Job summary
We are seeking to appoint a Lead for Relationally-Focussed Psychotherapies within our Specialist Psychotherapy Service in City & Hackney, which provides a range of specialist treatments in secondary care for people who have had long-standing difficulties in relation to anxiety, mood, and/or experiences of trauma and/or in establishing fulfilling relationships. We are looking for an experienced psychological therapist or psychotherapist with a relationally-focussed qualification (Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Systemic and Family Psychotherapist ), with experience of delivering psychological/psychotherapeutic treatments within a complex healthcare setting, who can oversee the relationally-focussed treatment pathways and waiting lists within our secondary care specialist psychotherapy service.
The post-holder will have experience in providing effective relationally-focussed psychotherapy treatments to clients within a secondary care setting, presenting with complex, long-standing and often comorbid psychological and emotional difficulties. You must be keen to embrace the privileges of working in a diverse borough, have experience of working with people with complex mental health difficulties and from a range of religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds as well as working in partnership with staff teams and community organisations to deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic and trauma-informed care.
Main duties of the job
You will be able to work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure effective models of service delivery are developed and deployed to establish the best use of resources to meet increasing demand on the service. Currently, we have developed a range of group interventions recognising the enriched therapeutic treatment they offer to patients.
You will join with the team in developing and delivering meaningful interventions, strengthening the connectedness and resources of service users. You will also be responsible for providing line management to junior members of the staff team within the relationally-focussed pathways as required.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations
Job description
Job responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- oCore professional training in any mental health field (e.g. psychology, nursing, social work, OT etc.) or equivalent. Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or registered by a body overseen or accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
- oRecognised and accredited masters level post-graduate training and qualification in psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive analytic therapy or group analysis or
- oMasters/Diploma level qualification (or its equivalent) in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy, accredited with UKCP.
- oThe Maintenance of UKCP Registration by attendance on short or long training courses to meet AFT CPD requirements
- oMembership of either UKCP/BPC/BABCP/ACAT.
Desirable
- oFormal training in teaching, lecturing or clinical supervision.
- oTraining in specialized short-term relational models of psychotherapy
- oTraining in Mentalisation-Based Treatment
- oTraining in teaching systemic psychotherapy
- oPost-qualification training in one or more additional specialised areas of therapeutic practice
Experience
Essential
- oAssessed experience of working as a qualified psychotherapist, including post qualification experience as a psychotherapist, preferably in the NHS or similar public health provider.
- oDemonstrate further specialist experience through CPD including supervised practice supplemented with other activities such as training, self-directed study and conferences relevant to the current state of the specialty.
- oExperience of working as a psychotherapist within a secondary care setting for adults with complex mental health needs.
- oExperience of working with a wide variety of service user groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity.
- oExperience of planning and exercising full clinical responsibility for service users' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- oExperience of providing teaching, training, consultation and/or professional and clinical supervision.
- oExperience of work in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters.
Desirable
- oExperience of working in partnership with third sector agencies.
- oExperience of facilitating groups including groups for staff.
- oExperience of facilitating reflective practice groups.
- oExperience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- oExperience of representing psychological therapy within the context of multi-disciplinary/multi professional/agency services/teams.
- oExperience of the application of psychological therapy in different cultural contexts.
- oThe use of QI or other improvement methodology in clinical settings
- oExperience of using teleconferencing (e.g. Skype, MSTeams, zoom, Facetime) in any 1:1 setting and group meetings including for supervision
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- oWell-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, in both verbal and written form clinically sensitive information to service users, other professional colleagues, families, and carers within a highly emotive and unpredictable environment.
- oHighly Specialist skills in using a wide variety of systemic theories and interventions and the ability to use these appropriately in relation to client need and work setting
- oTo be able to engage and assess the mental state and risk of service users who have multiple needs and often present in a chaotic and/or distressed way.
- oTo be able to engage with service users, carers and experts-by-experience in the co-production of meaningful interventions including training, treatments and other wellbeing-focused endeavors.
- oTo offer brief psychologically informed interventions in a meaningful way to develop a clear formulation around difficulties. This may support transition to other services or provide support within the system to other professionals.
- oTo develop a formulation that may inform further intervention and management of ongoing difficulties.
- oSkills in providing consultation to other qualified and unqualified staff, within both statutory and non-statutory sectors.
- oAbility to support and co-ordinate the work of psychological therapy colleagues within the team.
- oAble to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- oHighly developed skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
- oHighly developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- oSkills in working in multidisciplinary settings.
- oSkills in providing advice and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- oKnowledge of quality improvement and audit methodology for the evaluation of service delivery and improvement initiatives.
- oEvidence of CPD as required by accreditation body.
- oAbility to provide a culturally competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and inequality on mental health.
- oAbility to support and co-ordinate the work of psychological therapy colleagues within the service.
- oAbility to co-ordinate the recording and reporting of clinical information as required.
- oKnowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for complex health and social needs (e.g. trauma, self-harm, people diagnosed with 'personality disorder', psychosis, dual diagnosis, 'eating disorder' etc).
