Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychotherapist

 BAND: 7

 CARE GROUP: West Kent

DEPARTMENT: West Kent Secondary Care Psychological Therapy Service

HOURS OF WORK: 37.5 hours/week

RESPONSIBLE TO: Lead for SWK SCPTS

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Lead for SWK SCPTS

BASE: Highlands House, Tunbridge Wells

JOB PURPOSE:

To participate in the provision of psychological services to adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties within the South West Kent locality served by the Trust.

In particular:

• To be responsible for the systematic provision of a Specialist Psychology Service to clients with complex and longstanding mental health difficulties as referred from the secondary care mental health service within the South West Kent Psychological Therapies service.

• To undertake high quality direct (assessment and therapeutic) and indirect (consultative, advisory and evaluative) specialist psychology interventions in these services making autonomous clinical decisions about own professional practice.

• To ensure the clinical effectiveness of own practice and of service functioning by undertaking research and development activities relevant to the service area.

• To work as part of the multi-disciplinary team of the South West Kent Secondary Care Community Mental Health Team.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

1. CLINICAL

1. To provide specialist psychological assessment of clients with complex and long-standing mental health difficulties referred to the mental health team, utilising information from a broad range of structured psychometric and semi-structured clinical methodologies and integrating it into a psychological formulation of the client and the psychosocial environment, drawing on a range of psychological theoretical perspectives.

2. To formulate and implement plans of specialist psychological treatment or management of client’s mental health problems based on a multi-factorial psychological understanding and current evidence-based best practice.

3. To undertake a range of psychological interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities (individual, family and group) adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual and the context and ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention.

4. To be responsible for providing a specialist psychological perspective in the multi-disciplinary assessment of service users and their families.

5. To contribute highly specialist psychological advice to the multi-disciplinary formulation of appropriate therapeutic approaches or intervention plans, and to be involved in, or oversee specialist psychological aspects of their implementation in collaboration with other staff.

6. To undertake psychologically based risk assessment and risk management for relevant clients and provide advice on the psychological aspects of risk to the multi-disciplinary team.

7. When appropriate to consult with and provide specialist psychological guidance to carers and families of service users.

8. To exercise autonomous professional judgement and responsibility for the psychological management of clients on own caseload.

1. TEACHING/TRAINING/SUPERVISION/CONSULTATION

1. To teach psychological knowledge and skills to other professions and trainees of other professions in the collaboration with other professional tutors and teachers.

2. To be responsible for regularly consulting to and advising colleagues from other professions on psychological assessment and treatment methods in the multi-disciplinary forums within the CMHT.

3. To teach, advise and consult with care and community groups on psychological elements on mental health problems and their care.

4. To participate in the specialist training of other psychologists in collaboration with senior psychologist, as appropriate.

1. EVALUATION/RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

1. To remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.

2. To contribute to project management of complex audit, assisting colleagues to develop service provision.

3. To contribute to the evaluation of the Psychological Therapy Services by participating in service-related research and evaluation projects, as agreed with the Head of Speciality.

RESPONSIBILITY:

1. To participate in regular clinical supervision receiving professional support appropriate to the newly qualified grade and to negotiate further specialist supervision, development and training with the Head of Speciality including training in advanced supervision skills.

2. To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the relevant recognised professional body and the professional guidance framework of the Trust.

3. To work within the framework of the policies and procedures of the Trust.

4. To be responsible for the relevant data collection on work activities, as required, and to maintain a high standard of clinical record keeping.

5. To participate fully in supporting the activities of the Psychological Therapies Services within the Trust, Including attending relevant meetings.

6. To keep abreast of developments in the area of Clinical/Counselling Psychology/Psychotherapy including particularly in the field of Adult Mental Health.

7. To carry out such other duties as the Head of Speciality may reasonably request.

  ENVIRONMENT:

1. To sit in a constricted position and maintain intense focussed concentration during clinical tasks (i.e. much of the time).

2. Capacity to manage frequent exposure to highly distressing and emotive situations and disclosures.

3. Capacity to tolerate frequent exposure to unpredictable working conditions including demanding, verbally aggressive clients and deal with physical aggression appropriately (as appropriate i.e. forensic/learning disability jobs).

4. To have an ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to ‘hold’ the stress of others.

COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

1. To participate in multi-disciplinary meetings concerned with the delivery and development of clinical services and contribute a psychological perspective as appropriate.

2. To contribute as required to the planning and development of the operational policies and service delivery in Secondary Care Psychological Therapy Service undertaking agreed project work.

3. To advise service and professional management on areas where issues of psychological needs should be addressed.

4. To develop and maintain good communication links with the NHS, Social Services and other agencies working in the area of Adult Mental Health.