An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced assistant psychologist or psychological well-being practitioner, who is passionate about working with people a diagnosis of learning disability and/or autism to join the new Community Forensic Learning Disabilities and Autism Team at West London Forensic Service. There are two posts (1.0 wte and 0.5 wte) available.

West London NHS Trust provides a broad range of forensic mental health care in adult male, female and adolescent services, across high, medium and low security settings, as well as in a community and court diversion setting. The trust provides specialist forensic mental health care across eight boroughs in North West London, in addition to national enhanced medium and high secure services. West London Forensic Service has been chosen by NHS England to pioneer a new approach to support the discharge of Service users in Learning Disability and Autism medium and low secure forensic mental health settings and support their transition and community care.

You will work within the new team supporting the provision of a highly specialist psychology service to service users with a diagnosis of learning disability and/or autism and an offending history who are living in the community or in the process of moving from secure inpatient care to the community.

Main duties of the job

Working within the Community Forensic Learning Disabilities and Autism Team provides an opportunity to pioneer a new approach to support the discharge of service users with diagnoses of learning Disabilities and/or Autism from medium and low secure forensic mental health settings and support their transition and community care.

You will be responsible for supporting the provision of a highly specialised psychology service to culturally diverse service users with a diagnosis of learning disability and/or autism, enduring mental health disorders and forensic histories. As a member of the MDT, you will provide psychological assessments, formulations and interventions focused on mental health and risk, under the supervision of a qualified member of the psychological services who will retain clinical responsibility for work carried out. You will assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work. The role involves working independently according to a plan agreed with the line manager and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We'rerated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

The regulations mandating vaccination for in-scope roles in the NHS have now been removed. The Trust does however continue to encourage and support staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19. Vaccination data will be collected by our recruitment team during your on-boarding if you are happy to provide a copy of your COVID pass.

Job description Job responsibilities

You will work within the Community Forensic Learning Disabilities and Autism Team to provide a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to service users with a diagnosis of learning disability and/or autism and an offending history who are living in the community or in the process of moving from secure inpatient care to the community.

You will have a psychology degree or higher in psychology, conferring eligibility to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.

You will have experience of working as an assistant psychologist or psychological wellbeing practitioner in a learning disability, adult mental health and/or forensic clinical setting or equivalent, providing psychological assessments and interventions. An understanding of positive behaviour support processes would be an advantage.

You will share our Trust values of Togetherness, Responsibility, Excellence and Caring.

For further information, please contact Dr Julia OConnor, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Psychological Services on julia.oconnor@westlondon.nhs.uk.

Person Specification QUALIFICATIONS &TRAINING Essential

• A degree or higher in psychology, conferring eligibility to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Desirable

• Attendance at specialist short courses relevant to the post (e.g. Trauma Informed Care, Group Approaches, DBT training, CBT training).

Experience Essential

• At least six months as an assistant psychologist or psychological well-being practitioner in adult mental health, learning disability or forensic services.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural service

Desirable

• Experience in working with people with a diagnosis of learning disabilities and/or ASD.
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour.
• Experience of working with interpreters
• Experience of carrying out audit or research.
• Conducting service-related research.

KNOWLEDGE Essential

• Able to understand a number of psychological models and their applications for service users with severe and enduring mental health problems and challenging behaviour.
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
• Able to draw upon a specific theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations, under clinical supervision
• Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to the client group
• Awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health

Desirable

• An understanding of the Positive Behaviour Support Process.

SKILLS Essential

• High level communication skills (both written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
• Ability to communicate complex, sensitive and potentially contentious information to service users in a way that addresses psychological resistance and the propensity of the service users towards hostile reactions.
• Able to make judgements based on psychological knowledge, clinical information and environmental events within a session and make decisions on this basis e.g. with regard to feedback to nursing or other staff.
• Implement appropriate psychological assessment and interventions relevant to the client group
• Be flexible and adapt approach according to need
• Able to plan, and organise straightforward tests and activities.
• Able to manage their own time.
• Able to administer psychological tests using co-ordination and other psychomotor skills.
• Able to operate video equipment.
• Able to use word processing, database and test/administration scoring software.

Desirable

• Experience of using databases or data-analysis, knowledge of SPSS for Windows.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

222-SF-434