Principle Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist / Psychotherapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities: CLINICAL

To provide expertise in a highly specialist clinical area, supporting the psychological needs of rough sleepers and homeless people, those with histories of complex trauma and addiction.

To select and deliver evidence based psychological interventions, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting as required, drawing on a range of theoretical models (ideally including Community and Systemic approaches, especially Narrative and Solution Focused practice)

To confidently advise other members of the charity on specialist psychological care of clients, and on psychological support to staff.

To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations such as abusive and aggressive behaviour and self-harming behaviours within accommodation and outreach environments, and to support others involved in such situations.

To contribute to the effective working of the charity and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.

To confidently assess, monitor and record risk, and draw up appropriate risk management plans, including relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow Trust policies relating to its management.

TEACHING, TRAINING, AND SUPERVISION

To provide professional managerial, and clinical supervision to other psychologists, psychotherapists and other professionals for all aspects of their work. This must include live supervision of therapists work.

To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Psychology in Hostels Project service and the Lambeth Directorate by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and the homeless sector and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.

To provide highly specialist psychological consultation and professional and clinical supervision to colleagues and others and to contribute to a psychologically informed framework within the service.

To organise and provide specialist training to other professions as appropriate.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

To lead in the recruitment, induction, management and appraisal of staff including qualified and pre-qualified psychologists.

To foster a supportive and performance focussed team ethos through your interaction and communication with the team, your own behaviour, team meetings, supervision and partnership work.

To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and developing services.

To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the wider team and directorate clinical governance committee.

To develop and updating policies and procedures for the delivery of high-quality arm of the PIH services at CSTM.

SERVICE LEADERSHIP

To lead the development of this new service within the parameters established by the contract and agreements with CSTM and under the leadership of the PiH Clinical Lead.

To identify aspects of the service which could be improved and initiate and implement service development projects, both within psychology and the broader service.

To advise and contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the CSTM contract by reporting to the CSTM senior management team, board of trustees, SLAM directorate and others as required.

To be proactive in challenging discrimination and to support the development of culturally competent services.

Contribute to the development of a culture and values within the team of addressing health inequalities and multiple disadvantage and the value of cross-sector partnership working as ways of improving clinical practice andservice delivery.

RESEARCH AND SERVICE EVALUATION

To actively participate in the development of services through initiating, undertaking and supervising complex service evaluation and audit.

Assist in the development and maintenance of a strong research culture that values the use of outcome measures as a way of improving clinical practice.

Encourage the critical evaluation of practice, and undertake research

To develop data processes and an evaluation framework that interfaces and compliments CSTM existing evaluation and monitoring processes and also contribute to the wider PIH data and outcome capture.

To produce contract monitoring and board reports.

To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with HCPC requirements, HCPC Standards for Continuing Professional Development and Standards of Proficiency or other relevant professional / registry body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.

To comply with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, or for other registry or professional bodys code of ethics as appropriate.

To contribute to the strategic development and implementation of new initiatives e.g. national guidelines including NICE.

A Full Job Description is attached to this advertisement.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession and extensive demonstrable practice in this field (e.g. professional Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology or other relevant professional doctorate or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/ supervised practice/ additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
• Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/ BPC/UKCP/BACP/ BABCP/ADMP-UK.
• Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent) OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.

Desirable

• Additional training in relevant specialist psychological models (Psychodynamic, MBT, DBT, CAT, Systemic, Narrative).

Experience

Essential

• Experience of post qualification highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in relevant speciality and/or client group e.g. Addictions/homelessness/complex trauma/psychosis/personality disorder/ mood disorder.
• Experience of consulting to, and supervising with other staff (incl. psychologists, MDT professionals and third/housing sector workers).
• Experience of specialist work with trauma and complex trauma
• Experience of leadership, partnership working, and service development

Desirable

• Experience of working with homeless people
• Experience of working with Psychosis or people experiencing unusual experiences
• Experience of work with substance misuse

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Specialist practitioner skills at level 3 in at least one or more models of relevant psychological therapy (Community, Narrative, SFBT MBT, CBT/DBT, psychodynamic).
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, highly technical and sensitive
• Skills in managing risk and ensuring good clinical governance

Knowledge

Essential

• Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
• Evidence of post-qualification continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and/or HPCP.

Desirable

• Specialist knowledge relevant to work in outreach, supported housing and homelessness
• Knowledge of 'Psychologically Informed Environments' and 'Trauma informed Care'

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

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

308 Brixton Rd

London

SW9 6AA

Employer's website

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