Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join the Home Treatment Teams across Westminster & Kensington and Chelsea. The teams works alongside inpatient and community mental health services to offer an increased level of support to those experiencing a mental health crisis outside an inpatient setting. The team supports service users living in their own homes and step down accommodation across the boroughs.
The post-holder will work collaboratively with the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and colleagues from other services to manage risk and to provide a psychological perspective to care, along with providing assessment, formulation and brief interventions to service users and their families. The post-holder will also support and work with the team to develop a range of psychologically informed interventions. The post holder will also be integral to decisions and delivery about reflective practice, team formulation/consultation and post incident support.
The service is proud to be accredited by the Quality Network for Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (QNCRHTT) with the Royal College of Psychiatry; The post holder would be actively involved in ensuring the psychological standards are met and maintained.
The post holder will be the supervisor for the Assistant Psychologists and other psychological professionals in the team. Along with providing a placement for a trainee clinical psychologist from the North London training courses.
Main duties of the job
Providing a full and comprehensive psychology service providing direct care to service users and their families offering assessment, formulation, risk assessment and brief evidence based interventions when indicated.
Offer indirect work ensuring that all members of the MDT have access to a psychological framework for understanding the service user's needs. This will be provided by giving psychological consultation, contributing in clinical meetings and team formulation.
Developing the MDT's knowledge and skills to use a psychological approach to a service user's care through teaching, training and where needed supervision.
Work as an integrated clinical member of a multi-disciplinary team, which will include responsibility for ensuring the systematic provision and governance of a high quality specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychology service.
Utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development.
About us
The population served by Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster Mental Health Services is ethnically diverse with significant ethnic minority, immigrant and refugee communities. Parts of the catchment area are characterised by extensive socio-economic deprivation and high rates of psychiatric morbidity. There is a disproportionate provision of supported accommodation for people with mental health problems with associated demands for psychiatric and psychological support and treatment. There are also significant levels of psychiatric co-morbidity in the area, with in particular high levels of substance misuse with associated difficult treatment and management issues.
The post holder will be expected to travel across the Boroughs, liaising closely with other operational managers and psychological services.
Clinical assessments and intervention may be carried out in a number of physical settings including, inpatient wards, other community bases and patients' homes. Work includes liaison and working with both client systems and professional networks involved with a range of complex issues such as those involving clients with significant severe and enduring organic and/or functional mental health difficulties which may involve emotional and behavioural disturbance, acute and chronic physical and mental illness, some progressive (e.g. dementia) where the resolution of the problem is not possible.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post-holder will be based in the Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Home Treatment Teams and will be part of both the boroughs Mental Health Services and acute mental health psychology teams, supervised by the Acute Psychology Lead. Home Treatment Teams provide a service for adult service users experiencing mental health crisis requiring intensive home-based support and treatment. The service aims to enable clients to be cared for at home during crisis, rather than needing to go into Hospital. The service also supports clients in their transition from hospital back to their homes.
Therefore, the post holder will be required to travel to service users homes.
The post-holder will be responsible for providing a psychological therapy service providing direct care to service users and their families offering assessment, formulation, risk assessment and brief evidence-based interventions when indicated. This will include providing recommendations for psychological therapy to support service users recovery.
The post-holder will also offer indirect work ensuring that all members of the multidisciplinary team have access to a psychological framework for understanding the service users needs. This will be provided by giving psychological consultation, contributing in clinical meetings and team formulation. Thus, contributing to the formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans of service users.
The development of the psychological framework in the multidisciplinary team will be supported by teaching, training and supervision provided by the post-holder and the wider crisis and borough psychology teams.
The post holder will work as an integrated clinical member of a multi-disciplinary team, which will include responsibility for ensuring the systematic provision and governance of a high-quality specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychology service.
The post holder will utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.
The post holder will participate as a senior clinician and be an integral part of the leadership team involved in the development and delivery of a high-quality service. Supervision of the two assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists will be included as part of this role. It will also include being present and contribute to clinical and senior team meetings, facilitating reflective spaces for the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) including debriefs and being actively involved in the maintenance of Quality Network for Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (QNCRHTT) accreditation.
