Neonatal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the psychological medicine service, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

2. To develop psychological formulations of presenting problems or situations that integrate complex information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence, and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors, as well as health needs and impact of health problems on the family.

3. To develop and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a familys psychological difficulties, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the presenting problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

4. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for families and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses..

5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, psychological formulation, treatment and discharge of clients and manage and maintain a caseload in line with service guidelines.

6. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other multidisciplinary professionals, both within hospital and community settings, contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

7. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across the designated area and agencies serving the client group. To promote excellent psychologically informed practice and a service consistent and compliant with the philosophy of person-centred and evidence-based practice.

8. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management in line with Trust and inter-agency policies and procedures.

9. To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to patients / clients, family carers and others as appropriate, information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients / clients under their care

10. To provide psychological support and supervision for staff working on the unit. This may be in the form of group sessions by providing a safe space for reflection and providing tools and/or sign posting for further support. This will also include either supporting, or leading small group debrief sessions following an emotionally traumatic clinical situation.

11. Use initiative and take responsibility for themselves and the quality of their work and the service they provide within the Neonatal service cross site. To plan and prioritise own caseload and coordinate clinical activities.

12. Collaboratively evaluate the appropriateness of referrals and requests for input from a number of sources; accepting these as resources permit.

13. To liaise with a wide range of agencies and services (community teams, nurseries, Education, Social Care, Child Protection, Housing and Benefits, G.Ps, medical Consultants, etc) for the purpose of providing ongoing case management and psychological advice within the region serviced by Bedfordshire Hospitals. To work in partnership with other disciplines and to maintain links with statutory and non-statutory and primary care agencies as appropriate.

14. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

15. To undertake appropriate audit of patients psychological needs as appropriate within national guidelines. To undertake research including, where appropriate, making ethics and/or funding applications.

16. Provide teaching and training to staff on NICU/SCBU both formally and informally.

17. To work in highly distressing or emotional circumstances on a daily basis, dealing with, for example, terminal illness, death and bereavement, refusal to comply with essential treatment, child abuse, marital conflict, family breakdown, frequent verbal and occasional physical aggression from carers. (Supervision and support is available)

18. To respond rapidly and flexibly to emergency or crisis situations

19. To participate in the development and preparation of clinical materials such as webinars, brochures, handouts, scripts, etc for use in the clinical services.

20. Adhere to appropriate confidentiality guidance from the Trust, the HCPC and the BPS with respect to considering issues of risk, supervision and safeguarding.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology or equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist) HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist. Or Equivalent postgraduate level training in a recognised model of psychological therapy (e.g. CBT, CAT, psychodynamic psychotherapy) and demonstrated eligibility for accreditation as a practitioner/therapist with the relevant accrediting body (e.g. BABCP/ACAT)/UKCP.

Desirable

• Further training in the psychological assessment and treatment of babies and children with acute and chronic illnesses and life-limiting conditions and their families, acquired through structured clinical supervision, self-study and attendance at relevant courses

Experience

Essential

• Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment with families across a range of settings including inpatient, outpatient, and community settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity
• Familiarity with maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and challenging behaviour including physical abuse
• Experience of providing psychological management with families where there is anxiety around compliance with medical procedures or recommendations
• Experience of the application of psychological therapy in different cultural contexts and working with a wide range of clients with varying backgrounds
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to individuals or groups

Desirable

• Experience of working therapeutically within NHS inpatient/outpatient settings
• Experience of working in an acute neonatal setting and/or experience of working with children and families experiencing issues related to loss, bereavement, long term medical needs, severe illness or injury
• Experience of working with new-born babies and their parents/carers, and providing psychological assessment and interventions designed to facilitate attachment and bonding
• Experience of mental health issues related to substance use
• Experience of teaching/training other professionals
• Experience of designing, carrying out, analysing and presenting clinical audit and service evaluation

Skills

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. This requires the use of highly developed analytical and judgment skills
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, high technical and clinically sensitive information to young people, their families/carers and other professional colleagues within and outside the NHS.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance, including regular supervision, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Skills in providing consultancy to other professional and non-professional groups
• Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning

Desirable

• Knowledge of relevant legislation in relation to babies and children in hospital settings, as well as perinatal mental health frameworks
• Good understanding of other professionals' theoretical perspectives of this client group

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Luton and Dunstable Hospital/Bedford Hospital

Luton/Bedford

LU4 0DZ

Employer's website

https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/ (Opens in a new tab)