Job summary
We have an exciting new vacancy for an experienced Psychologist based in the North West Quadrant of Hertfordshire, working in our local community team base in St Albans. You would join an established group of therapists (including another 8b Psychologist and two Consultant Psychologist Leads) to offer a quadrant wide psychological therapy service within adult community mental health teams. Offering professional leadership to therapists in their area, and within the quadrant is key. This post would suit someone who loves working in multidisciplinary teams, and has strong skills in clinical supervision and case management, as well as excellent clinical skills in working with individuals experiencing severe and/or enduring mental health problems. Experience of triaging and managing referrals is important as is an understanding of the importance of managing KPIs and other quality indicators in measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of what we do. The post holder will act as the Senior Psychologist overseeing the delivery of the Psychology service in St Albans.
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job include overseeing the triaging process for incoming referrals and maintaining a referrals database. They will help to produce reports illustrating adherence to Key Performance Indicators (adherence to waiting time targets, outcome measure data and so on). The post holder will offer line management and clinical supervision to more junior colleagues and trainees, and have a caseload of their own, offering specialist assessment and treatment to adults with severe and enduring mental illness and personality disorder. They will attend meetings and offer consultation to the wider team.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country. Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services. The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout: Our Trust values are: Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional. These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it! Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will provide specialist psychological assessment and treatment to clients with severe and enduring mental health disorders within the service, including the assessment of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in adults. In addition you will provide expert consultation to their professional colleagues. You will clinically and managerially supervise a small team of therapists working within that team working in partnership with the local community team managers. You will work closely with the local and quadrant-wide psychologist teams, as well as a range of other psychological therapy colleagues within the service setting. You will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures. You will utilise research skills for audit, teaching, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service. For a full person and Job specification please read the attached documents before applying
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will provide specialist psychological assessment and treatment to clients with severe and enduring mental health disorders within the service, including the assessment of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in adults. In addition you will provide expert consultation to their professional colleagues. You will clinically and managerially supervise a small team of therapists working within that team working in partnership with the local community team managers. You will work closely with the local and quadrant-wide psychologist teams, as well as a range of other psychological therapy colleagues within the service setting. You will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures. You will utilise research skills for audit, teaching, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service. For a full person and Job specification please read the attached documents before applying
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential
- Good honours degree in psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or fully completed training as a Counselling Psychologist
- Extensive full-time post-registration experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment with clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
- Full registration with Health Professions Council
- Experience in neuropsychological assessment
Desirable
- Related academic qualification to masters or doctorate level
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
Areas of Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- Assessed experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of adults of working age with a wide range of presentations of varying severity. Typically this would involve a minimum of four years experience with 2 years at highly specialist level, or it's equivalent demonstrated through CV and interview.
- Experience of working with moderate to severe mental health problems, including: medically unexplained symptoms, physical health problems, and personality difficulties.
- Demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training, through a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an agreed alternative.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Skills in use of complex methods of psychological assessment and management with clients with complex problems, including specialised psychological interventions for difficult to treat groups (eg multiple mental health and/or physical health problems). Ability to demonstrate an area of special interest/skill in assessment, therapeutic intervention or research/evaluation
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and HPC
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively and well, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, caress and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Experience of having published in either peer reviewed academic or professional journals and/or books
Desirable
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. dual diagnoses, people with co-morbid conditions: physical health, social complexity, psychologically complex histories)
- Experience of working within a multi cultural framework.
- Good presentation and teaching skills and ability to use multi-media materials for formal presentations to large groups.
- Familiarity with computing technology, including keyboard skills, and use of word-processing, e-mail, and internet software.
- Skilled in appropriate and up to date disengagement techniques.
Analytical Skills
Essential
- Able to prioritise work, to operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and an unpredictable work pattern which requires regular revision of plans.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
Communication Skills
Essential
- Able to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multi-disciplinary environment and also as a lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to verbal and sometimes physical aggression.
- Ability to work and communicate highly sensitive, contentious information effectively in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere, and to overcome barriers to acceptance/psychological resistance to potentially threatening information.
- Ability to work face to face with patients in isolated potentially hostile settings without other team members being nearby.
- Ability to demonstrate an interest in working with adults and older people with 'common' mental health needs.
- Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations.
Physical Skills
Essential
- Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995).
Desirable
- Ability to move equipment (including case files, self-help materials, audio-visual equipment) between office base and other work settings.
Emotional Effort
Essential
- Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential
- Good honours degree in psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or fully completed training as a Counselling Psychologist
- Extensive full-time post-registration experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment with clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
- Full registration with Health Professions Council
- Experience in neuropsychological assessment
Desirable
- Related academic qualification to masters or doctorate level
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
Areas of Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- Assessed experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of adults of working age with a wide range of presentations of varying severity. Typically this would involve a minimum of four years experience with 2 years at highly specialist level, or it's equivalent demonstrated through CV and interview.
- Experience of working with moderate to severe mental health problems, including: medically unexplained symptoms, physical health problems, and personality difficulties.
- Demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training, through a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an agreed alternative.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Skills in use of complex methods of psychological assessment and management with clients with complex problems, including specialised psychological interventions for difficult to treat groups (eg multiple mental health and/or physical health problems). Ability to demonstrate an area of special interest/skill in assessment, therapeutic intervention or research/evaluation
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and HPC
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively and well, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, caress and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Experience of having published in either peer reviewed academic or professional journals and/or books
Desirable
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. dual diagnoses, people with co-morbid conditions: physical health, social complexity, psychologically complex histories)
- Experience of working within a multi cultural framework.
- Good presentation and teaching skills and ability to use multi-media materials for formal presentations to large groups.
- Familiarity with computing technology, including keyboard skills, and use of word-processing, e-mail, and internet software.
- Skilled in appropriate and up to date disengagement techniques.
Analytical Skills
Essential
- Able to prioritise work, to operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and an unpredictable work pattern which requires regular revision of plans.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
Communication Skills
Essential
- Able to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multi-disciplinary environment and also as a lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to verbal and sometimes physical aggression.
- Ability to work and communicate highly sensitive, contentious information effectively in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere, and to overcome barriers to acceptance/psychological resistance to potentially threatening information.
- Ability to work face to face with patients in isolated potentially hostile settings without other team members being nearby.
- Ability to demonstrate an interest in working with adults and older people with 'common' mental health needs.
- Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations.
Physical Skills
Essential
- Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995).
Desirable
- Ability to move equipment (including case files, self-help materials, audio-visual equipment) between office base and other work settings.
Emotional Effort
Essential
- Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations.
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).
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
