At MPFT we pride ourselves on staff wellbeing and development and can we offer you:

Our SOOTHE resources - supporting staff across the trust with their physical, mental and financial health. In addition to the support offered from our occupational health provider Team Prevent.

• Counselling support and lifestyle information with advice on a variety of personal matters
• In our Gift providing a platform for your voice to be heard to inform change
• The opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Opportunities for flexible working (depending on the role)
• Career development opportunities and coaching plus access to in house training programs
• Innovative research training program entitled STARS (Supporting the advancement of Research Skills)
• Child Care Vouchers Scheme
• Recognition and engagement through our staff LOVE awards, LOVE long service awards and Staff Engagement Surveys
• NHS discounts available via the Blue Card and Red Guava schemes

Main duties of the job

To provide highly specialist clinical psychology input to Shropshire's Intensive Support Team (IST). Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to offer effective and evidence based interventions with the aim of improving quality of life, autonomy and psychological wellbeing; and reducing the risk of placement breakdowns, inappropriate admissions to specialist hospital and the use of restrictive practices.

To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to the IST, based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources. Psychological formulations will then contribute significantly to the development of detailed PBS plans and risk assessments etc. Clinical work will take place across all settings and agencies.

To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and management of people with learning disabilities who may have mental health problems and/or complex behavioural needs and/or Autistic Spectrum Diagnoses. There will be a need to; adjust and refine psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

About us

Working for our organisation Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) is an award winning organisation with over 9000 employees. We are one of the largest integrated Health and Social Care providers, covering services across North & South Staffordshire, Shropshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Isle of Wight and Essex.

Demonstrating our strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and in context of our objective aligned to the growth of diversity across the workforce; we are particularly seeking applications from individuals who may be from under-represented groups, such as black, Asian or other ethnic groups, individuals with a disability, or LGBTQ+ individuals who meet the specific criteria.

We are embedding values based and inclusive recruitment practices to ensure that all applicants, from any backgrounds, have an equal chance of success in achieving a role with us.

Job description Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE: Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

BAND: 8a

The role can be offered at band 8a for suitably qualified and experienced candidates or as a band 7/8a Preceptorship for newly qualified psychologists. Current 3rd year Doctoral Trainees graduating in 2023 are welcome to apply

HOURS: 37.5 hours per week

DEPARTMENT: Learning Disabilities Directorate Intensive Support Team

LOCATION: The Redwoods Centre

REPORTS TO: Clinical Lead IST STW

OPERATIONALLY ACCOUNTABLE TO: Clinical Services Manager (ISTs)

CLINICALLY ACCOUNTABLE TO: Local Lead Consultant Psychologist (STW)

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Clinical Supervision of Assistant & Trainee Psychologists as required

Now is the time for you to join our Intensive Support Team in Shropshire

To provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and therapy at the same time as offering advice and consultation to non-psychology colleagues and other non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

To use research skills in audit and policy development within the area covered by the service.

To further contribute to the service by teaching, publishing research and providing clinical supervision to Psychologists undertaking doctoral clinical and/or counselling psychology training, assistant psychologists, community nurses and other members of the multi-disciplinary team as required.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNAL:

Other team members including other Learning Disability Psychologists; other MDT colleagues within the IST and local CLDTs; other members of the Psychological Therapies Directorate; other MPFT Services/Teams

EXTERNAL:

Service Users and their relatives. Staff in statutory and non-statutory agencies that are responsible for service users care Other external agencies including the University of Stafford and Keele Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

JOB PURPOSE:

To be responsible for psychological input to Shropshires Intensive Support Team (IST) as part of a small multi-disciplinary team.

The post holder will take the lead in developing psychology inputs within the IST, linking in with wider Community Learning Disability Team. Propose and contribute to service development specifically within the IST but also the wider Learning Disabilities Service under the guidance of the Professional Lead and Local Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

Providing specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users care; and to contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care, to the benefit of all users of the service.

Please see the Job Description and Person Specification attached to the advert for further detail.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psycho-pathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Trained in clinical supervision of doctoral trainees.
• Currently registered with the HCPC.
• Eligible for BPS Chartered Status. Eligible for full membership of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP)

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice relevant to working with people with learning disabilities.
• Training/qualifications in ABA and/or PBS or the willingness to complete such training.

Experience Essential

• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, seeing service users presenting with a wide variety of mental health and behavioural needs in a range of settings. Offering evidence-based psychological interventions and adhering to appropriate best practice and professional guidance as a qualified clinician.
• Experience of working therapeutically with services users with a learning disability and with people on the autistic continuum; including those presenting with behavioural needs which challenges services.
• Demonstration of current KSF competencies consistent with the 8a profile or the ability to develop into this role
• Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care as a care coordinator within the context of a multidisciplinary team.
• Providing psychological advice and consultancy to others as part of a community learning disability team.
• Teaching, training and clinical supervision and field supervisor for doctoral theses.

Desirable

• Experience of joint working with statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies
• Post doctorial experience in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice, for example, Applied Behavioural Analysis, Forensic Psychology and Positive Behaviour Support.
• Experience of working in services for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges services.
• Experience of working with offenders or those at risk of offending.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological approaches for working with complex behavioural needs, people on the autistic continuum, and with people with complex mental health difficulties.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS, including Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding.
• Advanced skills in the assessment, formulation, and treatment of people with learning disabilities.
• Well-developed skills in risk assessment and risk management including skills to prevent, de-escalate and manage verbal and physical aggression from service users on a day to day basis.
• Knowledge of the current policy content and relevant legislation for people with a learning disability and complex behavioural and/or forensic needs; including DSR processes, CTR/CETR & LAEPs.

Desirable

• Application of Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology post-qualification.

Personal Attributes Essential

• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and complex behavioural needs.
• Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to complex behavioural needs, verbal abuse and the threat of physical violence, highly distressing and disturbing material, including first and second-hand accounts of very serious offences.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary and Psychology team and form good working relationships with other professionals.
• Ability to balance competing service demands, e.g. record-keeping, team-building, admin and service user contact.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

301-JP-23-5020962