Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

Weare looking for an enthusiastic Clinical/Counselling Psychologist orCognitive Behavioural Therapist to work in the Adult Community Eating DisorderService based in Exeter but covering the Devon footprint. The team is anestablished multidisciplinary team providing a service to clients with severeand complex eating disorders and their families and carers. This is an exciting opportunity for someonewith an interest in eating disorders to specialise and develop their skills andexperience in the field.

Thepost holder would be expected to hold a caseload of clients referred to theservice, delivering assessments and therapeutic interventions. The post holder would also provideconsultation and training to other teams and services as required. Being part of a specialist multi-disciplinary team,you will need to be a good communicator and enjoy working as part of an MDT. Althoughthe team base is Exeter, you will need to be prepared to travel to other partsof Devon to see clients and be flexible to meet the demands of the job.

A central aspect of the role is providing evidence based psychological interventions so experience in this area is highlydesirable. There may also be opportunities for further specialist training bothwithin the team and via external training providers and to be involved inquality improvement projects and service evaluations or audits.

Main duties of the job

The principal purpose ofthe job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with moderate- severe eating disorders.

This will be achieved by providing assessment and evidenced based psychologicaltherapy service to people referred to the service and contributing to multidisciplinaryteam discussions and formulations to ensure that the psychological needs ofpeople who use the service and their families and carers are fully considered. There will also be opportunities to be involved in service improvements and developments under the guidance of the psychology lead and service manager including audits and evaluations and other quality improvement projects.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

The principal purpose ofthe job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with eating disorders who are referred to the team.

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

1. Providing an evidenced based psychological therapy service to people with moderate-severe eating disorders

2. To provide local clinical leadership, co-ordination and supervision for trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the team, under the general direction and supervision of the Professional Lead

3. Contributing to multidisciplinary team discussions and formulations to ensure that the psychological needs of people referred to the service are fully considered.

4. The post holder will be supported by senior colleagues within their specialist field. The post holder will be expected to make good use of the expertise of others within the service to further develop their clinical skills with this client group.

5. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/local team.

6. The post holder will receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the BPS or appropriate designated Professional Body.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Assessment and 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

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

Client, Family and Carers:

• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitivemanner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/orcommunicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionallydisturbed.

Multidisciplinary team colleagues:

• To work closely with colleagues in themulti-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day today basis.

To communicate with a wide range of health &social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilledand sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning theassessment, 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 reflectivepractice.
• Senior managers & professional staff:
• To maintain and build good working relationshipswith senior professional staff and managers across the service and in DPT to foster a positive approach to the integrated mentalhealth and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Planning and Organisation

The service:

• To plan and prioritise own workload, balancing thedemands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals andservice research and development activities.
• To contribute to the planning and organising of thepsychology and therapy services within the locality area and to contribute tothe development and improvement of provision of psychological services withinservices to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.

The multidisciplinary service:

• To provide psychology/therapy knowledge to themultiprofessional planning, development and marketing of mental health andwellbeing services.

Responsibility for Judgment and Analysis

• To provide specialist Psychological therapyexpertise and advice.
• To provide psychological therapies/other therapies,developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients,formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementingspecialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families andgroups.
• To support the Professional Lead, General Manager,Practice and Strategic Development Leads and Professional Leads byundertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating theresulting work within the team.

Policy, Service, Research, Innovation andImprovement

• The post holder is accountable for their ownprofessional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures andProfessional Practice Guidelines.
• Policy & service: To support proposed changesfor policy and for service development.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and OtherResources

• Careful use of equipment.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership andManagement

• Leadership & supervision: To supervise the work of assistants &/ortrainees as required. To provide supervision & consultancy to health andsocial care colleagues.
• Tocontribute to the provision of therapy supervision for non-psychology/therapystaff providing psychological therapies within other Trust teams.
• To support placements for trainee staff in line withprofessional guidelines.

Information Resources and Administrative Duties

• To maintain accurate records, compliant with TrustPractice Standards.
• To be responsible for using an email account togenerate, monitor, and respond to thee-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internalcommunication.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature andresearch to support evidence based practice in individual work within the service
• To support project work including specific areas ofaudit, research or service evaluation.
• As a clinician to be responsible for collectingclinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practicebased evidence and service evaluation.

Freedom to Act

• The post holder is accountable for their ownprofessional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures andProfessional Practice Guidelines.
• To work autonomously within clinical professionalguidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychologicalpractice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional andTrust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Headof Profession and General Manager.
• To provide specialist Psychological therapyexpertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects ofpatient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters andfamilies.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

• To ensure all clinical care and treatment providedby psychologists/therapists is carried out under appropriate supervision andleadership.
• To ensure that all relevant staff groupscontinuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinicalwork.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
• Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
• Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
• Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
• Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people

Other

• Ability to work independently and use initiative within a service consisting of a network of teams.
• Ability to work as a member of a clinical team.
• Ability to tolerate ambiguity, and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts.

Experience

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience of working under supervision in adult mental health or child and family services.
• Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
• Experience of working with clients with moderate-severe eating disorders
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology and registered with appropriate professional body (e.g HCPC)
• Psychological Therapist or Specialist Counsellor trained to masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registration with an appropriate recognised professional body e.g. BABCP, UKCP.
• Further training or experience in clinical specialism.
• Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and familiarity of specialist services; and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychological therapies is commonly applied.
• An understanding of providing psychological therapy for service users presenting with moderate to severe mental health problems.
• Knowledge of psychological approaches to working with people with eating disorders and their families or carers
• Knowledge of specialist eating disorders community 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.

Professional Lead Community Eating Disorders