Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological therapy assessments with clients referred to the NHS Talking Therapies service, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation, and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To provide at least one NICE recommended psychological therapy for anxiety disorders and/or depression

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations and drawing upon relevant explanatory models. To be able to use a specific psychological therapy for anxiety and/or depression, in line with NICE guidance, at a specialist level in assessments and interventions.

To evaluate and make 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.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management. To work with clients who are at current risk of suicide or self-harm.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care. To assess and deliver highly complex, sensitive and contentious information.

To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the treatment team.

To provide medico-legal and other reports where appropriate.

To attend serious incident (SI) meetings as needed.

To work clinically with interpreters.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A minimum two-year post-graduate (or equivalent) qualification in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology, comprising no less than 450 hours programme contact AND no less than 450 hours supervised counselling or psychotherapy practice (including hours gained after core training)
• One or more NHS Talking Therapies specified counselling or psychotherapy accreditations (as detailed in the NHS Talking Therapies Manual): British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Accredited; United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registered as a Psychotherapist or Psychotherapeutic Counsellor; Association of Christian Counsellors Accreditation; National x A Counselling Society Accredited Professional registrants, British Psychoanalytic Council Registered
• Evidence of successful completion of training in one or more of the following specialist trainings in NICE-recommended time limited psychological therapies for depression (Counselling for Depression, Couple Therapy for Depression, Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, or Interpersonal Psychotherapy) or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, with the required training and individual accreditation to deliver the modality as specified by the NHS Talking Therapies Manual.

Desirable

• Evidence of relevant continuing professional development.
• A Batchelors degree and/or professional training in a health practitioner field (e.g. nursing, occupational therapy)
• Evidence of post qualification training in clinical supervision

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients within an NHS Talking Therapies service
• Experience of working with a variety of client groups and presenting problems that reflect a range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse

Desirable

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of specialist psychological therapy assessment and treatment of clients across a range of care settings relevant to an NHS Talking Therapies service, including outpatient, community, and primary care 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.

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

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Saffron Ground, Ditchmore Lane, Stevenage, SG1 3LJ

Ditchmore Lane

Stevenage

SG1 3LJ

Employer's website

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