychology, MDT staff and care home staff.
• You will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures.

For a more detailed description, please see attached JD and PS.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Postgraduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or fully completed training as a counselling or health psychologist.
• Doctoral level knowledge (or equivalent) of psychological theories relating to assessing, formulating and developing evidence based and person-centred interventions for behaviours of concern and that challenge and the ability to explain the application of at least one theory of behaviour that challenges within a clinical setting.
• Fully registered as either a clinical/counselling/health psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Desirable

• Additional post graduate training or qualification in a specific psychological therapy or neuropsychology.

Experience

Essential

• Direct experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups that reflect a range of clinical severity, including working with older people, in a clinical and therapeutic role.
• Strong and plausible expression of interest in working with and specialising in older adults' practice.
• Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of consultation, teaching and training.
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration.
• Experience of supervising clinical staff from a range of professional backgrounds.

Desirable

• Direct experience in the application and supervision of formulation driven interventions and therapeutic approaches to reducing distress in dementia across settings.
• Experience of the application of psychological services in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of positively influencing team practice and culture.
• Experience of supervising qualified staff from a range of professional backgrounds, including HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologists.

Skills

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex assessment and intervention.
• Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to behaviour of concern and that challenges.
• Knowledge of whole life span development and the impact on emotional, psychological, and mental well-being.
• Post doctoral training in theoretical models and two or more distinct psychological therapies relevant to the older adult population.
• Experience in use of consultancy models in clinical context, including in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to take the appropriate action to address and manage risk.
• Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures.
• Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.
• Ability to time manage effectively and to work under pressure and prioritise workload.
• Ability to identify own developmental needs and take responsibility for personal development.
• Ability to comply with BPS/HCPC professional standards in the field of clinically applied psychology, health, and well-being.

Desirable

• Demonstrates specialist knowledge in older adults, dementia and physical health.
• Experience of working in residential settings and/care homes.
• Knowledge of legislation and the national agenda in relation to dementia, dementia care, and psychologically informed approaches to dementia.
• Knowledge of capacity and other legislation in relation to the client group.
• Attained supervisor training for instance from an applied psychologist doctoral programme.
• Experience of working within a multi-cultural framework.

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Rosanne House

Parkway

Welwyn Garden City

AL8 6HG

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

367-EAN-7838