Job summary
Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist/Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Practitioner
(Band 8a 0.6 22.5 hours/week)
Acute Mental Health Services, based at Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit
We are looking for a qualified and experienced psychological professional, with enthusiasm for working in acute mental health services to join the team based at Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit. The post offers the opportunity to work on a male acute ward that is part of Culture of Care, a national quality improvement programme that aims to support wards to provide safe, trauma informed, therapeutic and equity focused.
The post-holder will work collaboratively and proactively with the multi-disciplinary team to manage risk robustly and to provide a psychological perspective to the care provided. Along with providing assessment, formulation and brief interventions to service users and their families. Reflective practice, team formulation, consultation, and post incident support are an integral part of the psychology service. As a service we provide placements to the North London clinical psychology training courses the post-holder would supervise trainees on placement, as well as Masters level students and MDT colleagues where needed.
The post holder will be part of a welcoming psychology team, consisting of clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, psychotherapists and trainee clinical psychologists.
Main duties of the job
- Providing a full and comprehensive psychology service to the acute ward providing assessments, formulation and brief interventions to service users and their families.
- Be an integrated member of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure the approach to care is formulation driven and trauma informed, to support safe discharge from the ward.
- Developing the multi-disciplinary team's psychological understanding of the service user's needs through teaching, training, team formulation, consultation and supervision.
- Facilitating reflective practice for one of the wards on the unit.
- Provide post incident support to the ward teams to support staff wellbeing and psychological safety.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.
The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology or its equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and/or Accredited CBT therapist with the BABCP with at least 3 years of experience.
- Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and/or equivalent registering body.
Desirable
- Training in the supervision of psychological therapies.
- Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapies relevant to severe and enduring mental health difficulties including for example DBT/ CBT-P/ Systemic Practice.
Experience
Essential
- Post qualification experience of working in mental health settings delivering specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions across a range of settings including community, primary care, inpatient, crisis services.
- Experience of working with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course presenting with a range of psychological problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to assistant/trainee or qualified psychologists, and/or other professionals.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts including working with interpreters.
Desirable
- Experience of working in acute mental health services (inpatient wards, HTT, crisis intervention services, psychiatric liaison).
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
Knowledge/Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.
- Knowledge of quality improvement methodology.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology or its equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and/or Accredited CBT therapist with the BABCP with at least 3 years of experience.
- Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and/or equivalent registering body.
Desirable
- Training in the supervision of psychological therapies.
- Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapies relevant to severe and enduring mental health difficulties including for example DBT/ CBT-P/ Systemic Practice.
Experience
Essential
- Post qualification experience of working in mental health settings delivering specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions across a range of settings including community, primary care, inpatient, crisis services.
- Experience of working with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course presenting with a range of psychological problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to assistant/trainee or qualified psychologists, and/or other professionals.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts including working with interpreters.
Desirable
- Experience of working in acute mental health services (inpatient wards, HTT, crisis intervention services, psychiatric liaison).
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
Knowledge/Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.
- Knowledge of quality improvement methodology.
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.
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).
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.
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).
