Psychologist / Psychotherapist - Young People's Psychotherapy Service

Job responsibilities

BRANDON CENTRE FOR COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

26 PRINCE OF WALES ROAD LONDON NW5 3LG

Tel: 020 7267 4792 Fax: 020 7267 5212

Email: admin@brandoncentre.org.uk

Website: www.brandoncentre.org.uk

A. OUTLINE OF POST AND PRINCIPAL CONTRACT TERMS

Job Title Clinical or Counselling Psychologist /

Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist / Adult Psychotherapist

Grade Band 7 equivalent

Salary £ 41,200 FTE

Contract Permanent

Hours Regular hours 9:30-5:00; to include some evening work up to 7:30 pm

The Brandon Centre works on a 35-hour FTE week.

Locations Hybrid working from home and Brandon Centre

Brandon Centre, 26 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3LG

Islington Location (tbc)

Reports to Head of Mental Health

Accountability The post holder shall be accountable to the Council of Management of the Brandon Centre through the Head of Mental Health

B. JOB SUMMARY

We have two to three part-time or full time (total up to 1.5FTE) posts available for Psychologists / Psychotherapists to work with 16-25-year olds in our Young People’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Service, which is made up of a team of experienced clinical psychologists and psychotherapists. The main functions of the post-holder will be to provide specialised assessments and therapeutic interventions for young people aged 16 to 25 with a range of emotional and psychological problems; to provide consultation to parents/carers concerned about their adolescent children; and to provide consultation on young people’s psychological care to referrers and other professionals involved in the lives of the young people. The post-holder will participate in monitoring and evaluation activities in relation to the Brandon Centre's service and make use of feedback and outcome measures in their work with young people. The majority of the work will be direct clinical work with young people over 16 sessions, though treatment length can be extended based on clinical need. We offer formulation led structured (CBT informed) interventions as well as more exploratory interventions (psychoanalytically informed).

We are implementing a hybrid model of service delivery, with some face to face sessions and some remote sessions. The postholder can work remotely and from the main Brandon Centre location and/or Islington location. The exact working arrangements will be agreed upon with the postholder.

C. BRANDON CENTRE OVERVIEW

The principal objective of the Brandon Centre, since it was founded in 1969, has been to provide a professional, accessible, and flexible service which responds to the psychological and social needs of young people under the age of 25.

Services include:

· individual counselling and psychotherapy for young people, using a range of evidence-based therapies

· contraception and sexual health services

· systemic integrative therapy for families

· parent management programmes

· consulting to other charities working with young people

The Brandon Centre maintains excellent links with Clinical Psychology training courses (North London: UCL, UEL, and RHUL and Hertfordshire) and Psychotherapy training courses (Tavistock and Birkbeck), and regularly accepts trainees from those courses.

D. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical tasks

1. To provide highly developed and specialised assessments of the psychological and emotional wellbeing for 16 to 25 year olds who access the service.

2. To provide assessments of young people based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including self-report measures, rating scales, observations, and guided clinical inquiry methods with young people, and where appropriate, family members and others involved in the young person’s care.

3. To make decisions about treatment options for young people, considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the young person. This will include the recognition and understanding of the impact race, religion, age, disability, gender, class, culture, ethnicity and sexual orientation on the young person.

4. To provide a psychological therapy or decide on another appropriate intervention, either through referring to another professional in the service or if necessary making referral to another appropriate agency.

5. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

6. To provide consultation to parents of young people as clinically appropriate.

7. To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to young person’s formulation and treatment plan.

8. To maintain clinical records and to keep all client information confidential in accordance with statutory and professional standards. Whenever there is the possibility that the confidentiality of these records might be affected to discuss with their manager.

9. To liaise with GPs, referrers and other professional workers as appropriate, with the consent of the young person.

10. To provide reports and communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans.

11. To participate in weekly case discussions with the multidisciplinary team in the psychotherapy service.

12. To manage and prioritise own caseload in relation to the needs of the service.

Monitoring and evaluation

1. To participate in the monitoring and evaluation activities in the service.

2. To become familiar with the range of feedback and outcome measures used in the service, and to integrate them into clinical practice.

Supervision, training and teaching

1. To engage in regular clinical supervision and support with case management from the service lead and other senior colleagues, where appropriate.

2. To use supervision as required by the post-holder’s respective professional body regulations and the requirements of the service.

3. To gain highly specialist experience and skills relevant to the post and/or the service as agreed with the service lead.

4. Depending on experience, to contribute to the supervision of qualified colleagues and trainees who are on placement at the Centre.

IT responsibilities

1. To use computers to write reports and record data.

2. To use email to communicate with other professionals as required.

3. To use the database to record feedback and outcome measures and understand graphical presentation of data for patient outcomes.

4. To be aware of and use password protection and data protection when recording or sending identifiable information within or across services.

Experience

Essential

• 1. Clinical experience providing psychological therapy with adolescents and young people with a range of mental health difficulties in a community setting.
• 2. Experience of psychological/psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment of adolescents and young people with a wide range of mental health problems, of varying severity and complexity.
• 3. Understanding and sensitivity to working in a multi-cultural community.
• 4. Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team.

Desirable

• 5. Post-qualification experience at Band 7 or above (specialist level) in a community setting that offers services to adolescents and young people.
• 6. Pre-qualification experience of working with adolescents and young people as a youth worker or social worker, or in a similar capacity, which involves supporting young people who experience personal, familial, educational or social difficulties.
• 7. Experience of service monitoring and evaluation.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• 1. Awareness of issues and interest in the provision of psychological therapies with young people in community settings.
• 2. Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management.
• 3. An ability to offer brief therapies (12-16 / 16-20 sessions) to young people, taking into account their treatment goals.
• 4. An ability to conduct risk assessment with adolescents and young people and develop risk management plans.
• 5. An ability to formulate and provide treatment within at least one model of psychological therapy and to adapt the model to work with young people.
• 6. An ability to administer and interpret psychometric and self-report data from young people and others, and to use this information alongside other clinical information to inform formulation and intervention.
• 7. Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to adolescents/young people, carers and professionals involved in their care.

Desirable

• 8. An awareness of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice.
• 9. Skills in providing consultation/training to other professional and non-professional groups.
• 10. Completion of formal training or courses in conducting specialist psychological assessments (including risk assessment and risk management).

Other requirements

Essential

• 1. Able to prioritise, work independently and on own initiative.
• 2. Ability to work well under pressure and/or in times of crisis.
• 3. Flexibility, creativity, and preparedness to be innovative in a developing organisation.
• 4. Ability to be reliable, co-operative and consistent both as an independent clinician and in team settings.
• 5. Ability to demonstrate commitment to own personal & professional development.
• 6. Computer literate (e.g. MS Office and Video Calling Software)
• 7. Ability to work remotely from home.

Qualifications

Essential

• 1)UK recognised postgraduate training in clinical or counselling psychology, adult psychotherapy, or child & adolescent psychotherapy.
• 2)Registered as a clinical/counselling psychologist with the HCPC, or child & adolescent or adult psychotherapist registered with ACP/BPC/UKCP/BACP or other relevant professional body.

Desirable

• 3. Additional formal training since qualification in a recognised psychological therapy.

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).