Senior Psychological Therapist - HMP Downview

Job responsibilities

• To carry out specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the service, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological 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 clients, family members and others involved in the clients care, in order to reach a psychological formulation of the clients difficulties.
• To formulate and implement 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.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of 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.
• To provide specialist assessments of clients presenting with cognitive impairment due to a variety of causes or organic conditions, including pre-assessment counselling and neuropsychological and functional assessments, and to be able to adjust psychological interventions to work effectively with people presenting with complex needs due to cognitive impairment and organic disorders.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
• To undertake risk assessment, formulation and management for individual clients with complex presentations and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment, formulation and management.
• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
• To promote and participate in multi-disciplinary team working, development and liaison.
• To promote actively, user and carer involvement in care planning and service development.
• To be up to date with both de-escalation, physical breakaway and PMVA techniques appropriate to the service environment.

Teaching, Training, and Supervision:

• To receive and provide regular clinical professional supervision.
• To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to applied psychology, in line with a professional development plan and in keeping with service needs (as agreed with the professional lead).
• To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other team members psychological work as appropriate.
• To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to client care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
• To provide professional and clinical supervision of trainee and assistant applied psychologists, as well as more junior qualified psychologists, psychological therapists and counsellors.
• To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of applied psychology and psychological therapy, as appropriate.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

Management, Leadership, Recruitment, Policy and Service Development:

• To participate as a clinician in identifying and implementing the development of a high quality, responsible and accessible service, in consultation with the team manager and supervisor.
• To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
• To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
• To contribute psychological knowledge and expertise to policy and service development through participation, where practical, in regional multidisciplinary meetings and special interest groups, working parties etc that may impact on the functioning of the service.
• To participate in the management of psychological resources available to the team, in the form of psychological materials employed in the assessment and treatment of service users.
• To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee applied psychologists, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.
• To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant / graduate psychologists and other staff as appropriate.
• To provide effective leadership and management to staff which promotes high performance standards both individually and as a team, in the achievement of the Trusts objectives and priorities. The Trusts success will be dependent on all managers playing an active role to make sure the existing areas of good employment practice are universally embedded within the organisation.
• Promote equality, diversity and rights, and treat others with dignity and respect ensuring services are developed, managed and delivered to meet specific needs linked to protected characteristics.
• Promote equality, diversity and Human Rights in working practices by developing and maintaining positive working relationships, ensuring that colleagues are treated fairly and contributing to developing equality of opportunity and outcomes in working practices.
• Contribute to developing and maintaining equality of opportunity in working practices by complying with legislation and organisational policies. Advise colleagues about equality, diversity and human rights policies and procedures and ensure they are followed.
• Ensure that colleagues are treated fairly. Behave in a non-discriminatory way and challenge the discriminatory behaviour of others. Be supportive of colleagues or service users who wish to raise issues about discriminatory practice or experience

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• oDoctoral level training in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology or its equivalent, accredited by the BPS. Training in models of developmental lifespan psychology, psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology and two or more distinct psychological therapies. oHCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist. OR oA recognised post graduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (or equivalent). oAccreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) (via having a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions e.g. nursing, psychology, medicine, social work, occupational therapy or evidence of having achieved the Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSA) route) OR oA recorded/registered qualification in counselling or psychotherapy and further post accreditation qualification in a nice recommended or evidence-based therapy (e.g. CBT; EMDR) oAccreditation with a Professional Standards Authority recognised Accreditation Body. oEvidence of post-qualification specialist training, experience and developing expertise in a specialist area of clinical practice relevant to this role.

Desirable

• oOther relevant CPD qualifications, pre- or post-training. Especially training in working with people with trauma and/or neurodiverse presentations, research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Essential

• oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings
• oDemonstrate specialist experience gained post-qualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours).
• oExperience of working with a wide variety of client 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.
• oExperience of representing psychology within context of multidisciplinary care
• oExperience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• oExperience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• oExperience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service
• oKnowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• oKnowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities etc)
• oExperience of delivering brief, primary care, CBT interventions or equivalent
• oHigh level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
• oFormal Training in Supervision of other psychologists
• oEvidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC

Desirable

• oExperience of working in secure environments and/or forensic mental health
• oExperience of using a trauma informed approach
• oLived experience of mental health Issues
• oHigh level knowledge and skills in neuropsychology and evidence of further practice and/or training since qualification

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES:

Essential

• oSkills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• oWell-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• oSkills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• oPossesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise relevant to post
• oCan demonstrate competence in supervision of junior qualified psychology and MDT staff and professional psychology trainees
• oAbility to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
• oAbility to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
• oBroad knowledge of models of assessment, management and treatment of offenders with mental health difficulties and personality disorders.
• oAbility to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours
• oHigh level of ability to plan and organise clinical service provision to meet service demands, and to maintain high quality professional practice.
• oEvidence of continual development of specialist knowledge and skills through engaging in relevant study and Continuing Professional Development relevant to the forensic population
• oAn Understanding of the social determinates of health inequalities and relevant psychological theory and practice
• oGood understanding of the current context of service provision within the NHS
• oExperience of software e.g. SPSS, EXCEL

Desirable

• oAbility to write reports for varied audiences, including courts and purchasers of services
• oDoctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology and psychological therapies

ATTITUDES, APTITUDES PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Essential

• oExcellent interpersonal skills
• oWillingness to work flexibly to meet demands of contracts, commissioners and other stake-holders to provide high-quality and effective care
• oCommitment to multidisciplinary team working.
• oAppreciation of the interface between our personal and professional lives, high level of self-awareness and knowledge of principles of self-care

OTHER:

Essential

• oThe post holder must have the ability to understand and implement the equal opportunities policy at a level appropriate to the job
• oAbility to promote anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practices.
• oAbility to work in a secure environment. Must be able to obtain and maintain prison security clearance and work in accordance with HMPS and Sodexo policies and procedures.
• oAbility to travel across sites

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).