Job summary
30 hours per week.
Are you ready to bring your expertise to the heart of mental
health care? Were looking for a clinical psychologist who wants to take on the
challenge of a new role.
This is an opportunity to work across three of our community
mental health services, supporting individuals who experience psychosis and
need help to stay well and out of hospital. You'll be part of three dedicated
teams, working in frontline care.
Your role will be vital. You'll work alongside doctors,
mental health practitioners, and other professionals to ensure people receive
the best possible support. Many of those you'll meet may be living with complex
psychological needs, struggling with engagement, or feeling anxious about their
recovery. You'll be the person who helps them make sense of their experiences,
develop coping strategies, and find hope in their journey.
This is a chance to shape a new way of working. You'll bring
evidence-based interventions, compassion, and creativity to the heart of our
services building relationships, solving problems, and making a tangible
difference every day.
If you're passionate about improving lives and ready to take
on a role that's as rewarding as it is unique, we'd love to hear from you.
This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.
Please note that we may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.
All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
Main duties of the job
This role provides
psychological input to the Specialist Outreach Recovery Team (SORT), as well as
providing specialist consultation, supervision and support to wider Community
Mental Health Services and Insight (Early Intervention in Psychosis) in
relation to service users where an assertive approach to intervention is
indicated. SORT provides community rehabilitation and assertive community
treatment to adults in Plymouth who have been identified as having complex
psychosis. Service users have ongoing or recurrent unusual experiences which
impact on their ability to manage day to day life, and have additional
difficulties such as substance misuse, neurodevelopmental conditions, physical
health problems and high levels of risk to themselves or others. They may also
be reluctant to engage with mental health services or have unstable lifestyles
that make engagement difficult.
The role includes providing
psychological assessments and interventions, supporting the delivery of
psychologically informed care and contributing to the development and
maintenance of quality across the service. This is likely to include the
provision of individual and group interventions to service users and their
family members, supporting other team members in developing psychological
formulations to inform care planning, providing consultation, advice and
training to multidisciplinary teams, facilitating reflective practice,
providing debrief and contributing to service development activities.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social
enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across
Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of
Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports
centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values,kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and
collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while
empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in
shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right
time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead
healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training
pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care
Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship
programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all
sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental
health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the
application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To possess and practice a high level of communication and relationship skills in situations where emotional distress, and risk of self-harm and of life-threatening behaviour can be expected.
- Responsible for overcoming a variety of barriers to communication when working with clients who are fearful of others, unable to articulate their problems or who think within a very different frame of reference, requiring imaginative and sensitive approaches towards engagement.
- To be able to identify and manage the need for more complex reformulation of the clients difficulties and to promote a realistic treatment plan.
- To identify and be able to complete formal psychometric assessments with ones own clients and those of other team members, where this is appropriate.
- To be able to communicate, by talking and by writing, psychological formulations and treatment plans to the client and to appropriate professional colleagues and to family members and carers, as appropriate.
- To be able to prepare and provide complex medico-legal reports and reports for child protection and vulnerable adults meetings.
- To have knowledge of and skill within several psychological models of understanding and managing clinical problems.
- To be able to add both an understanding of psychosocial factors and an appropriate intervention to the planning of treatment for clients referred to the service but not on psychologists caseload.
- To be able to manage an appropriate caseload whilst also being able to negotiate and manage the need for waiting lists for assessment and treatment so that there is steady movement of clients through the stages of referral, assessment, treatment and discharge.
- To be able to develop highly specialised individual treatment plans or packages of care for clients experiencing psychosis as well as range of other psychological problems where there are significant barriers to them engaging with mental health services and treatments
- To be able to manage the emotional impact of working, often one-to-one, with people who can be in crisis and who can show high levels of arousal and can be actively self-harming or threatening to others.
- To be able to analyse complex situations and think through an appropriate pattern or sequence of strategies to respond therapeutically.
- To ensure receipt of clinical and personal supervision in accordance with good practice guidelines for all clinical psychologists.
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To possess and practice a high level of communication and relationship skills in situations where emotional distress, and risk of self-harm and of life-threatening behaviour can be expected.
- Responsible for overcoming a variety of barriers to communication when working with clients who are fearful of others, unable to articulate their problems or who think within a very different frame of reference, requiring imaginative and sensitive approaches towards engagement.
- To be able to identify and manage the need for more complex reformulation of the clients difficulties and to promote a realistic treatment plan.
- To identify and be able to complete formal psychometric assessments with ones own clients and those of other team members, where this is appropriate.
- To be able to communicate, by talking and by writing, psychological formulations and treatment plans to the client and to appropriate professional colleagues and to family members and carers, as appropriate.
- To be able to prepare and provide complex medico-legal reports and reports for child protection and vulnerable adults meetings.
- To have knowledge of and skill within several psychological models of understanding and managing clinical problems.
- To be able to add both an understanding of psychosocial factors and an appropriate intervention to the planning of treatment for clients referred to the service but not on psychologists caseload.
- To be able to manage an appropriate caseload whilst also being able to negotiate and manage the need for waiting lists for assessment and treatment so that there is steady movement of clients through the stages of referral, assessment, treatment and discharge.
