Clinical / Counselling / Health Psychologist in Chronic Pain

Job description

Job responsibilities

WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Title: Applied Psychologist

Pay Band: 7

Hours: 30hours (0.8 WTE)

Contract: Permanent

Location / Department: Pain and Anaesthetics

Accountable to: Principal Psychologist

Reports to: Principal Psychologist

Key Working Relationships: Patients and their families/carers, MDT colleagues, partner agencies including VSO, charities and social care

Job Purpose:

• Working under the overall leadership of the Principal Psychologist to provide high quality, specialist applied psychology alongside the chronic pain team at the hospital.

• Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of specialist psychological care to clients with complex psychological difficulties resulting from their physical health difficulties.

• To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families.

• To promote at all times a positive image of people with psychological difficulties resulting from their physical health difficulties

• To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust.

• Under the guidance and supervision of the Principal Psychologist and Lead Consultant Psychologist and in line with service context to:
• Exercise supervisory responsibility for other psychological therapists (e.g. Trainee Applied Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, Counsellors)
• Support multi-disciplinary training and development
• Support service audit and development
• Support and encourage service evaluation and research
• Ensure that a psychological perspective is brought to service redesign and cultural change

Key Duties:

Clinical Responsibilities, Patient Contact

Working under the overall leadership of Trust Lead Consultant Psychologist) to provides specialist psychological assessment of clients with complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources, which may include neuropsychological testing.

Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk.

Undertakes risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

Formulates plans for specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers.

Implements a range of specialist psychological therapies for individual clients, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required.

Evaluates therapy options and makes decisions about treatment.

To liaise with other professionals working within the NHS, Social Inclusion and Health and the voluntary sector on matters relating to client care that have implications for the service

Supervisory/Professional Responsibility

Clinical supervision of Assistant Psychologists under the guidance of their Applied Psychologist line manager.

Will hold responsibility and accountability for their own actions, ensuring appropriate support and supervision is sought when required.

To keep abreast of current developments in this field through reading, attendance at appropriate training courses, and a range of other CPD activities, and to ensure that a log is kept of this in line with Psychology and Counselling service and HPC requirements.

Multi-Disciplinary Training and Development

Working under the overall leadership of the Trust Lead Consultant Psychologist to:

Provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other direct care staff in MDT.

Provides clinical supervision to other direct care staff in MDT.

Provides training to other staff in MDT

Undertake light physical effort for short periods; sit in constrained position for extended periods during individual or group psychological interventions.

Mental Effort

Be able to sustain the concentration necessary for group and individual sessions

Be able to prioritise work.

Emotional Effort

Work under supervision with patients who may be emotionally distressed, difficult to engage, abusive or hostile.

Working Environment/Conditions

Clinical settings inpatient, outpatient and community settings.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the line manager.

Our Shared Values and Behaviours

We are committed to delivering outstanding care and creating a culture where everyone feels respected, valued and supported. We seek individuals who share our purpose of helping people live healthier, more fulfilling lives, and who are motivated by our mission to be the best team we can be. You will be expected to uphold our values by communicating openly, acting with kindness, showing respect for others and taking responsibility for your actions. These values guide how we work together and continually improve the care we provide.

Our values are:

• Being open and honest we all communicate clearly and honestly, asking for help when we need it, and making it easier for the people around us to share ideas and concerns.

• Ensuring people feel cared for we all take responsibility for actively supporting and nurturing a kind and compassionate environment for ourselves and others.

• Showing respect for everyone we all act with consideration and fairness, valuing each other as individuals and appreciating our different perspectives.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to work in accordance with the Trust Values and Behaviours.
• Able to engage with vulnerable people and work effectively in highly distressing and challenging circumstances.
• Respects and has awareness of the advantages of joint working with other experienced professionals in a multidisciplinary setting.
• Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
• Able to use own initiative and make decisions independently
• Committed to continual quality and service improvement
• Commitment to develop knowledge and practice towards more highly specialist levels through a variety of appropriate methods. Short courses, reading, clinical supervision of practice, on the job learning etc
• Self-aware and committed to professional and personal development.
• Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision
• Excellent planning, time management and organisational skills

Other Job Requirements

Essential

• Ability to travel independently in accordance with Trust policies and service need.
• This post is subject to a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure to identify any relevant criminal background.

Skills/Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of:
• Models of lifespan developmental psychology, psychopathology, psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies
• Evidence-based practice
• relevant to the role (e.g. cognitive change and neuropsychology, theory and practice in relation to the psychology of adjustment to illness; role of distress in interfering with treatment recovery; adherence to and decision-making about treatment; and lifestyle changes to improve and maintain health)
• Risk assessment and risk management
• Clinical governance
• Legislation in relation to the physical health client group and mental health.
• Audit and research methodology
• Skills to:
• Communicate complex and highly sensitive information effectively, to a wide range of people orally and in writing
• Adapt creatively the evidence base for interventions relevant to the physical health client group
• Provide (within agreed timescale) teaching, training, consultation and clinical supervision to other professional and non-professional groups
• Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Undertake complex multiagency working and liaise with multiple systems
• Utilise psychometric tests competently
• Identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours.
• Utilise appropriate clinical governance mechanisms within own work.
• Basic keyboard skills

Desirable

• Skills in using multimedia materials in presentations
• Knowledge and / or experience of digital health care innovations and platforms to support and enhance patient engagement

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in Applied Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• HCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist

Desirable

• Additional formal training or qualification relevant to health psychology
• Registration with BPS
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Experience

Essential

• Experience of psychological assessment and intervention working with a wide variety of client groups, with a range of clinical presentations across the whole life course and in a range of care settings.
• Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.

Desirable

• Experience of working with complex long-term co-mordid physical and mental health conditions
• Experience of therapies frequently practiced within physical health psychology (e.g. CBT, ACT, CFT, Mindfulness, EMDR)
• Experience of research and audit
• Experience of joint working with statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of work with service user representatives

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

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