Job summary
FIPTS (Forensic Intensive Psychological Treatment Service) inpatient service is located in Waddon ward, River House, at Bethlem Royal Hospital. This unit aims to provide effective assessment, treatment and management of offenders with personality disorder. The unit accepts admissions from prisons, other medium secure settings and high secure hospitals.
Patients may also present with a psychotic illness, have a history of substance misuse and pose a high risk of causing harm to themselves or others. Many of these patients have been victims of physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
The service aims to reduce and manage the risk in the least restrictive environment possible; reduce personality pathology and the associated suffering and distress; increase pro-social and adaptive behaviours in the areas of relationships, education, employment, and community integration; promote independence; and improve quality of life.
Waddon Ward works in collaboration with patients and other stakeholders (e.g. MAPPA, and the Ministry of Justice) to develop treatment plans that focus on patient care and gradual community re-integration or return to prison on completion of treatment.
We are looking for a dynamic and enthusiastic assistant psychologist, who wants to work in a service that is committed to providing individualised evidenced based care and assist in the development and delivery of individual and group therapy sessions that meet the psychological needs of the individual.
Main duties of the job
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To provide clinical work as required by the service, under the clinical and professional supervision of the Senior Psychologist/Psychotherapist. Clinical work is likely to involve carrying out psychological assessments, including risk assessments, and circumscribed individual interventions, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist/psychotherapist.
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To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
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To work as at appropriate levels of independence, following clinical guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, and seeking help from clinical/professional supervisor or manager as required.
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient, and community services. Currently, we provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
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To provide individual psychological interventions for clients on Waddon Ward including psycho educational treatment linked to personality disorder and symptoms of personality disorder, CBT, individual treatment linked to the Violence Reduction Programme (VRP), and relapse prevention.
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To arrange, schedule and provide group psychological interventions for clients on Waddon Ward including psycho educational interventions linked to personality disorder and other symptoms associated with personality disorder, Violence Reduction Programme and relapse prevention.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
KR 3 Policy and service development
KR 4 Care or management of resources
KR 5 Teaching and Training
KR 6 Record-keeping and Information Governance
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Under the supervision of the Senior Psychologist/Psychotherapist to maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 7 Research and development
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To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform the service psychology team and others in the development of Trust psychology, psychotherapy and other services, training provision and research activities.
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Where necessary to undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
KR 8 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
KR 9 General
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
-
To provide individual psychological interventions for clients on Waddon Ward including psycho educational treatment linked to personality disorder and symptoms of personality disorder, CBT, individual treatment linked to the Violence Reduction Programme (VRP), and relapse prevention.
-
To arrange, schedule and provide group psychological interventions for clients on Waddon Ward including psycho educational interventions linked to personality disorder and other symptoms associated with personality disorder, Violence Reduction Programme and relapse prevention.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
KR 3 Policy and service development
KR 4 Care or management of resources
KR 5 Teaching and Training
KR 6 Record-keeping and Information Governance
-
Under the supervision of the Senior Psychologist/Psychotherapist to maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 7 Research and development
-
To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform the service psychology team and others in the development of Trust psychology, psychotherapy and other services, training provision and research activities.
-
Where necessary to undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
KR 8 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
KR 9 General
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology (or related behavioural science) that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Relevant specialist training in relation to working with mental health challenges, personality disorders, challenging behaviour, offending behaviour, culture & diversity needs or personality difficulties
Knowledge
Essential
- Graduate level knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis
- Good theoretical knowledge of the problems experienced by and needs of forensic mental health specifically personality disordered offenders and of methods of assessment and treatment
Desirable
- Knowledge of working with men, challenging behaviour, offending behaviour, culture & diversity needs or personality difficulties
- Knowledge around risk of harm to self or others
Experience
Essential
- Sufficient post-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs in personality disorder services to be able to work clinically without direct supervision
- Post-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
Desirable
- Experience of working with male service users in secure care, community care or other settings
- Experience of working with service users with personality disorders, risk of harm to self or others
- Experience of working with service users with mental health disorders, and risk of harm to self or others
- Experience of working at Band 4 level
Skills
Essential
- Skills in relevant psychological assessment and interventions that enable working independently as a pre-qualified practitioner with clinical supervision
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, sensitive or contentious information to clients, families and colleagues
- Skills in providing/supporting teaching and training provided by psychologists or others to other professional groups
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups within own service
Desirable
- Experience of data collection, analysis and interpretation
- Post-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits
- Experience of working at Band 4 level
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour
- Ability to communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information to people who may be aroused, or hostile to the information, or have severe impediments to understanding
- Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self
- Ability to manage physical aggression directed at self, including use of physical interventions as prescribed by Trust policies
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology (or related behavioural science) that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Relevant specialist training in relation to working with mental health challenges, personality disorders, challenging behaviour, offending behaviour, culture & diversity needs or personality difficulties
Knowledge
Essential
- Graduate level knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis
- Good theoretical knowledge of the problems experienced by and needs of forensic mental health specifically personality disordered offenders and of methods of assessment and treatment
Desirable
- Knowledge of working with men, challenging behaviour, offending behaviour, culture & diversity needs or personality difficulties
- Knowledge around risk of harm to self or others
Experience
Essential
- Sufficient post-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs in personality disorder services to be able to work clinically without direct supervision
- Post-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
Desirable
- Experience of working with male service users in secure care, community care or other settings
- Experience of working with service users with personality disorders, risk of harm to self or others
- Experience of working with service users with mental health disorders, and risk of harm to self or others
- Experience of working at Band 4 level
Skills
Essential
- Skills in relevant psychological assessment and interventions that enable working independently as a pre-qualified practitioner with clinical supervision
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, sensitive or contentious information to clients, families and colleagues
- Skills in providing/supporting teaching and training provided by psychologists or others to other professional groups
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups within own service
Desirable
- Experience of data collection, analysis and interpretation
- Post-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits
- Experience of working at Band 4 level
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour
- Ability to communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information to people who may be aroused, or hostile to the information, or have severe impediments to understanding
- Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self
- Ability to manage physical aggression directed at self, including use of physical interventions as prescribed by Trust policies
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
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).
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).
