Job summary
East London Foundation Trust are pleased to offer the opportunity for an experienced psychologist to join us in our Adult Inpatient Services. This is an exciting opportunity for career development alongside a great team of dedicated psychologists and mental health professionals. The role provides senior clinical and strategic input for our Inpatient wards based in Luton and Houghton Regis, providing services for adults with complex and severe mental health difficulties. The successful applicant will be experienced in working in this context and with this client group, and have a track record of developing trauma-informed therapeutic environments for both clients and workforce.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for someone with the clinical confidence and sufficient experience to work independently and to make rapid and well-informed clinical judgements, using excellent assessment and formulation skills. You should be committed and comfortable working in an MDT setting and offering advice and consultation to other professional colleagues. The post-holder will contribute to staff training and staff support including reflective practice spaces. Part of the role will involve the supervision of qualified, trainee and pre-qualified psychology staff, and training and supervision of MDT colleagues in the provision of psychosocial interventions. You will also be expected to bring strategic ideas to support the development of the acute psychology service.
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
We provide access to training and CPD to support development in clinical and leadership roles. In ELFT we are passionate about our Quality Improvement approach and psychologists are key players in many projects on the wards. We have a thriving and talented therapies workforce in the Trust with opportunities for learning and supporting each other.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We provide access to training and CPD to support development in clinical and leadership roles. In ELFT we are passionate about our Quality Improvement approach and psychologists are key players in many projects on the wards. We have a thriving and talented therapies workforce in the Trust with opportunities for learning and supporting each other.
Person Specification
Training Qualification
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology or equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral clinical psychology trainees.
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more relevant specialist areas of psychological practice.
- Leadership Training
- Quality Improvement Training
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in an acute adult inpatient service.
- Substantial experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist including substantial post-qualification experience working in a multi-disciplinary team for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
- Well-developed experience of assessment, formulation and treatment with people (and families/carers) with severe and complex mental health problems
- Experience in working within at least two therapy modalities (CBT and one other).
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts, including working with interpreters.
- Research and audit experience.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- Experience of supervising professional and clinical practice of qualified and unqualified staff
- Experience of liaison and joint work with other statutory agencies, including crisis management.
- Identification of need and development of services to meet need.
Desirable
- Experience managing other staff
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies with adult clients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, which should include CBT and one other.Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies with adult clients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, which should include CBT and one other.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. complex needs, self-harm, dual diagnosis, and persons with additional disabilities etc).
- Communication & Relationship skills: Able to provide & receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a range of relationships and settings. Able to use highly specialist skills of empathy to overcome barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Analytical & judgemental skills: Able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations. Able to compare and select from a range of treatment options, based on formulation.
- Planning and organisational skills: Able to plan, organise and prioritise own workload. Ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor, and in multi-disciplinary and team settings.
- Physical skills: Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.
- Information resources: Able to record and report on as required clinical information. Competent in use of basic IT packages - word processing, excel, e-mail and internet.
- Research & Guidance: Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis.Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to patient group Knowledge of legislation and its implications for clinical practice with this client group.
- Cultural awareness: Ability to provide a culturally-competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.
- Flexibility: Able to be flexible and adapt approach according to need. Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge
- Information resources: Competent use of other IT packages e.g. PowerPoint, Excel and Access.
Desirable
- Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge.
- Training in Behavioural Family Therapy or other Family Intervention
- Training in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
Personal
Essential
- Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, and an interest in models of service delivery.
- Able to contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others.
- Physical effort: Able to sit in constrained positions for a substantial proportion of working time.
- Mental effort: Able to concentrate intensely for a substantial proportion of working time, during client contact, teaching/supervision sessions, team meetings, preparing written work etc.
- Emotional effort: Able to manage effectively frequent exposure to highly distressing/highly emotional circumstances and exposure to traumatic circumstances.
- Working conditions: Able to manage effectively verbal aggression from service users, families, etc and the risk of physical aggression.
- Values: Respectful approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals. Willing to negotiate and can handle confrontation effectively and professionally.
- Able to articulate the value added by psychological interventions within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
Person Specification
Training Qualification
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology or equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral clinical psychology trainees.
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more relevant specialist areas of psychological practice.
- Leadership Training
- Quality Improvement Training
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in an acute adult inpatient service.
- Substantial experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist including substantial post-qualification experience working in a multi-disciplinary team for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
- Well-developed experience of assessment, formulation and treatment with people (and families/carers) with severe and complex mental health problems
- Experience in working within at least two therapy modalities (CBT and one other).
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts, including working with interpreters.
- Research and audit experience.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- Experience of supervising professional and clinical practice of qualified and unqualified staff
- Experience of liaison and joint work with other statutory agencies, including crisis management.
- Identification of need and development of services to meet need.
Desirable
- Experience managing other staff
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies with adult clients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, which should include CBT and one other.Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies with adult clients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, which should include CBT and one other.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. complex needs, self-harm, dual diagnosis, and persons with additional disabilities etc).
- Communication & Relationship skills: Able to provide & receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a range of relationships and settings. Able to use highly specialist skills of empathy to overcome barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Analytical & judgemental skills: Able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations. Able to compare and select from a range of treatment options, based on formulation.
- Planning and organisational skills: Able to plan, organise and prioritise own workload. Ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor, and in multi-disciplinary and team settings.
- Physical skills: Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.
- Information resources: Able to record and report on as required clinical information. Competent in use of basic IT packages - word processing, excel, e-mail and internet.
- Research & Guidance: Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis.Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to patient group Knowledge of legislation and its implications for clinical practice with this client group.
- Cultural awareness: Ability to provide a culturally-competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.
- Flexibility: Able to be flexible and adapt approach according to need. Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge
- Information resources: Competent use of other IT packages e.g. PowerPoint, Excel and Access.
Desirable
- Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge.
- Training in Behavioural Family Therapy or other Family Intervention
- Training in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
Personal
Essential
- Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, and an interest in models of service delivery.
- Able to contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others.
- Physical effort: Able to sit in constrained positions for a substantial proportion of working time.
- Mental effort: Able to concentrate intensely for a substantial proportion of working time, during client contact, teaching/supervision sessions, team meetings, preparing written work etc.
- Emotional effort: Able to manage effectively frequent exposure to highly distressing/highly emotional circumstances and exposure to traumatic circumstances.
- Working conditions: Able to manage effectively verbal aggression from service users, families, etc and the risk of physical aggression.
- Values: Respectful approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals. Willing to negotiate and can handle confrontation effectively and professionally.
- Able to articulate the value added by psychological interventions within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
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).
