The Havens Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

To manage the psychology waiting list and the psychology provision at one of the Havens sites, which offers medical care and other follow up services including counselling and psychology, to those who have been raped and sexually assaulted.

To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the Havens, 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 patients and other professionals involved in the patients care.

To formulate plans for psychological treatment and/or management, drawing upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy and including CBT models of PTSD and complex trauma. Adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals as appropriate for problems such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour, relationship difficulties, sexual dysfunction and other psychological sequelae of sexual assault. Therapy approaches will include specialised PTSD therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR, systemic approaches, psychosexual therapy, communication skills training in the context of reducing vulnerability and risk.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients from the Havens Psychology Service, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the patients care including the MPS and CPS on a regular basis.

When necessary, provide crisis intervention for those suffering severe emotional and psychological reactions to sexual assault and those who are expressing suicidal thoughts or harm related to others or themselves. Providing appropriate psychological therapy and support to cold case clients referred by the Sapphire Team.

To undertake risk identification and management for relevant individual patients and to provide both general and specialist advice on psychological aspects of risk identification and management to the clinical team.

To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients and to monitor and evaluate progress.

To provide an environment that is non-judgemental, sensitive and confidential and to ensure the integrity of the psychologist/client relationship by being a member of a professional organisation e.g. HCPC abiding by their Code of Ethics.

To attend regular clinical supervision.

To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the relevant professional body, e.g. HCPC and Trust policies and procedures.

The post holder must maintain the confidentiality about clients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the Code of Confidentiality or Personal Health Data, the professional body Code of Conduct and Trust Policy.

To maintain accurate statistics and record action in the clients medical record.

To contribute to the maintenance and update of Haven protocols, where appropriate.

To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical/counselling psychologist.

To continue to gain wide post-qualification experience of clinical/counselling psychology including specialist experience and skills relevant to sexual assault, sexual health, risk and trauma, as agreed with the Lead Clinical Psychologist.

To participate in the teaching of other health professionals, students and new members of staff. To participate in public education, e.g. GPs, medical students, postgraduate doctors, universities, community-based groups and other professional groups or bodies requesting teaching and training.

To provide professional and clinical supervision of trainee and assistant psychologists and as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of individual cases for trainee clinical psychologists.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues relation to the specific client group.

To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the service area and contribute across the service by exercising the skills of a reflexive and reflective practitioner and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of psychology and related disciplines.

To represent the Psychology and Counselling team at Havens Operational Group Meetings and other meetings when required.

To ensure that The Havens and Kings College Hospital NHS Trust policies are adhered to at all times.

To carry out the role in accordance with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) Code of Ethics.

To ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.

To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in counselling within the service area.

To take part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of counselling and related disciplines.

To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the BACP, UKCP and Trust policies and procedures.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client groups, counselling and mental health.

The post holder must maintain the confidentiality about clients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the Code of Confidentiality or Personal Health Data and Trust policy.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the HCPC/BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• 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, in patient and out-patient 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 and training
• Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
• Highly developed knowledge of models of therapy for complex trauma including CBT.
• Ability to manage a broad range of complex clinical work

Desirable

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist
• Experience of professional and clinical supervision of other clinical psychologists and professional staff.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in patients with physical health problems

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment including risk assessment and on-referral, intervention and management.
• Therapeutic skills relevant to the evidence-based management of complex trauma including CBT for PTSD.
• 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.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical/counselling psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS/HCPC.

Desirable

• Therapeutic skills and accreditation in EMDR relevant to the evidence-based treatment for PTSD.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.

Other Requirements

Essential

• Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical/counselling psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• 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 highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Havens Pan London - Camberwell, Ladbroke Grove, Whitechapel

London

SE5 9RS

Employer's website

https://www.kch.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)