Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

Job summary
We are looking for an experienced Counselling/Clinical Psychologist/Psychological Therapist to join our Trust-wide Specialist Eating Disorders Services (CEDS) for Adults. This post will be based at least part of the working week in North Devon (Barnstaple) and also at our central team base in Exeter so the post holder will need to be prepared to travel and be flexible to meet these requirements. The successful candidate will work as a senior member of the clinical team to support effective care for clients often with complex eating disordered presentations.

CEDS is a fully integrated multi-disciplinary team which includes medical staff, senior mental health professionals, psychological therapists, practitioner psychologists, assistant psychologists and dietitians. It is a caring and supportive team with regular MDT meetings, reflective practice and service development team days. Our vision is to provide the best treatment possible for those with eating disorders through the provision of treatments recommended by NICE, and by working together across inpatient, outreach and community services to provide the most appropriate care.

As a senior member of the clinical team the post holder will be involved in all aspects of assuring the delivery of the psychological therapies provision: we would particularly welcome someone with previous training and experience in CBT-E or MANTRA but there are opportunities for funded therapy training available for the right candidate.

Main duties of the job
You would be providing assessments for clients referred to service, particularly where there is comorbidity and complexity, in order to determine the most appropriate treatment pathways.

You will be responsible for providing specialist psychological interventions to clients with eating disorders and their families/carers

You would be offering clinical supervision to psychological therapy colleagues, trainees and assistant psychologists and there may be opportunities to line manage staff as part of career development.

The role involves working together with multi-disciplinary colleagues, offering specialist clinical supervision and consultation to the MDT and across the wider mental health service.

Prior experience in working with people with severe and complex eating disorders would be highly desirable and a strong commitment to increasing access to evidence based psychological interventions.

The candidate will have a degree in psychology and doctoral level training in applied psychology (or its equivalent for those who trained before 1996 or outside the UK) as approved by the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) or will be a senior experienced psychological therapist with appropriate accreditation with a relevant professional body e.g. HCPC, BABCP, UKCP.

About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
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
The principle 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:

• To ensure the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service in specialist field of practice, across Community Eating Disorder Services (CEDS), as a key component of integrated mental health and wellbeing services across DPT
• Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the CEDS psychological therapy team.
• To provide specialist psychological interventions to clients with eating disorders and their families/carers
• Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines as lead specialist.
• The post holder will 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.
• Observe, and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully registered with the Health Professions Council as a condition of employment.

Duties and Responsibilities
Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.
• Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multidisciplinary teams 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.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• To provide specialist psychological expertise and advice.
• To provide specialist therapies, developing psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups.
• To support the Professional Head, Operational 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.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of the provision of psychological services within the Eating Disorder pathway, to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.
• The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy supervision to the multi-professional planning and development of Adult Eating Disorder Services

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. To provide and facilitate regular expert support groups for families and carers.
• Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

• 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 Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice 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 within eating disorder pathway
• To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines

Responsibility for 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.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in psychological therapy
• 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.

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 and psychological practice within the locality/speciality. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession, Operational Manager, and Professional Leads.
• To provide expert and specialist clinical psychology/systemic therapy expertise and advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

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.

Review of this Job Description

• This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.

Person Specification
Communication and Working Relationship Skills
Essential

• Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills.
• Strong leadership qualities, resilience, and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainly.
• Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims.
• Ability to work flexibly and as part of a team.

Analytic and judgement skills
Essential

• Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.

Qualifications
Essential

• Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with Doctoral level qualification registered with HCPC
• OR
• Psychological Therapist (masters level or above) or equivalent recognised by the appropriate clinical body e.g. BABCP, UKCP

Desirable

• Further training in related area
• Further training in at least one other psychological therapy.
• Successful completion of a post-graduate supervision training.

Experience
Essential

• Experience in working with people with severe and complex mental health problems
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology/psychotherapy/therapy 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

• Experience of working with Eating Disorders in either Community or in-patient services.
• Experience of service development

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

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

Desirable

• Specialist knowledge of Psychological Therapy interventions with Eating Disorders

Other
Essential

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

Planning and Organisational Skills
Essential

• Proven organisational, planning and time management skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines.

Desirable

• Project management skills/experience.

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).

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.