Job summary
We are looking for an experienced
Counselling/Clinical Psychologist/Psychological Therapist to join our Trust-wide
Specialist Community Eating Disorders Services (CEDS) for adults with moderate to severe
Eating Disorders. CEDS cover the Devon
footprint with the main base in Exeter. The successful candidate will work as a senior
member of the clinical team to support effective care for clients with complex
eating disordered presentations. The
post holder will also need to be prepared to travel to see clients and be
flexible to meet the demands of the job.
CEDS is a fully integrated multi-disciplinary
team which includes specialist senior mental health professionals, assistant
psychologists, psychological therapists, psychiatrists, medical staff, dietitians and peer support. It is a caring and supportive team and our vision is to provide the best treatment possible for those with eating
disorders. As a senior member of the clinical team the
post holder will be involved in all aspects of assuring the delivery of the
psychological therapies provision including the supervision of staff: we would particularly welcome someone with
previous training and experience in CBT-E or MANTRA but there is funded therapy
training available for the right candidate. Prior experience in working with people with severe and complex eating disorders would be highly desirable and a strong commitment to increasing access to evidence based psychological interventions.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be expected
to provide complex assessments, for clients referred to the service particularly where there is comorbidity e.g. Autism
or other significant mental health problems.
The post holder will be responsible for providing formulation driven evidence based interventions for clients with eating disorders referred to the service
The post holder will be
responsible for appropriate consultation with service users and their
families/supporters and all stakeholders surrounding the development of
existing services to meet the needs of those with eating disorders. This will include collaborativeworking with other
specialist teams and the wider community mental health service.
The post holder
will be required to support and work with multi-disciplinary colleagues, offering
specialist supervision, consultation and psychological formulation.
The post will involve leading on and contributing to service development, service evaluations and audits and quality improvement projects in the CEDS service.
About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The principal purpose of the job is to improve the
psychological health & wellbeing of people with eating disorders, their
families and carers.
This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the
following areas of responsibility:
- To ensure the systematic provision of a
high-quality psychological service in Eating Disorders Services across Devon
- Providing clinical leadership and
supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or
attached to the psychology service and the Eating Disorders Community Service
- Carrying a specialist caseload of clients
and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.
- To work autonomously within
professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic
governance of psychological practice within professional and
Trust guidelines.
- The post holder with receive regular
professional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy and to
Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society
or appropriate designated Professional Body.
- Observe,
and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including
the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully
registered with the Health Care Professions Council as a condition of
employment
Duties and
Responsibilities
Communication
and Working Relationships
- Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled
and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in
understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or
highly emotionally disturbed.
- Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in
the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a
day to day basis.
- Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of
health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a
highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information
concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under
the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of
psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.
- Senior managers & professional
staff: To
maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff
and managers across the Trust. to foster a positive approach to the
integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective
negotiation.
Planning
and Organisation
- The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting
and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of
psychological services within Community Eating Disorders Team to best meet
the organisations strategy and priorities.
- The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy supervision
to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of the eating
disorders service
- Responsibility
for Judgement and Analysis
- To
provide specialist clinical psychology/therapy expertise and advice.
- To
provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological
formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their
psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological
interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in
both family, individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
- To support the Professional Lead, General Manager for CEDS, Practice
and Strategic Development Leads by undertaking service development and
redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.
- To provide complex assessment of specialist
conditions
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment
and Therapy
- Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological
therapies in eating disorders, developing
specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating
plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist
psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and
to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.
- Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and
consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other
service providers, patients, supporters and families.
Policy,
Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement
- The post holder is accountable for their own professional
actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional
Practice Guidelines.
- Policy & service: To implement policies and procedures for the provision of
psychology and therapy services within own service and other services within
the Trust.
- R & D: To support the R&D activities of the psychology and psychological
therapy service.
Responsibility
for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources
- To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under
own use.
Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and
Management
- Leadership & supervision: To lead and professionally supervise
less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers.
- To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.
- To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for
non psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies
- To support placements for trainee staff in line with
professional guidelines
Information
Resources and Administrative Duties
- To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust
Practice Standards.
- To be responsible for using an email account to generate,
monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much
of its internal communication.
Responsibility
for Research and Development
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research
to support evidence based practice in individual work within the community
eating disorders services.
- To conduct project work including specific areas of audit,
research or service evaluation
- As a
clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data
that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation.
To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.
Freedom
to Act
- The post holder is accountable for
their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures
and Professional Practice Guidelines
- To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and
exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within
the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing
policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager.
- To provide expert and specialist
clinical psychology/therapy expertise and advice
guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to
colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.
Any
Other Specific Tasks Required
- To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by
psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists working in the Community Eating
Disorder Team is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership.
- To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously
update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work.
Review of this Job Description
This job description is intended as an outline indicator
of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing
service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the
post holder on an annual basis.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The principal purpose of the job is to improve the
psychological health & wellbeing of people with eating disorders, their
families and carers.
