Job summary
We are looking to appoint a full-time, highly specialist Applied Psychologist to work with our Psychology & Psychotherapy Service for Older People's Mental Health in South London. The post holder will be based alongside the Older Adults Community Mental Health Team in Lambeth.
The Psychologists and Psychological Therapists provide a service across the four boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon, and offer NICE recommended and evidence based interventions such as CBT, psychodynamic and systemic therapy as well as undertaking neuropsychological assessments (should your training allow) and working with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. The team is friendly and highly skilled, providing a supportive environment in which to work.
The Older Adult service is a dedicated service to meet the mental health needs of people aged over 65, which is highly valued by service users and their support networks. This means we work with a range of presentations from depression, anxiety and personality disorders to trauma and psychosis. Sometimes these difficulties present in the context of dementia.
Our work is fascinating and important as we work with a vulnerable and interesting client group. We are a multi-disciplinary service: our CMHTs work to provide ongoing support to people living at home whilst our HTTs provide short term input to support people in crisis.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have a varied role offering psychological assessments and interventions to older adults with severe and complex mental health needs, providing clinical supervision and consultancy, and contributing to teaching and research activity.
We are looking for an enthusiastic psychologist with experience of and\or interest in, working within mental health services for older people as part of multi-disciplinary teams. You will be expected to work autonomously to promote access to psychological interventions and to encourage psychologically informed care coordination. We are looking for someone that can offer a dynamic and creative approach to service delivery.
About us
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do.
Career progression:
We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. South London & Maudsley NHS Trust is a large Trust with a range of career as well as training and development opportunities.
Flexible working:
We are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working during Monday - Friday at the interview stage.
Please note:
We are committed to developing a team that is fully representative of the communities that we serve, and especially welcome applications from individuals with protected characteristics that are currently under-represented in our workforce.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role in providing a quality service to people seen by the Older Adults Community Mental Health Teams. Older Adults present with a wide range of mental health problems and benefit from psychosocial approaches that this post will be supported to deliver.
Please refer to Job Description\Person Specification for further details.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role in providing a quality service to people seen by the Older Adults Community Mental Health Teams. Older Adults present with a wide range of mental health problems and benefit from psychosocial approaches that this post will be supported to deliver.
Please refer to Job Description\Person Specification for further details.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in Clinical\Counselling Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration.
- Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
Desirable
- Completed training course in clinical supervision.
- Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice relating to the needs of older people's mental health through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, OR an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical\counselling psychologist under supervision.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
Desirable
- Experience working with older adults.
- Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
- Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions relevant to older people's mental health.
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base relevant to the client group.
- Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult safeguarding, and equalities.
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
- Ability to select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
- Ability to communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings.
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
- Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self.
Desirable
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in Clinical\Counselling Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration.
- Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
Desirable
- Completed training course in clinical supervision.
- Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice relating to the needs of older people's mental health through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, OR an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical\counselling psychologist under supervision.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
Desirable
- Experience working with older adults.
- Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
- Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions relevant to older people's mental health.
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base relevant to the client group.
- Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult safeguarding, and equalities.
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
- Ability to select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
- Ability to communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings.
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
- Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self.
Desirable
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
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
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).
