Clinical Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the Havens.

To formulate plans for psychological treatment and/or management, drawing upon an appropriate conceptual framework.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions, including group interventions, for individuals as appropriate for problems such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour, relationship difficulties, sexual dysfunction and other psychological sequelae of sexual assault.

To support with managing the therapies waiting list and the therapy provision for adults who have been raped and sexually assaulted.

To liaise and work with relevant services and professionals involved in the care of the client as appropriate to facilitate required support in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients from the Havens Therapies Service.

To undertake risk identification and management for relevant individual patients and to provide both general and specialist advice on psychological aspects of risk identification and management to the clinical team.

When necessary, provide crisis intervention for those suffering severe emotional and psychological reactions to sexual assault and those who are expressing suicidal thoughts or harm related to others or themselves.

To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients and to monitor and evaluate progress.

To provide an environment that is non-judgemental, sensitive and confidential and to ensure the integrity of the psychologist/client relationship by being a member of a professional organisation e.g. HCPC abiding by their Code of Ethics.

Contribute to teaching, training, audit, research, service development and review of relevant service policies and guidelines.

To receive regular clinical supervision and teaching and training.

To participate in the teaching of other health professionals, students and new members of staff.

To attend and participate in Therapies meetings and Havens meeting as required.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• For Practitioner Psychologists Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the HCPC/BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• For Practitioner Psychologists Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• For Psychotherapists Recognised professional counselling qualification, minimum graduate level with post graduate level experience or qualifications within a specialist modality.
• For Psychotherapists Accredited with relevant professional organisation e.g. BACP, UKCP
• For Psychotherapists Relevant professional supervision experience or qualification
• For Senior CBT Therapists Minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology) and/or a registerable professional qualification in a relevant subject (e.g. medicine, psychology, social work) from a UK university or overseas professional qualification of an equivalent standard. Candidates without a degree, but with a minimum of three years professional experience in a CAMHS (or equivalent) setting together with a relevant professional qualification will also be considered.'
• For Senior CBT Therapists Postgraduate qualification in cognitive behaviour therapy.
• For Senior CBT Therapists Full Accreditation with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.
• For Senior CBT Therapists Registration with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.
• For Mental Health Nurse and Allied Health Care Professionals Core professional qualification in one of the following - nursing, social work, occupational therapy, or a psychological therapy -plus further post graduate qualification training in a trauma-focused evidenced based therapy.
• For Mental Health Nurse and Allied Health Care Professionals Post registration experience at a leadership level
• For Mental Health Nurse and Allied Health Care Professionals Current unrestricted registration with HCPC/NMC or equivalent professional body

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Highly developed knowledge of models of therapy for complex trauma including CBT.
• Ability to manage a broad range of complex clinical work
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, in-patient and out-patient care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching and training.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.

Desirable

• Knowledge and understanding of complex trauma and relational trauma.
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in patients with physical health problems.
• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist.
• Knowledge and understanding of substance misuse issues.
• Experience of professional and clinical supervision assistant psychologists, trainee psychologist and/or professional staff.

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment including risk assessment and on-referral, intervention and management.
• Therapeutic skills relevant to the evidence-based management of complex trauma including CBT for PTSD.
• A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical/counselling psychology
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS/HCPC or equivalent professional body.

Desirable

• Therapeutic skills and training in EMDR relevant to the evidence-based treatment for PTSD.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
• Experience of working in the field of sexual violence
• Experience of working alongside counsellors and psychotherapists

Other Responsibilities

Essential

• Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical/counselling psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic 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).