This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the
following areas of responsibility:
- To ensure the systematic provision of a
high-quality psychological service in Eating Disorders Services across Devon
- Providing clinical leadership and
supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or
attached to the psychology service and the Eating Disorders Community Service
- Carrying a specialist caseload of clients
and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.
- To work autonomously within
professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic
governance of psychological practice within professional and
Trust guidelines.
- The post holder with receive regular
professional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy and to
Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society
or appropriate designated Professional Body.
- Observe,
and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including
the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully
registered with the Health Care Professions Council as a condition of
employment
Duties and
Responsibilities
Communication
and Working Relationships
- Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled
and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in
understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or
highly emotionally disturbed.
- Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in
the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a
day to day basis.
- Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of
health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a
highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information
concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under
the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of
psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.
- Senior managers & professional
staff: To
maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff
and managers across the Trust. to foster a positive approach to the
integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective
negotiation.
Planning
and Organisation
- The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting
and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of
psychological services within Community Eating Disorders Team to best meet
the organisations strategy and priorities.
- The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy supervision
to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of the eating
disorders service
- Responsibility
for Judgement and Analysis
- To
provide specialist clinical psychology/therapy expertise and advice.
- To
provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological
formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their
psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological
interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in
both family, individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
- To support the Professional Lead, General Manager for CEDS, Practice
and Strategic Development Leads by undertaking service development and
redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.
- To provide complex assessment of specialist
conditions
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment
and Therapy
- Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological
therapies in eating disorders, developing
specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating
plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist
psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and
to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.
- Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and
consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other
service providers, patients, supporters and families.
Policy,
Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement
- The post holder is accountable for their own professional
actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional
Practice Guidelines.
- Policy & service: To implement policies and procedures for the provision of
psychology and therapy services within own service and other services within
the Trust.
- R & D: To support the R&D activities of the psychology and psychological
therapy service.
Responsibility
for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources
- To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under
own use.
Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and
Management
- Leadership & supervision: To lead and professionally supervise
less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers.
- To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.
- To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for
non psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies
- To support placements for trainee staff in line with
professional guidelines
Information
Resources and Administrative Duties
- To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust
Practice Standards.
- To be responsible for using an email account to generate,
monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much
of its internal communication.
Responsibility
for Research and Development
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research
to support evidence based practice in individual work within the community
eating disorders services.
- To conduct project work including specific areas of audit,
research or service evaluation
- As a
clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data
that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation.
To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.
Freedom
to Act
- The post holder is accountable for
their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures
and Professional Practice Guidelines
- To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and
exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within
the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing
policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager.
- To provide expert and specialist
clinical psychology/therapy expertise and advice
guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to
colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.
Any
Other Specific Tasks Required
- To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by
psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists working in the Community Eating
Disorder Team is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership.
- To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously
update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work.
Review of this Job Description
This job description is intended as an outline indicator
of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing
service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the
post holder on an annual basis.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience in working with people with severe and complex mental health problems
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology/psychotherapy services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency contexts. Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
Desirable
- Experience of working with Eating Disorders in either Community or in-patient services.
- Experience of service development.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychotherapy/other therapy is commonly applied.
- Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy
- Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting
- Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge of Psychological Therapy interventions with Eating Disorders
- Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group.
Communication and Working Relationship Skills
Essential
- Essential
- Communication Skills
- Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills.
- Strong leadership qualities, resilience, and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainly.
- Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims.
- Ability to work flexibly and as part of a team.
Physical Skills
Essential
- Clear telephone voice
- Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise.
- Good communication skills when presenting/facilitating to varying groups of people.
Planning and Organisational Skills
Essential
- Proven organisational, planning and time management skills.
- Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines.
Desirable
- Project management skills/experience
Qualifications
Essential
- Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with Doctoral level qualification registered with HCPC OR Psychological Therapist (masters level or above) or equivalent recognised by the appropriate clinical body e.g. BABCP
Desirable
- Further training in related area
- Further training in at least one other psychological therapy.
- Successful completion of a post-graduate supervision training.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience in working with people with severe and complex mental health problems
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology/psychotherapy services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency contexts. Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
Desirable
- Experience of working with Eating Disorders in either Community or in-patient services.
- Experience of service development.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychotherapy/other therapy is commonly applied.
- Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy
- Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting
- Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge of Psychological Therapy interventions with Eating Disorders
- Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group.
Communication and Working Relationship Skills
Essential
- Essential
- Communication Skills
- Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills.
- Strong leadership qualities, resilience, and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainly.
- Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims.
- Ability to work flexibly and as part of a team.
Physical Skills
Essential
- Clear telephone voice
- Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise.
- Good communication skills when presenting/facilitating to varying groups of people.
Planning and Organisational Skills
Essential
- Proven organisational, planning and time management skills.
- Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines.
Desirable
- Project management skills/experience
Qualifications
Essential
- Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with Doctoral level qualification registered with HCPC OR Psychological Therapist (masters level or above) or equivalent recognised by the appropriate clinical body e.g. BABCP
Desirable
- Further training in related area
- Further training in at least one other psychological therapy.
- Successful completion of a post-graduate supervision training.
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).
