Senior Psychotherapist

Job responsibilities

Clinical:To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex 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 service users, and others involved in the service users care.To be responsible for the systematic provision of cognitive behaviour therapy, CAT and / or EMDR at a highly specialist level to people experiencing significant and/or severe psychological problems.To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a service users psychological problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the service users problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, 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 evaluate, monitor progress and make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, or group.To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based enhanced care plans.To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans.To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of service users, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory.To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide both general and specialist advice to other professions on psychological aspects ofrisk assessment and risk management.To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex information concerning the assessment, formulation, and treatment plans of service users under their care where there may be conflicting views, high emotion and significant barriers to understanding and change, and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi- disciplinary care.To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the treatment team.

Teaching, training and supervision:To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical and/or counselling psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.To assist with the clinical supervision of practitioner psychologists, CBT Therapists, EMDR practitioners, CAT practitioners, and other MDT staff as agreed by the service lead/professional lead and operational manager.To provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical professional supervision to qualified clinical psychologists and other psychological services staff.

To provide advice, consultation and training and clinical supervision to other members of the team for their provision of psychologically based interventions to help improve service users functioning.To provide pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical psychologists and/or other psychological services staff as appropriate.

To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional pre- and post-graduate training and clinical supervision.Management, recruitment, policy and service development:To manage the workloads of assistants, trainees and recently qualified psychological services staff, where appropriate, within the framework of the teams/services service policies and procedures.To participate as a senior clinician in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service including advising both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.To exercise delegated responsibility for managing the psychological resources available to a team, whether in the form of additional qualified and unqualified graduate psychology staff, or in the form of psychological materials employed in the assessment and treatment of patients.

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology accredited by the BPS or its approved equivalent.
• Registration with Health Care Professions Council as Practitioner Psychologist.
• Core mental health qualification such as mental health nursing, social work, OT (professional registration to be maintained)
• Registered with a professional body for their therapy e.g., BACP, BABCP, ACAT or other equivalent accreditation applicable within the UK.
• Holds recognised qualifications and holds practitioner accreditation for two recognised therapy models (e.g., CAT; EMDR; CBT).

Desirable

• Postgraduate/doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.Postgraduate/doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Experience of working within secondary mental health services.
• Working towards or holding EMDR consultant accreditation.

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist or psychotherapist at a specialist level for a significant period.
• For Senior Psychotherapists evidence of substantial therapy experience post-qualification, delivering / supervising as an accredited therapist in a recognised therapy model (e.g., EMDR / CAT / CBT)
• Significant experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Knowledge and skill development to meet KSF factor 2 Level 8 requirements.
• Expertise in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex, multivariate data analysis.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Desirable

• Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g., personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc.)
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.

Values

Essential

• Continuous Improvement.
• Accountability.
• Respectfulness.
• Enthusiasm.
• Support.
• High professional standards.
• Response to service users.
• Engaging leadership style.
• Strong customer service belief.
• Transparency and honesty.
• Discreet.
• Change oriented.

Skills

Essential

• Able to evidence well developed and effective communication skills, oral and written, 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.
• Able to evidence skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).