Practitioner Psychologist, Psychotherapist & Psychological Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide highly specialist psychotherapy assessments, formulations and planning of interventions for clients in the service.

To offer Trauma focus treatments for patients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, learning disabilities, personality disorders, offending behaviour, etc., at levels expected of a senior psychotherapist.

Experience or training in Trauma Focus interventions

To provide culturally appropriate professional assessments and treatments

To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.

Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychotherapeutically informed framework for the service.

To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.

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

To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice and/or currently understood best practice-based evidence, in individual work and work with other team members.

To implement policies and procedures in own area of work

To supervise trainee and qualified Trauma psychotherapists

To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

To assist with audit and QI projects relevant to reducing waiting times, as requested.

To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychotherapist according to BPC/UKCP/BABCP EQUIVALENT and Trust guidelines.

To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPC/UKCP/BABCP EQUIVALENT and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.

To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.

To comply with BPC/UKCP/BABCP EQUIVALENT Standards of Ethics and Proficiency, and ensure professional development in line with these. To adhere to the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures

To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.

To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, verbal abuse) and to support others involved in such situations.

Person Specification: Essential

Qualifications and Professional Registration

Entry-level qualification in as a psychotherapist/psychologist that has been accepted by the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT for purposes of professional registration. (A/I)

Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practicebased learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher. (A/I/R)

Experience

Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in Trauma Focus work. (A/I)

Experience of specialist psychotherapy assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in secondary care in adult mental health). (A/I)

Experience of supervising psychotherapists having completed the relevant training. (A/I)

Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. (A/I)

Experience of carrying out audit or service evaluation projects. (A/I)

Skills

To deliver psychotherapy across cultural and other differences.

To select and administer specialist psychotherapy assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.

To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.

To plan and schedule assessment for individual clients

Well-developed IT skills. (A/I/R)

Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups (A/I/R).

Abilities

Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I/R)

Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate. (A/I/R)

Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these. (A/I)

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. (A/I)

Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self. (A/I)

Person Specification: Desirable

Experience

The Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.

Registered with the BPC/UKCP/BABCP EQUIVALENT as a Psychotherapist/Psychologist and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT registration body. (A/I)

Knowledge

Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised assessments and interventions for adults with complex mental health difficulties (A/I/R)

To offer training or teaching as required by the service.

Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant Trauma Focus treatment). (A/I/R)

Advanced knowledge of clinical assessment and psychometrics (e.g. experience of use of CORE, WSAS and other outcome measures used in SLAM). (A/I/R)

Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities. (A/I/R)

Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care. (A/I/R)

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• oEntry-level qualification in as a psychotherapist/psychologist that has been accepted by the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT for purposes of professional registration. (A/I)
• oAdditional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher. (A/I/R)
• oRegistered with the BPC/UKCP/BABCP EQUIVALENT as a Psychotherapist/Psychologist and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT registration body. (A/I)
• Training and experience of delivering Trauma Focus interventions e.g EMDR, NET or CBT

Desirable

• oExperience in delivering therapy for patients who have experienced social discrimination or being under-represented in services.
• oAdvanced knowledge of clinical assessment and psychometrics (e.g. experience of use of CORE, WSAS and other outcome measures used in SLAM). (A/I/R)

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in Psychosis services and/or Parenting/Parental Mental Health. (A/I)
• Experience of supervising assistants and trainees having completed the relevant training. (A/I)
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. (A/I)

Desirable

• Delivery / supervision of therapeutic, evidence-based groups (A/I)
• Post-qualification experience of specialist assessment and intervention for adults with Psychosis; Mood disorders; Personality Disorders and/or parents with neurodivergence (A/I)

Skills

Essential

• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information. (A/I/R)
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups. (A/I/R)

Desirable

• Experience and desire to work alongside and champion colleagues with lived experience
• To adapt evidence-based models to improve service provision and service user acceptability (A/I)

Abilities

Essential

• oRegistered with the BPC/UKCP/BABCP EQUIVALENT as a Psychotherapist/Psychologist and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT registration body
• oAdditional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher. (A/I/R
• oEntry-level qualification in as a psychotherapist/psychologist that has been accepted by the BPC/UKCP/ BABCP EQUIVALENT for purposes of professional registration.
• oAdvanced knowledge of clinical assessment and psychometrics (e.g. experience of use of CORE, WSAS and other outcome measures used in SLAM). (A/I/R)

Desirable

• oExperience in delivering therapy for patients who have experienced social discrimination or being under-represented in services.
• Training and experience in delivering trauma focus interventions e.g. EMDR, NET, CBT

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

Monro Centre

66 Snowfields

London

SE1 3SS

Employer's website

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