We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Highly Specialist Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist to join our Central Wandsworth & West Battersea Community Mental Health Team. The team offers a specialist, community-focused mental health and social care service to adults (18-75) whose mental health problems, because of their seriousness or complexity, cannot be effectively treated within primary care. Clinical/professional judgement will determine priority for treatment and support, but in line with policy implementation guidance. The Community Mental Health Team service is the central element of mental health service for adults and their relatives/carers. The Trust also provides inpatient, crisis and home treatment and early intervention services. The CMHT works in close partnership with GPs and other key partners, including voluntary organisations.

The post holder will be expected to work in health and other community settings (including outpatient clinics), clients' and their relatives' homes, inpatient and other hospital settings, and any other settings in which the client is most appropriately managed.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for the provision of a systematic clinical psychology service within the context of a multidisciplinary team focusing on:

• Specialist psychological assessments
• Evidence based psychological interventions
• Group work
• Teaching, training and consultation to MDT
• Service evaluation, audit and development
• Provide a training placement to a trainee clinical psychologist

The Trust has a strong commitment to the development of psychological work and you will be part of a larger group of psychologists working in the service and will receive regular supervision from the borough psychology professional lead. There are good CPD opportunities within the Trust.

The post is for a qualified clinical psychologist registered with the Health & Care Professions Council and who has at least 18 months post qualification experience. We will accept applications from applicants who may not have the required length of experience but may have significant relevant experience.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team 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 and implement 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, carers, families 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 formulation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

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 under enhanced CPA 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.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient 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 including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Director of Psychology

Desirable

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and (for Clinical Psychologists) neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology OR alternative training outside of the UK that is recognised by the Health & Care Professions Council leading to registration in the UK as a Clinical or Counselling psychologist
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
• To be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council under the appropriate domain specific title

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. dual diagnosis including people experiencing psychosis with personality disorder, substance misuse, learning disability, neurological dysfunction, additional disabilities etc)
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
• Knowledge of recent policy and legislation in relation to people with severe and enduring mental health problems specifically and concerning mental health in general

Employer details

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Springfield University Hospital

15 Springfield Drive

London

SW17 0YF

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

294-COMM-6584298-JB