- To be able to develop highly specialised individual treatment plans or packages of care for clients experiencing psychosis as well as range of other psychological problems where there are significant barriers to them engaging with mental health services and treatments
- To be able to manage the emotional impact of working, often one-to-one, with people who can be in crisis and who can show high levels of arousal and can be actively self-harming or threatening to others.
- To be able to analyse complex situations and think through an appropriate pattern or sequence of strategies to respond therapeutically.
- To ensure receipt of clinical and personal supervision in accordance with good practice guidelines for all clinical psychologists.
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.
Person Specification
Specific Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management in adults with complex mental health difficulties, especially psychosis
- Skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families and professionals both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex situations involving a range of options to make a decision about an appropriate course of action or solution to a problem.
- Keyboard skills sufficient to enter data/write reports
- Ability to work within teams and motivate others.
- Ability to cope with frequent exposure to highly distressing and emotional situations.
- Warmth, empathy & integrity.
- Ability to work autonomously & as part of a team.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to hold the stress of others.
- Ability to self reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
- Ability to deal with patients and carers who may be distressed, angry, confrontational or violent.
- Ability to work under pressure and set priorities.
Desirable
- Advanced keyboard & IT skills
- Group work skills
- Ability to identify, provide appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and unsafe behaviours.
Knowledge
Essential
- Postgraduate level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the applied fields of psychology.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for complex problems (e.g. psychosis, personality disorder, behaviours that challenge).
Desirable
- Understanding of effective approaches to delivering teaching or training.
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Clinical or Forensic Psychologist and registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Fully competent as a practitioner psychologist supplemented by short specialist courses and further specialist training
Desirable
- Other related academic qualifications to Masters or Doctoral level
- Chartered Status within the BPS
- Furter qualification in a specific therapeutic approach relevant to people with psychosis
- Clinical supervision training for doctoral trainees
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Enthusiasm for working with people with psychosis who experience barriers to engaging with mental health services and treatments.
- Ability to sit for prolonged periods during assessments, patient interviews, case conferences. while still responding and participating as required.
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health recovery or supporting the recovery of a family member or close contact
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient 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 and/or challenging behaviour.
- Experience of working as a psychologist with adults with psychosis and their care networks or other dependent/vulnerable/disenfranchised client groups.
- Experience of teaching, training and providing professional and/or clinical supervision.
- Experience of assessing and treating clients in the full range of care settings.
- Experience of working within multidisciplinary services for clients with severe and complex mental health problems or other dependent/disenfranchised client group
- Experience of offering consultation and advice to staff groups supporting vulnerable clients.
- Post-qualification experience.
Desirable
- Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist with adults with psychosis in a range of settings
- Record of having published in peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books
- Experience of working with clients who experience barriers to engaging with mental health services / where an assertive approach to community treatment is indicated
Person Specification
Specific Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management in adults with complex mental health difficulties, especially psychosis
- Skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families and professionals both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex situations involving a range of options to make a decision about an appropriate course of action or solution to a problem.
- Keyboard skills sufficient to enter data/write reports
- Ability to work within teams and motivate others.
- Ability to cope with frequent exposure to highly distressing and emotional situations.
- Warmth, empathy & integrity.
- Ability to work autonomously & as part of a team.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to hold the stress of others.
- Ability to self reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
- Ability to deal with patients and carers who may be distressed, angry, confrontational or violent.
- Ability to work under pressure and set priorities.
Desirable
- Advanced keyboard & IT skills
- Group work skills
- Ability to identify, provide appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and unsafe behaviours.
Knowledge
Essential
- Postgraduate level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the applied fields of psychology.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for complex problems (e.g. psychosis, personality disorder, behaviours that challenge).
Desirable
- Understanding of effective approaches to delivering teaching or training.
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Clinical or Forensic Psychologist and registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Fully competent as a practitioner psychologist supplemented by short specialist courses and further specialist training
Desirable
- Other related academic qualifications to Masters or Doctoral level
- Chartered Status within the BPS
- Furter qualification in a specific therapeutic approach relevant to people with psychosis
- Clinical supervision training for doctoral trainees
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Enthusiasm for working with people with psychosis who experience barriers to engaging with mental health services and treatments.
- Ability to sit for prolonged periods during assessments, patient interviews, case conferences. while still responding and participating as required.
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health recovery or supporting the recovery of a family member or close contact
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient 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 and/or challenging behaviour.
- Experience of working as a psychologist with adults with psychosis and their care networks or other dependent/vulnerable/disenfranchised client groups.
- Experience of teaching, training and providing professional and/or clinical supervision.
- Experience of assessing and treating clients in the full range of care settings.
- Experience of working within multidisciplinary services for clients with severe and complex mental health problems or other dependent/disenfranchised client group
- Experience of offering consultation and advice to staff groups supporting vulnerable clients.
- Post-qualification experience.
Desirable
- Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist with adults with psychosis in a range of settings
- Record of having published in peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books
- Experience of working with clients who experience barriers to engaging with mental health services / where an assertive approach to community treatment is indicated
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
