Clinical/Counselling/Practitioner Psychologist

Job summary

The post holder is a member of the NBT Psychology Services department at Southmead Hospital, located within both the weight management and bariatric surgery teams. They provide expertise in the assessment and behavioural management of weight and also in supporting patients who are working towards either medical and/or surgical weight management. Responsibilities include assessments of people referred to the service and the provision of psychological interventions in both group and one-to-one format. The post holder is part of multidisciplinary teams made up of staff who are passionate about this area and who aim to offer deep compassion to people who may have experienced high levels of weight stigma.

The main themes of the work include disturbances in relationships with food and eating, body image and self-esteem difficulties, emotion regulation and coping with the long-term psychological effects of trauma. This is predominantly with people attending as outpatients, but there can occasionally be some inpatient-based work as well. The post demands the flexibility to adapt work across these different areas as priorities change, such as with the incorporation of new project work within the service.

Main duties of the job

• To offer psychological assessments and support to patients living at higher weights.
• To support people living in bigger bodies in developing self management and coping strategies that maximise their health and well-being.
• To provide individual and group based psychological interventions.
• To be able to work effectively with severe psychological distress.
• To convey sensitive and complex information in a clear and appropriate manner.
• To draw together multiple sources of information to formulate a rationale for intervention.
• To effectively communicate psychological perspectives to service users and fellow professionals.
• To be a valued member of multidisciplinary teams.
• To manage competing demands and work-load.

About us

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.