Job summary
We are looking to recruit a Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) practitioner or Counselling for Depression (CfD) counsellor for Merton talking Therapies services.
We are looking for individuals with high levels of clinical skill and enthusiasm to join our committed and friendly services and make a difference to the lives of people struggling with depression disorder.
Merton Talking Therapies is a primary care mental health service, which incorporates the Merton Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service, a Wellbeing service and a Primary Care Recovery and Support Service.
The service is professionally managed by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and operationally managed by a Service Manager.
Talking Therapies teams provide evidence-based psychological treatments (CBT, IPT, DIT, BCT, EMDR) to people with common mental health problems including depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD and eating disorders within a stepped-care model. The clinical team includes trainee and qualified High Intensity CBT Therapists, Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, DIT and IPT Practitioners, BCT and EMDR Therapists and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled Counsellor to join our committed and hard working team of clinicians to provide Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) or Person Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression (PCE-CfD) to people presenting with depression. You will be providing Step 3 diagnostic assessments and evidence-based treatment on an individual basis to clients aged 18 and over presenting with depression. You may also be involved in the clinical supervision of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners. There will be opportunities to develop areas of interest such as working with long term health conditions, working with clients with learning disabilities, working with perinatal clients, by contributing to project groups or taking a Champion role.
High quality supervision and CPD are a priority for the team. You will receive regular weekly individual clinical supervision from one of our band 8a or 8b Clinical/Counselling Psychologists or DIT/CfD Therapists working within the service. You will also have the opportunity to attend monthly Step 3 team clinical training sessions as well as other regular training workshops facilitated by workshops led by highly respected clinicians in their field, for example, we have previously welcomed Deborah Abraham, Kate Swan and Andrew Beck. Many of our IAPT clinicians in the Trust have also received funding to train in further modalities of interest to them e.g. EMDR, BCT.
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To deliver the required clinical contacts per week as per the service KPI.
- To provide specialist assessment of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and where appropriate, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews.
- To be knowledgeable about DSM-V diagnosis of common mental health problems (as relevant to IAPT) and skilled in the differential diagnosis of clinical disorders.
- To formulate and implement plans for the specialist treatment and/or management of depression based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems in line with formal Step 3 treatment, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
- To be responsible for implementing psychological interventions, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining psychological formulations and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of treatment efficacy, and which rely primarily upon DIT or PCE-CfD models.
- A good understanding and ability to apply DIT or PCE-CfD treatment strategies, particularly depression, seen in IAPT.
- To 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.
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients.
- To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals in order to support accurate diagnosis and formulation as well as the development of a sound treatment plan.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
- To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of treatment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To deliver the required clinical contacts per week as per the service KPI.
- To provide specialist assessment of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and where appropriate, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews.
- To be knowledgeable about DSM-V diagnosis of common mental health problems (as relevant to IAPT) and skilled in the differential diagnosis of clinical disorders.
- To formulate and implement plans for the specialist treatment and/or management of depression based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems in line with formal Step 3 treatment, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
- To be responsible for implementing psychological interventions, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining psychological formulations and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of treatment efficacy, and which rely primarily upon DIT or PCE-CfD models.
- A good understanding and ability to apply DIT or PCE-CfD treatment strategies, particularly depression, seen in IAPT.
- To 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.
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients.
- To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals in order to support accurate diagnosis and formulation as well as the development of a sound treatment plan.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
- To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of treatment.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- At least two years post-qualification experience of providing brief counselling to clients with common mental health problems, particularly depression
- Experience of specialist assessment and psychotherapeutic treatment of people with common mental health problems, of varying severity and complexity.
- Experience with routine outcome monitoring
- Experience in establishing diagnosis/psychological formulation
- Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services.
- Experience of working in Primary Care
Desirable
- Experience of working in both Primary and Secondary Mental Health Care
- Experience of multi-disciplinary working
- Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
- Experience of working with interpreters
Training & Qualification
Essential
- Has completed training as a DIT practitioner (i.e., practitioner-level qualification in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), as specified by British Psychoanalytic Council, see Lemma, Target & Fonagy, 2011) Or oA postgraduate diploma in humanistic or person centred counselling or psychotherapy
- Evidence of working towards BACP Counsellor/ Psychotherapist accreditation or equivalent
- Is HCPC, BPC, UKCP or BACP registered
Desirable
- Qualification to provide clinical supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists (e.g. Certificate or Diploma in Supervision)
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Knowledge of our business and how it supports patient care.
- Skills in the assessment and evaluation of risk associated with mental ill health and related psychopathology
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Computer literate
- Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients
- Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training and able to integrate training in to practice.
Desirable
- Understanding of the principles and methods of clinical audit, research and service evaluation
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- At least two years post-qualification experience of providing brief counselling to clients with common mental health problems, particularly depression
- Experience of specialist assessment and psychotherapeutic treatment of people with common mental health problems, of varying severity and complexity.
- Experience with routine outcome monitoring
- Experience in establishing diagnosis/psychological formulation
- Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services.
- Experience of working in Primary Care
Desirable
- Experience of working in both Primary and Secondary Mental Health Care
- Experience of multi-disciplinary working
- Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
- Experience of working with interpreters
Training & Qualification
Essential
- Has completed training as a DIT practitioner (i.e., practitioner-level qualification in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), as specified by British Psychoanalytic Council, see Lemma, Target & Fonagy, 2011) Or oA postgraduate diploma in humanistic or person centred counselling or psychotherapy
- Evidence of working towards BACP Counsellor/ Psychotherapist accreditation or equivalent
- Is HCPC, BPC, UKCP or BACP registered
Desirable
- Qualification to provide clinical supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists (e.g. Certificate or Diploma in Supervision)
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Knowledge of our business and how it supports patient care.
- Skills in the assessment and evaluation of risk associated with mental ill health and related psychopathology
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Computer literate
- Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients
- Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training and able to integrate training in to practice.
Desirable
- Understanding of the principles and methods of clinical audit, research and service evaluation
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).
