Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and passionate individual to work as a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist in the Clinical Health Psychology Team, here at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

Reporting to the Consultant Clinical Psychologist, the post holder will work as part of the Clinical Health Psychology team. You will be expected to manage your own caseload, negotiate client contacts, and demonstrate your experience of evidence-based practice to enhance your work. To fit with the demands of this role and the needs of the service, you will be able to adapt to change, work proactively and reactively in a flexible manner and work well as part of a team.

There will be opportunities to be involved in service development projects and there will be opportunities for innovation and creativity.

Main Duties:

The post holder will be a qualified CBT therapist. You will be working within the Clinical Health Psychology Department, conducting comprehensive psychological assessments and formulations, providing psychological therapies (one to one and group bases), attendance at MDT meetings, supervision of psychology and non-psychology colleagues in delivering interventions, and in the delivery of training as required.

You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, be adaptable and able to work flexibly. You will receive regular management supervision from a Principal Clinical Psychologist. We can offer flexible working arrangements and encourage, and support continued professional development.

The role may involve research and evaluation, as well as supporting audit and clinical governance. Providing clinical supervision may also form part of the role.

Key responsibilities:

Clinical

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the nominated team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings. To sensitively communicate formulations and plan interventions accordingly.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions (including psychological therapies) for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams, whilst adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and to support others involved in such situations.

To communicate highly complex information in a skilful and sensitive manner with colleagues, taking account of sensory and cultural barriers to communication.

To operate within the guidelines, policies and procedures of the service, the Trust and professional and regulatory bodies.

To adhere to all service and Trust-wide governance policies and procedures.

To attend meetings, as required.

To ensure all work is carried out to a high standard and in a timely manner. To take responsibility for organising own time and workload.

To undertake other appropriate duties to meet the needs of the service.

To work as an autonomous professional and to take full responsibility and accountability for own work.

Service development

To participate as a senior clinician in the development of high quality, responsive and accessible services including advising both operational and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

To exercise responsibility for co-ordinating psychological resources available to the team in the form of additional qualified and unqualified graduate psychology staff or in the form of psychological materials employed in the assessment and treatment of patients.

To support the systematic governance of psychological practice within the wider clinical health psychology team, as directed by the Consultant Psychologist.

To initiate and implement, in conjunction with relevant managers, service developments and projects within the sector/service.

To support the service area worked in, in the evaluation, monitoring and development of the teams operational policies, through the deployment of professional skill and research, service evaluation and audit and ensuring incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high quality multi-disciplinary care.

Teaching, training and supervision

To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties, once appropriate trainings have been completed.

To be responsible for monitoring and updating own professional registration needs.

Record keeping and governance

To maintain accurate and timely clinical records in line with service governance processes.

To maintain records of regular outcome measurements and evaluation to inform service delivery and monitor outcomes.

Adhere to all service governance processes.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to staff working in the NHS and professional practice.

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to ensure evidence-based practice.

Research and development

To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the service are and contribute across the service by exercising the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.

To contribute with other senior professional colleagues and the Head of Psychology, to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology, in the service area worked and related areas.

To support the Head of Psychology in co-ordinating and managing research and audit activities undertaken within the department of clinical health psychology.

General

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.

To prepare therapeutic materials and workshop/education materials as required.

To undertake specific administrative duties as required.

Mandatory Statements

1. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

2. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital is committed to achieving equal opportunities in employment and has an Equality and Diversity Policy. You are expected to observe this policy in your behaviour towards patients, work colleagues and the public.

3. In the course of your duties you may acquire or have access to confidential information which must not be disclosed to any other person unless in the pursuit of your duties or with specific permission given on behalf of the Trust.

4. You must ensure that you handle personal information in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

5. You are reminded that, in accordance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, and subsequent legislation, you have a duty to take reasonable care to avoid injury to yourself and to others by your work activities, and are required to co-operate with the Trust in meeting statutory requirements.

6. In the interests of your development, you will be expected to take a positive role in the Performance and Development Review (PDR) Process.

7. You must ensure that you always adhere to the Trust Infection Control policies and procedures. You have a duty of care under the Health Care Act to prevent the spread of infection.

8. Within the NHS, good patient care is reliant on the availability of complete, accurate, relevant and timely data. The quality of information will limit the capability to make operational decisions about the way care is planned, managed and undertaken. Poor information quality leads to poor decision making and may put service users at risk. High quality information means better, safer patient care. Where you are required to record data on any system, regardless of the type of media, you must ensure that is it up to date, accurate, complete and timely. Ensure that you feel sufficiently knowledgeable about the system you are asked to use and what is required of you in order to fulfil your task accurately. Where an error is created or discovered by yourself on any system which you cannot rectify, you must contact the relevant helpdesk / system owner or your Line manager.

9. You must comply with all Trust policies and procedures and attend all necessary mandatory training.

10. This document provides an outline of the main responsibilities of the post. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. Your job description will be subject to regular review with your Line Manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Accreditation as a CBT therapist with BABCP or practitioner psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Desirable

• Pre or post qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a range of care settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups across the life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity and maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Ability to teach and train others using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate to support and maintain clinical practice

Desirable

• Experience of contributing a psychological perspective within the context of multidisciplinary care.
• Work experience as a CBT therapist in relevant physical health settings (including working with critically ill patients).
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Skills, Knowledge and Aptitude

Essential

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies and approaches in physical health.
• Knowledge of legislation, and its implications in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including communicating complex knowledge to clients and colleagues.
• Excellent IT skills.
• High level of proficiency in working with databases such as Excel and designing spreadsheets and other tools for analysing and reviewing data.
• Ability to maintain accurate records.
• Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients.
• Understanding and/or commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.

Desirable

• Experience of highly specialist working with people with physical health conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cardiac or respiratory conditions, or with cognitive deficit because of physical health presentations.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in those groups with complex presentations such as dual diagnoses, specific health conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Cardiac or respiratory conditions.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Record of having published in peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

other

Essential

• Ability to use supervision appropriately and effectively

Desirable

• Experience of supervising other health care professionals.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

Address

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

Thomas Drive

Liverpool

Merseyside

L14 3PE

Employer's website

https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)