Job responsibilities
The post holder will work as an autonomous clinician within the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies Service (PPS). The post provides a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy service for the Darlington locality of TEWV NHS Foundation Trust, including a specialist clinical case load, supervision and training duties.
To participate in the efficient integration of psychoanalytic psychotherapy with Adult Mental Health services, including efficient referral allocation, care and discharge processes and implementation of PPS referral protocols, pathways & CPA guidelines.
To participate in PPS supervision and training courses for TEWV NHS Foundation Trust staff and the provision of a coherent, Trust-wide Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies Service in all sectors of care.
To hold professional responsibility for the treatment of patients with severe and complex problems who may have previously already received a range of psychological therapies but need more in-depth psychotherapy from psychoanalytic psychotherapy practitioners.
To deliver psychoanalytic psychotherapy clinical services at locally accessible NHS premises for patients when transport/accessibility issues prevent their attendance at base.
To liaise with clinicians responsible for a patients care, offering a psychoanalytic formulation and exercising professional responsibility in communicating risk and related treatment issues to the care team.
To determine whether psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic psychotherapy is an appropriate treatment following an agreed referral.
When treatment is agreed, to formulate a care plan that recommends frequency, intensity and length required.
Participate in the allocation of patients to individual psychoanalytic psychotherapists within the PPS locality taking into account issues such as gender, ethnicity and experience of the therapist.
When acting as Lead professional, to follow the required protocol regarding assessment, review and electronic record keeping.
To manage clinical caseload in line with targets agreed with the Service Lead, exercising responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients and in line with PPS agreed service treatment parameters.
Provide specialised psychoanalytic consultations for clients referred to PPS based upon knowledge, understanding, and integrating psychoanalytic concepts, questionnaire measures, evidence-based practice and range of treatments available.
Communicate to patients, in an appropriate and sensitive manner, information concerning the psychoanalytic formulation of the patients difficulties and the basis for the treatment recommendations.
Communicate to referrers and other clinicians a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic formulation of the patients difficulties, as well as recommendations for their future management and treatment, complying with NHS policies regarding patient access to professional communication, case-notes and data protection.
Provide regular written reports/letters communicating with referrers about patient progress in psychoanalytic psychotherapy treatment in accordance with PPS, TEWV and national NHS standards and guidelines.
Where it is appropriate, recommend alternative treatment and support, taking into account other treatment options and therapeutic models.
Undertake highly specialised risk assessments and risk management with individual patients in line with the principles of psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic psychotherapy and provide advice on aspects of risk to other clinicians and services, as necessary.
Provide expert clinical consultation and advice to clinicians within the locality on issues relating to the psychoanalytically informed care of patients.
Input to electronic patient record keeping systems in accordance with PPS and Trust-wide AMH policies and guidelines and maintain up-to-date case notes.
To plan and carry out audit, research and evaluation of psychotherapy clinical activities as required.
To participate in PPS user consultation and involvement arrangements for PPS.
To participate in the management of a referral, appointment and discharge system for the PPS team which complies with PPS operational standards.
To participate in the PPS operational and clinical service meetings convened by the Service Lead to coordinate PPS internal and external activities and disseminate Trust briefings.
To contribute, as delegated by line manager, to clinical service work-streams and Trust-wide strategy groups, advising on clinical and service development and strategy.
To participate in the systematic clinical governance of psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapies practice within TEWV NHS Foundation Trust PPS, AMH, & Psychological Services policies and protocol.
To participate, as available and appropriate, in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels as required by the appointing officer for posts within PPS.
To maintain up-to-date awareness of and consult TEWV NHS Foundation Trust policies.
To deputise for Clinical Psychologists/Psychotherapists as required.
To participate in service implementation and development in ways that maintain quality and improve services for patients.
To provide specialist clinical psychotherapy placements and supervision for trainee clinical and / or counselling psychologists, adult psychotherapists, ensuring that they acquire the necessary clinical skills to doctoral/training institute level, and the competencies and experience to contribute to good psychotherapeutic practice.
To supervise and monitor psychiatrists with their long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy cases, in accordance with Royal College of Psychiatry requirements as required by the medical psychotherapist tutor and agreed by the Service Lead.
To provide specialist psychoanalytic and psychodynamic clinical and professional supervision of assessment and treatment by psychodynamic psychotherapy provided by mental health workers and clinicians within the TEWV NHS Trust who are working with patients with complex, longstanding mental health problems.
To contribute to Trust-Wide teaching and training in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy for mental health professionals, as required by staff leading and coordinating training programmes for PPS. This may include workshops and training courses undertaken by PPS.
To continue to develop expertise in the area of professional pre and post-graduate training and clinical supervision in line with agreed appraisal CPD needs.
To provide consultations for psychological therapists and other clinicians when difficult and challenging issues of assessment, treatment and risk management arise.
To participate in and contribute to PPS evaluation, audit and research of clinical psychotherapy services as required by psychologists leading evaluation, research and audit of service activities.
Routinely to utilise theory, current literature and research to support evidence-based practice in direct clinical work, supervision, teaching and consultations with other clinicians and staff groups.
To keep up to date with specialist research in the field of psychoanalytic / psychodynamic psychotherapy regarding the efficacy, outcome and theoretical understanding of psychoanalytic psychotherapy practice.
To enable the communication, dissemination and sharing of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory, research and practice by the PPS through participation in PPS local and Trust-wide case seminars and journal club activities.
The post holder is an autonomous professional clinical practitioner responsible for their own clinical caseload and service delivery. This requires the capacity to act on own initiative assessing risk and related clinical issues and always within professional and NHS national and local guidelines, policies and procedures for ethical professional practice (HPC, BPC, national bodies).
The post holder must undertake appropriate clinical supervision in line with national and local NHS and Professional Body guidelines.
The post holder has a job plan agreed with their line manager and in line with an annual performance appraisal
The post holder may be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the role and/or band as required by business need, not specified in the job description.
The post holder may be required to work in locations other than those specified in the job description as required by business need.
There may be a requirement to change the job description in light of developing service needs.
Travel - Working between the PPS bases and designated local mental health service bases for clinical service accessibility and Trust wide service liaison across geographical areas of significant deprivation. This involves travel between sites within TEWV NHS Foundation Trust and occasionally external sites.