As an autonomous practitioner one will be responsible for their own work working within their professional guidelines and the overall framework of the services policies and procedures.
The post holder will offer post incident support to staff for their wellbeing and psychological safety.
Please see detailed Job and Person Description in attached documents.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post-holder will be based in the Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Home Treatment Teams and will be part of both the boroughs Mental Health Services and acute mental health psychology teams, supervised by the Acute Psychology Lead. Home Treatment Teams provide a service for adult service users experiencing mental health crisis requiring intensive home-based support and treatment. The service aims to enable clients to be cared for at home during crisis, rather than needing to go into Hospital. The service also supports clients in their transition from hospital back to their homes.
Therefore, the post holder will be required to travel to service users homes.
The post-holder will be responsible for providing a psychological therapy service providing direct care to service users and their families offering assessment, formulation, risk assessment and brief evidence-based interventions when indicated. This will include providing recommendations for psychological therapy to support service users recovery.
The post-holder will also offer indirect work ensuring that all members of the multidisciplinary team have access to a psychological framework for understanding the service users needs. This will be provided by giving psychological consultation, contributing in clinical meetings and team formulation. Thus, contributing to the formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans of service users.
The development of the psychological framework in the multidisciplinary team will be supported by teaching, training and supervision provided by the post-holder and the wider crisis and borough psychology teams.
The post holder will work as an integrated clinical member of a multi-disciplinary team, which will include responsibility for ensuring the systematic provision and governance of a high-quality specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychology service.
The post holder will utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.
The post holder will participate as a senior clinician and be an integral part of the leadership team involved in the development and delivery of a high-quality service. Supervision of the two assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists will be included as part of this role. It will also include being present and contribute to clinical and senior team meetings, facilitating reflective spaces for the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) including debriefs and being actively involved in the maintenance of Quality Network for Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (QNCRHTT) accreditation.
As an autonomous practitioner one will be responsible for their own work working within their professional guidelines and the overall framework of the services policies and procedures.
The post holder will offer post incident support to staff for their wellbeing and psychological safety.
Please see detailed Job and Person Description in attached documents.
Person Specification
Education
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology or its equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and/or Accredited psychological practitioner with significant experience.
- Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and/or equivalent registering body.
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
Desirable
- Training in the supervision of psychological therapies
- Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapies relevant to severe and enduring mental health difficulties including for example DBT/ CBT-P/ Systemic Practice
Experience
Essential
- Post or pre-qualification experience of working in mental health settings delivering specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions in acute or crisis settings.
- Post qualification experience
- Experience of working with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course presenting with a range of psychological problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to assistant/trainee or qualified psychologists, and/or other professionals
Desirable
- Post qualification experience and/or training in working with adults affected by psychological trauma.
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
- Experience of service development/change leadership.
Knowledge/Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
- Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
Desirable
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, e.g. complex psychometric testing and specialist neuropsychological testing
- Knowledge of QN-CRHTT standards and accreditation process
Person Specification
Education
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology or its equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and/or Accredited psychological practitioner with significant experience.
- Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and/or equivalent registering body.
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
Desirable
- Training in the supervision of psychological therapies
- Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapies relevant to severe and enduring mental health difficulties including for example DBT/ CBT-P/ Systemic Practice
Experience
Essential
- Post or pre-qualification experience of working in mental health settings delivering specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions in acute or crisis settings.
- Post qualification experience
- Experience of working with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course presenting with a range of psychological problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to assistant/trainee or qualified psychologists, and/or other professionals
Desirable
- Post qualification experience and/or training in working with adults affected by psychological trauma.
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
- Experience of service development/change leadership.
Knowledge/Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
- Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
Desirable
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, e.g. complex psychometric testing and specialist neuropsychological testing
- Knowledge of QN-CRHTT standards and accreditation process
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).
