Job summary
We are recruiting a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist for a part-time (0.6 WTE, 3 days) Band 7, 12-month fixed-term post in the Tower Hamlets Psychological Therapies Service (PTS).
PTS is a friendly and supportive team committed to providing effective interventions for adults with complex emotional and relational difficulties, including depression, anxiety and complex trauma.
This role sits at the start of the service pathway and offers a unique opportunity to shape service users' initial experience of psychological care in PTS. The post holder will help ensure referrals are responded to in a timely, compassionate and clinically informed way.
A central component of the role involves telephone screening and engagement calls with individuals referred to the service. These conversations gather key clinical information, assess risk, support safety planning where needed, and provide information about the service and next steps. The post holder will also support service users to access community and voluntary sector resources while awaiting therapy.
The role will also contribute to referral triage, communication with referrers, and specialist psychological assessments, with opportunities to undertake some individual clinical work. PTS offers a range of evidence-based therapies including CBT, Psychodynamic Therapy, MBT, DBT, EMDR, CFT and ACT. The post holder will be supported to contribute to this work in line with their training and experience.
Main duties of the job
To act as a first clinical point of contact for service users referred to the Psychological Therapies Service, conducting telephone screening conversations to gather key information, assess risk, and provide a containing and psychologically informed introduction to the service.
To support safe and effective triage of referrals, contributing to clinical decision-making about pathways into the service and liaising with referrers where further information or clarification is required.
To undertake risk assessment and safety planning, ensuring that service users receive timely support and appropriate signposting where immediate needs are identified.
To support a holistic approach to care by identifying and signposting to relevant community, voluntary sector and third-sector services that may support individuals while they wait for therapy.
To maintain and develop knowledge of local community resources, including updating and managing information on support services and acting as a point of contact within the team for community-based support options.
To contribute to the provision of specialist psychological assessments and treatment, in line with training, interests, and service needs.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To act as a first clinical point of contact for service users referred to the Psychological Therapies Service, conducting telephone screening conversations to gather key information, assess risk, and provide a containing and psychologically informed introduction to the service.
To support safe and effective triage of referrals, contributing to clinical decision-making about pathways into the service and liaising with referrers where further information or clarification is required.
To undertake risk assessment and safety planning, ensuring that service users receive timely support and appropriate signposting where immediate needs are identified.
To support a holistic approach to care by identifying and signposting to relevant community, voluntary sector and third-sector services that may support individuals while they wait for therapy.
To maintain and develop knowledge of local community resources, including updating and managing information on support services and acting as a point of contact within the team for community-based support options.
To contribute to the provision of specialist psychological assessments and treatment, in line with training, interests, and service needs.
To work closely with the locality neighbourhood teams to further develop pathways and facilitate the provision of psychological therapy and psychologically informed care to the local population we serve.
To provide specialist advice to NHS and voluntary sector agencies concerning the assessment, treatment and management of service users.
Follow defined practices and procedures under the management and co-ordination of the Operational and Clinical Leads. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice.
Participate in CPD and other developmental activities, keeping up to date with relevant psychological research and national guidance (DoH, NICE etc)
Job description
Job responsibilities
To act as a first clinical point of contact for service users referred to the Psychological Therapies Service, conducting telephone screening conversations to gather key information, assess risk, and provide a containing and psychologically informed introduction to the service.
To support safe and effective triage of referrals, contributing to clinical decision-making about pathways into the service and liaising with referrers where further information or clarification is required.
To undertake risk assessment and safety planning, ensuring that service users receive timely support and appropriate signposting where immediate needs are identified.
To support a holistic approach to care by identifying and signposting to relevant community, voluntary sector and third-sector services that may support individuals while they wait for therapy.
To maintain and develop knowledge of local community resources, including updating and managing information on support services and acting as a point of contact within the team for community-based support options.
To contribute to the provision of specialist psychological assessments and treatment, in line with training, interests, and service needs.
To work closely with the locality neighbourhood teams to further develop pathways and facilitate the provision of psychological therapy and psychologically informed care to the local population we serve.
To provide specialist advice to NHS and voluntary sector agencies concerning the assessment, treatment and management of service users.
Follow defined practices and procedures under the management and co-ordination of the Operational and Clinical Leads. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice.
Participate in CPD and other developmental activities, keeping up to date with relevant psychological research and national guidance (DoH, NICE etc)
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) or BPS statement of Equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- Or Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- Full registration with HCPC
Experience
Essential
- Experience of providing specialist psychological assessments and interventions to service users with complex problems and a range of clinical presentations, including complex trauma.
- Experience of ensuring equality of access and acceptable intervention to diverse populations
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity.
- Experience of planning and exercising clinical responsibility for service users' psychological care and intervention within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- Experience of work in a multicultural setting, including working with interpreters. Experience of developing and delivering culturally acceptable interventions.
- Experience of co-production with service users in the development and delivery of services.
Knowledge
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
- Understanding of the basic principles underlying psychological therapy and knowledge of clinical applications of the model(s).
- Working knowledge of the practices and approaches of other key disciplines, professions and agencies involved in the care and management network, including medical, employment, social, educational and criminal justice systems.
- Evidence of CPD consistent with the requirements of the post.
- Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.
Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of and skills in people participation, understanding big and little I in service user involvement.
- Knowledge and skills in coproduction of service development and delivery.
- Skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive, sensitive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation, and to overcome barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Skills in working in multidisciplinary settings.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) or BPS statement of Equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- Or Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- Full registration with HCPC
Experience
Essential
- Experience of providing specialist psychological assessments and interventions to service users with complex problems and a range of clinical presentations, including complex trauma.
- Experience of ensuring equality of access and acceptable intervention to diverse populations
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity.
- Experience of planning and exercising clinical responsibility for service users' psychological care and intervention within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- Experience of work in a multicultural setting, including working with interpreters. Experience of developing and delivering culturally acceptable interventions.
- Experience of co-production with service users in the development and delivery of services.
Knowledge
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
- Understanding of the basic principles underlying psychological therapy and knowledge of clinical applications of the model(s).
- Working knowledge of the practices and approaches of other key disciplines, professions and agencies involved in the care and management network, including medical, employment, social, educational and criminal justice systems.
- Evidence of CPD consistent with the requirements of the post.
- Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.
Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of and skills in people participation, understanding big and little I in service user involvement.
- Knowledge and skills in coproduction of service development and delivery.
- Skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive, sensitive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation, and to overcome barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Skills in working in multidisciplinary settings.
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).
