Principal Psychologist/Psychotherapist

Job responsibilities

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people within the post holders specialist field of practice.

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:

1. To ensure the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service in specialist field of practice, across identified locality area, as a key component of integrated mental health and wellbeing services across Devon Partnership NHS Trust.

2. Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology and psychological therapies service.

3. Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.

4. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines as lead specialist.

5. The post holder with receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.

6. Observe, and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.. The post holder will be fully registered with the Health Professions Council as a condition of employment

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.

Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day to day basis.

Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.

Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the Trust. to foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Planning and Organisation

The Psychology and Psychological Therapies service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within the commissioned integrated mental health and wellbeing service to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.

The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy supervision to the multi-professional planning, development and promotion of mental health and wellbeing services

Responsibility for Judgement and Analysis

To provide specialist clinical/counselling psychology/psycho-therapeutical expertise and advice.

To provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.

To support the Professional Head, General Manager, Practice and Strategic Development Leads and Professional Leads by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.

To provide complex assessment of specialist conditions

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.

Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.

Policy & service: To implement policies and procedures for the provision of psychology and therapy services within own service and other services within the Trust.

R & D: To support the R&D activities of the psychology and psychological therapy service.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under own use.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management

Leadership & supervision: To lead and professionally supervise less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers.

To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.

To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for non psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies within other Trust teams.

To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines

Information Resources and Administrative Duties

To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards.

To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Freedom to Act

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines

To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager.

To provide expert and specialist psychological expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Responsibility for Research and Development

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work within the PPT and local mental health services.

To conduct project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation

As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation. To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists

is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership.

To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work.

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol, MA Arts Psychotherapy or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society. Registered with HCPC.
• Further training or experience in clinical specialism
• Further training in related area

Desirable

• Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy, e.g. family or systemic therapy
• IT Skills

Physical Skills

Essential

• Presentable
• Clear telephone voice
• Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
• Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people

Communication Skills

Essential

• Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
• Strong leadership qualities, resilience and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty.
• Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims

KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology is commonly applied.
• Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical/Counselling Psychology.
• Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting.

Analytical & Judgement Skills

Essential

• Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
• Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
• Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines

Experience

Essential

• Experience of work in adult mental health services or agencies and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi disciplinary, multi agency contexts.
• Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.

Desirable

• Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable
• Project management skills / experience

Other

Essential

• Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group.
• Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).