Highly Specialist Psychologist/Psychotherapist Lewisham Crisis Plus

Job responsibilities

The Crisis Plus model offers time-limited intervention to repeat users of crisis/acute pathways and the network of services, agencies and carers supporting that individual. Crisis Plus aims to reduce dependency on acute, crisis and emergency services through safe, reflective and assertive community treatment. Service users will primarily include individuals who have frequent contact with inpatient, emergency and other acute/crisis services. Repeat users typically present with challenging and complex needs, including interpersonal trauma, high levels of distress/hopelessness, a range of diagnoses and an increased risk of harm to self and others. They are likely to have a history of difficult engagement/relationships with services, which makes them increasingly vulnerable to admission, which in turn can be traumatising and further impact on the relationship to/with help and services.

Clinical and Client Care

• To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the Lewisham Crisis Plus service including risk of harm to self and other and risk of those vulnerable to dependency on acute and crisis services.
• Knowledge and experience of using CBT/third wave models such as DBT/Open Dialogue and/or other evidence-based treatments in the management of personality disorder, psychosis and/or substance misuse.
• To ensure cultural context is considered/discussed and to provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with SUs and their carers/families.
• To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.

Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

• To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically-informed framework for the service.
• To contribute to the team's or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
• To offer advice, consultation and training in Lewisham Crisis Plus planning and evidence-based interventions to other members of the service on the specialist psychological care of clients.
• To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Policy and service development

• To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
• To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
• To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

Management and supervision

• To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists with support from a more senior psychologist.
• To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
• To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.

Please see Job Description attached for full list of responsibilities. Please get in touch with CSL Dr Lucy Rands if you would like to hear more about the role: lucy.rands@slam.nhs.uk

Qualifications

Essential

• Entry-level qualification in Applied 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. This can include Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychology or registered with BABCP as a CBT therapist.
• Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice (such as any NICE and/or evidence base recommended psychological interventions for personality disorder such as DBT, MBT) 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. (A/I)
• 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

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of having worked in a clinical specialist under supervision in community mental health services
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in community and acute mental health services
• Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists or CBT psychotherapists having completed the relevant training
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
• Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects

Desirable

• oExperience of delivering Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Open Dialogue, or trauma-focused models; or willingness to be trained in one of these models.
• Working across multiple services and agencies in relation to risk of harm to self and others
• Experience of working with service users who frequently present to acute and crisis services with multiple and complex risk presentations
• The Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for a range of diagnostic groups including personality disorder, psychosis and/or dual diagnosis
• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
• Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities
• Doctoral level / equivalent knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.

Desirable

• Understanding of principles around contingency management
• Understanding of principles of treatment in relation to personality disorder
• Understanding of the principles of DBT/Open Dialogue/trauma-focused models

Skills

Essential

• To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences
• To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources
• To skilfully and sensitively communicate complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues, overcoming barriers to communication including sensory and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to/rejection of information
• To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups

Abilities

Essential

• 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

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).