Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Psychologist or Psychological Therapist who has a genuine passion for Early Intervention in Psychosis to join our friendly and welcoming team.
The Lewisham Early Intervention in Psychosis Service (LEIS) is a specialist multidisciplinary community mental health team who work with people aged 18-65 who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis. The team works intensively with service users and carers for up to three years, offering a range of interventions to facilitate social inclusion and recovery. Psychological input is highly valued and well integrated within the team, being an integral part of the services on offer to our service users and their families.
It is a varied role, including providing direct individual psychological therapy, as well as liaison and offering psychological support to MDT colleagues, supporting with assessment and formulation for complex clients, and involvement in family work. There are also opportunities for involvement in developing and delivering groups, teaching and training.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for providing specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions for clients who have experienced a first episode of psychosis, and who may also present with a range of other mental health difficulties. Individual therapy offered includes CBT for psychosis, as well as other therapeutic approaches as appropriate (e.g. ACT, CFT, systemic, EMDR etc.).
You will be involved in assessing and formulating clients presenting with complex difficulties, such as trauma, emotional dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties and neurodiversity, together with psychosis. You will join and contribute to team meetings, case discussions and complex case forums, regularly liaising with colleagues and MDT staff. There are also opportunities to get involved in family interventions and group work, as well as consultation and supervision of more junior staff as required.
You will work alongside passionate and supportive psychologists and psychological therapists, including two Senior Clinical Psychologists, Family Interventions Therapists, a CBT Therapist, and Assistant and Trainee Psychologists. You will also be part of a large multidisciplinary team including Psychiatrists, Vocational and STaR workers, and Care Coordinators, and have an active role within the team.
Working for our organisation
LEIS has good links with other Lewisham adult mental health services and the other three SLAM Early Intervention teams, and therefore there are regular opportunities to link with clinical psychologists within and beyond other psychosis-related teams. You will be encouraged and supported to access CPD opportunities within the Trust.
LEIS is based at a community site in Hither Green, Lewisham, and is well connected to the other community and acute services the borough provides. The site also has good transport links with London and surrounds - Hither Green Rail station is nearby, and the building has dedicated parking.
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It’s important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer
Some of our benefits are highlighted here:
·Counselling services
·Wellbeing events
·Long service awards
·Cycle to work scheme
·Season ticket loan
·Childcare vouchers
·Staff restaurants
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• To provide a specialist psychology service to the Lewisham Early Intervention Service including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate.
• To undertake service evaluation, audit and research.
• To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
• To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
Please see attached job description and person specification for further detailed information.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration
2. Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist (or with other professional body appropriate to discipline, e.g. APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP), and evidence of required continuing professional development
Experience
Essential criteria
3. Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
4. Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature, including clients with psychosis and people who have experienced trauma
5. Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
6. Experience of developing and carrying out research, audit or service evaluation projects
Desirable criteria
7. Experience of working in an Early Intervention in Psychosis service
Knowledge
Essential criteria
8. Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of first episode psychosis
9. Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics for psychosis
10. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities
11. Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis
12. Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care
Skills
Essential criteria
13. To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences
14. To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources
15. To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
16. To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
17. Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
Abilities
Essential criteria
18. Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
19. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate
20. Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these
21. Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour
22. Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self