We are looking for a clinical or counselling psychologist with significant experience of working in adult community mental health services. This is an exciting time to join our organisation as we have had a significant investment into our community services to transform in line with the NHS Long Term Plan. As lead for P& P you will be a member of the senior leadership team in each borough with responsibility for the delivery of high quality care and staff development.

Kingston & Richmond adult services have 4 Integrated Recovery Hubs (CMHTs) and an Early Intervention for Psychosis team. Clinical/counselling psychologists are essential, integrated members of these multidisciplinary teams. Some of the IRHs also employ apprentice Clinical Associates in Psychology to deliver Structured Clinical Management and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy groups. EIS also has CBT therapists.

Main duties of the job

The job holder will work 0.6wte in the Kingston North Recovery & Support Team and be responsible for the development and systematic provision of a high quality specialist clinical/counselling psychology service to clients of the clinical team across all sectors of care.

0.4wte will be allocated to the lead for Psychology & Psychotherapy role in which the job holder will have responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological and psychotherapy practice within the Adult services in Kingston & Richmond. They will ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision of all psychologists and non-medical psychotherapists within the adult community services in the boroughs. They will also have responsibility to ensure there are clear systems for effective recruitment, professional appraisal, and the identification of CPD needs for P& P staff across the service/sector.

The post-holder will also carry out and oversee audit, policy and service development and research activities and/or programmes.

They will operate as a member of the senior leadership team in each borough alongside the Clinical Manger and Associate Clinical Director to ensure a continuous quality improvement of services.

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.

About the location:

The post will be based at Tolworth Hospital but flexibility is required to work at different bases as required. Occasional working from home is also possible.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Working within a highly specialised clinical area, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and where appropriate to the professional, 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.

2. To formulate 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.

3. To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist 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.

4. To make highly skilled evaluations and 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.

5. To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of and discharge of clients whose problems are managed as a psychologically based standard care plan, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.

6. To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

7. To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.

8. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

9. To act as care co-ordinator, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, co-ordinating the work of others involved with care, arranging clients care reviews as required and communicating effectively with the client, his/her family and all others involved in care and to monitor progress during the course of multi-disciplinary interventions.

10. To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

11. To provide expertise and advice to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.

12. To provide expert consultation about the psychological care of the client group to staff and agencies within and related to the Directorate.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of six years, including at least 3 years post qualification experience within the designated specialty where the post is located
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including 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 exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision

Desirable

• Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists
• Experience of multi-professional management of teams or services within the designated specialty
• Experience of representing the profession in local policy fora
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts

Training and 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 Professions Council under the appropriate domain specific title

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical/counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health
• Knowledge of our business and how it supports patient care
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• A high-level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups

Desirable

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and severely challenging behaviours etc)
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies

Employer details

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Tolworth Hospital

Red Lion Rd

Tolworth

KT6 7QU

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

294-COMM-6580984-JB