The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist trust with a focus on training and education alongside a full range of mental health and Gender services.

Within the Trust, the Tavistock and Portman 'Charing Cross' Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) is the largest and oldest of the 7 English GICs, dating back to 1966. It serves to formulate, diagnose, and assist adults with gender dysphoria or diversity through a biopsychosocial care pathway, involving a multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, specialist nurses, speech and language therapists, and medical practitioners.

No specific specialty training is required to fulfil the clinical role. Individuals from a variety of medical or psychiatric backgrounds may have knowledge and skills relevant to the role, such as psychiatric or psychosexual assessment, hormonal management of endocrine disorders and menopause or experience in sexual and reproductive health and genitourinary medicine.

There is recognition that a successful candidate may not have the full breadth of knowledge and expertise required to fulfil the clinical role initially, especially if they have not worked in a gender identity clinic in the past. If this was the case, a period of induction and additional support from colleagues would be available. On-going peer support is available from the consultants in the team.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder is required to provide assistance to people with gender dysphoria or diversity. This will involve utilising psychological principles and approaches in assessment, diagnosis and management of gender dysphoria or diversity.

Due to the complexities surrounding the mental and physical health aspects of gender dysphoria or diversity and the ensuing emotional and physical presentations of the patients, the post requires highly specialist skills.

They will be conversant with gender and sexual diversity, the conditions of gender dysphoria/diversity, treatment options and associated implications for both the patient and psychologist.

The post holder will provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention as well as advice and consultation on patients' psychological care to other health professionals.

The postholder will need to work closely with the multidisciplinary team and be familiar with medical as well as psychological models. There is an expectation for the postholder to engage in research and ongoing continuing professional development.

About us

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health trust with a focus on training and education alongside a full range of mental health services and psychological therapies for children and their families, young people and adults.

With 500 staff across a number of sites, we are committed to improving mental health and emotional wellbeing, believing that high quality mental health services should be available for all who need them.

We bring a distinctive contribution based on the importance we attach to social experience at all stages of people's lives, and our focus on psychological and developmental approaches to the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of mental ill health.

For more information, please access the following link:

https://tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for more details about the roles and requirements of the vacancy .

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctorate qualification in Counselling Psychology or Clinical Psychology and statutory registration with the Health and Care Professions Council with entitlement to use the title Counselling Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist.
• Evidence of personal and specialist professional development with achieved outcomes in the clinical specialism of gender dysphoria/diversity
• Registration on the British Psychological Society's Gender Diversity Specialist Register (GDSR).

Desirable

• Doctoral thesis or other substantial work written on matters pertaining to gender dysphoria/diversity.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience in the specialism of gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Significant experience with diverse forms of gender, including non-binary genders.
• Clinical experience (over one year) in psychological assessment, formulation, and counseling/psychotherapy in the clinical specialism of gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Knowledge of other forms of diversity and intersectionality including sexuality and ethnicity.
• Clinical experience of working within distinct evidence-based psychological frameworks to support diagnosis, assessment and management of people with gender dysphoria.
• Evidence of supervising trainee or qualified psychologists.
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working in a healthcare setting.
• Evidence of engaging with community groups and literatures pertaining to gender diversity.

Desirable

• Experience in research and/or devising and implementing clinical governance activities and/or audit.
• Publications on matters relating to gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Evidence of working with other specialties and professions outside of the immediate multidisciplinary team.
• Evidence of therapeutic group work with people who have gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Evidence of successful delivery of training and/or lectures.

Skills

Essential

• Doctorate level knowledge and skills in counselling psychology or clinical psychology with training and experience practicing in at least 2 distinct psychological therapies.
• Ability to formulate independent clinical decisions, reflecting on practice and that of others.
• Application and demonstration of specialist evidence based practice in the clinical specialism of gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Ability to use specialist knowledge (as above) to manage caseload independently on a daily basis under regular supervision and seeking support from colleagues' if/ when required.
• Able to demonstrate competency in developing specialist psychological treatment plans for adults with gender dysphoria/diversity
• Ability to contribute to team goals and initiatives underpinned by knowledge of clinical specialism.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, and intervention frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.

Desirable

• Ability to make clear evidence-based clinical treatment decisions within good practice guidelines in the field of gender dysphoria/diversity and consent patients to and endorse them on psychological grounds for medical interventions such as hormone therapy and gender related surgeries.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of relevant British Psychological Society and WPATH Standards of Care for Adults with Gender Dysphoria and other relevant professional and clinical guidelines/ policies both locally and nationally in the specialism of psychology and gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Knowledge of Trust policies, DOH Policy, and Law which impacts on service provision to people with gender dysphoria/diversity.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex data analysis as practiced within the applied fields of psychology.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of exposure to emotive material and challenging behavior.

Desirable

• Understanding of equal opportunities

Communication Skills

Essential

• Excellent presentation skills, written and verbal.
• Ability to educate, empathise, support, negotiate and motivate even when co-operation is not guaranteed.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, significant others and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Physical skills necessary to meet health and safety requirements of the job.
• Evidence of personal development in applied psychological practice.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Negotiation and problem solving skills.
• Flexible and autonomous approach to work.
• Ability to manage emotive and stressful situations calmly and professionally.

Other

Essential

• Proven ability to receive and adapt to change.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
• Interest and enthusiasm for improving delivery of clinical training and Continuing Professional Development.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional, and academic settings.

Employer details

Employer name

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Adult Gender Identity Clinic

Lief House, 3 Sumpter Close, Finchley Road

London

NW3 5HR

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

260-TP-657