- oKnowledge of the theory and practice of psychological assessment and therapies in relation to treatment of a range of mental health disorders, including SMI, complex mental health and psychosis
Desirable
- oCapacity to work calmly and thoughtfully when addressing traumatic psychological issues, demonstrating an awareness of the sensitivity and unpredictability of individuals who have experienced complex trauma, and a capacity to tolerate the strong emotions evoked by such work
- oHighly-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies - preferably including one or more from Systemic, CBT, CAT, Psychodynamic.
- oKnowledge of specialized short-term focused relational models of psychotherapy
- oKnowledge of risk assessment practice and procedures, including safeguarding principles.
- oKnowledge of the administration of routine outcome measures including PROMs, PREMs and CROMs
- oKnowledge of the Integrated care agenda
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- oCore professional training in any mental health field (e.g. psychology, nursing, social work, OT etc.) or equivalent. Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or registered by a body overseen or accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
- oRecognised and accredited masters level post-graduate training and qualification in psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive analytic therapy or group analysis or
- oMasters/Diploma level qualification (or its equivalent) in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy, accredited with UKCP.
- oThe Maintenance of UKCP Registration by attendance on short or long training courses to meet AFT CPD requirements
- oMembership of either UKCP/BPC/BABCP/ACAT.
Desirable
- oFormal training in teaching, lecturing or clinical supervision.
- oTraining in specialized short-term relational models of psychotherapy
- oTraining in Mentalisation-Based Treatment
- oTraining in teaching systemic psychotherapy
- oPost-qualification training in one or more additional specialised areas of therapeutic practice
Experience
Essential
- oAssessed experience of working as a qualified psychotherapist, including post qualification experience as a psychotherapist, preferably in the NHS or similar public health provider.
- oDemonstrate further specialist experience through CPD including supervised practice supplemented with other activities such as training, self-directed study and conferences relevant to the current state of the specialty.
- oExperience of working as a psychotherapist within a secondary care setting for adults with complex mental health needs.
- oExperience of working with a wide variety of service user groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity.
- oExperience of planning and exercising full clinical responsibility for service users' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- oExperience of providing teaching, training, consultation and/or professional and clinical supervision.
- oExperience of work in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters.
Desirable
- oExperience of working in partnership with third sector agencies.
- oExperience of facilitating groups including groups for staff.
- oExperience of facilitating reflective practice groups.
- oExperience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- oExperience of representing psychological therapy within the context of multi-disciplinary/multi professional/agency services/teams.
- oExperience of the application of psychological therapy in different cultural contexts.
- oThe use of QI or other improvement methodology in clinical settings
- oExperience of using teleconferencing (e.g. Skype, MSTeams, zoom, Facetime) in any 1:1 setting and group meetings including for supervision
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- oWell-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, in both verbal and written form clinically sensitive information to service users, other professional colleagues, families, and carers within a highly emotive and unpredictable environment.
- oHighly Specialist skills in using a wide variety of systemic theories and interventions and the ability to use these appropriately in relation to client need and work setting
- oTo be able to engage and assess the mental state and risk of service users who have multiple needs and often present in a chaotic and/or distressed way.
- oTo be able to engage with service users, carers and experts-by-experience in the co-production of meaningful interventions including training, treatments and other wellbeing-focused endeavors.
- oTo offer brief psychologically informed interventions in a meaningful way to develop a clear formulation around difficulties. This may support transition to other services or provide support within the system to other professionals.
- oTo develop a formulation that may inform further intervention and management of ongoing difficulties.
- oSkills in providing consultation to other qualified and unqualified staff, within both statutory and non-statutory sectors.
- oAbility to support and co-ordinate the work of psychological therapy colleagues within the team.
- oAble to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- oHighly developed skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
- oHighly developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- oSkills in working in multidisciplinary settings.
- oSkills in providing advice and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- oKnowledge of quality improvement and audit methodology for the evaluation of service delivery and improvement initiatives.
- oEvidence of CPD as required by accreditation body.
- oAbility to provide a culturally competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and inequality on mental health.
- oAbility to support and co-ordinate the work of psychological therapy colleagues within the service.
- oAbility to co-ordinate the recording and reporting of clinical information as required.
- oKnowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for complex health and social needs (e.g. trauma, self-harm, people diagnosed with 'personality disorder', psychosis, dual diagnosis, 'eating disorder' etc).
- oKnowledge of the theory and practice of psychological assessment and therapies in relation to treatment of a range of mental health disorders, including SMI, complex mental health and psychosis
Desirable
- oCapacity to work calmly and thoughtfully when addressing traumatic psychological issues, demonstrating an awareness of the sensitivity and unpredictability of individuals who have experienced complex trauma, and a capacity to tolerate the strong emotions evoked by such work
- oHighly-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies - preferably including one or more from Systemic, CBT, CAT, Psychodynamic.
- oKnowledge of specialized short-term focused relational models of psychotherapy
- oKnowledge of risk assessment practice and procedures, including safeguarding principles.
- oKnowledge of the administration of routine outcome measures including PROMs, PREMs and CROMs
- oKnowledge of the Integrated care agenda
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).
