Clinical or Counselling PsychologistNHS

Job summary

We are currently seeking an experienced Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or CBT Therapist, at Band 8a work for ourAdult Community Services, based in Hemel Hempstead. You will be joining our Staffing Team within HPFT - Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

The post holder will ensure the provision of a specialist psychology service to clients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties within the quadrant, and provide expertise, advice and consultation on clients' psychological care to other members of the team. You will work closely with the local psychology team and the range of psychological therapy colleagues within the service setting and work effectively as a member of the multi-disciplinary team.

We are particularly keen in hearing from people with training in psychological interventions for psychosis and bipolar disorder or a willingness and interest in training in these approaches. You will be asked to provide supervision to band 7 Psychologists and trainee Psychologists.

HPFT provides services for service users with mental health, learning disability and children's and adolescent mental health problems. Applicants should have some experience of working in a healthcare setting.HPFT has a range of healthcare settings across the County and therefore access to a car would be beneficial unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving

Main duties of the job

Undertake specialist psychological assessment and treatment of adults with complex mental health difficulties

Provide expertise in a specialist clinical or research area and to offer advice and consultation on clients' psychological care to other members of the teams in relation to the area of expertise

Work closely with the local psychologist teams, and the range of psychological therapy colleagues within the service setting

Work effectively as a member of multi-disciplinary teams

Work autonomously within professional practice guidelines and Trust policies and procedures

Propose and implement policy and service development, undertake research, service evaluation and audit for own team/service and to contribute to the training of clinical/counselling psychologists and others

Ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of trainee psychologists, more junior psychologists and other staff within the services for which the post-holder has designated professional / supervisory responsibility

All applicants need to hold a valid Professional Registration and can evidence this.

Job description

Provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the teams, 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.

Formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients complex mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

Be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions including CBT for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

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, family or group. This evidence-based approach includes monitoring outcomes, modifying and adapting interventions drawn from a range of theoretical models.

Exercise autonomous professional responsibility within HCPC guidelines for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

Please see JD attached for further information and responsibilities required

Person specification KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE: Essential criteria

• At least two years 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
• 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. AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE: Essential criteria
• Experience of working with severe mental health problems, including: medically unexplained symptoms, physical health problems, and personality difficulties.
• 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 2 years at specialist level, or its equivalent demonstrated through application and interview.
• Experience working within a multi- disciplinary therapy service.

PHYSICAL SKILLS Essential criteria

• Car Driver

DESIRABLE SKILLS

• Experience in neuropsychological assessment
• Undertaking specialist autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment to investigate possible diagnoses; to undertake additional training for this if needed and work as part of the autism assessment group within the Trust
• Training in psychological interventions for psychosis and bipolar disorder or a willingness and interest in training in these approaches

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.