Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychological Therapist
We are excited to offer an excellent opportunity to join our inpatient services within the Eastern Locality, comprised of two acute wards and a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
This is a particularly exciting time to join the service as we are beginning to see meaningful outcomes from our ongoing inpatient quality improvement initiatives. We are looking for a motivated and compassionate clinician who is passionate about being a member of the ward's multi-disciplinary team in order to deliver high-quality, trauma-informed care within inpatient settings.
This role has a strong emphasis on providing clinical leadership within multidisciplinary teams, contributing to the development and delivery of a therapeutic ward environment. You will play a key role in:
- Enhancing access to psychologically informed interventions for service users
- Delivering comprehensive psychological assessments, formulations, and brief interventions
- Supporting the embedding of trauma-informed principles across the service
- Contributing to the ongoing development of the therapeutic offer within inpatient care
You will also provide supervision and support to Assistant Psychologists and Clinical Associate Psychologists (CAPs), and have opportunities to contribute to training, service development, and innovation.
For the right candidate, we would consider a developmental post to support career development.
Main duties of the job
- Assessment and formulation of service users currently admitted to inpatient services
- Delivering brief 1:1 interventions and groups
- Supporting psychologically informed interventions through multi-disciplinary working
- Having oversight of ward therapeutic offer and coordination of psychological contribution to this offer
- Senior member of the ward's multi-disciplinary team
- Facilitating reflective practice
- Contribution to post-event support services for the directorate
Job responsibilities
The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people within the post holder's specialist field of practice. To support the overall ward teams and their leadership to deliver high quality services in line with national professional guidance, NICE recommendations and other national policy documents, as part of an overall acute care pathway.
- Contributing a psychological perspective to the leadership, organisation and operation of Adult in-patient services
- Ensuring the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service in specialist field of practice in in-patient wards, as a key component of integrated mental health and wellbeing services across Devon Partnership NHS Trust. This will include the provision of supervision to the MDT ward teams, psychological formulation of patients, and direct and indirect psychology and psychological therapy clinical input to the Adult In-patient Services.
- Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service.
- Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.
- Working autonomously within professional guidelines and exercising responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines as lead specialist.
- Receiving 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.
- Observing and abiding 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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol. or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society and Registered with HCPC. Psychological Therapists need to be trained to masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registered with an appropriate recognised professional body e.g. UKCP, ACAT, AFT, BABCP.
- Registered with HCPC.
- Further training or experience in clinical specialism working with adults with complex mental health needs.
- Further training in supervision.
- IT Skills.
- Further training or experience in working in in-patient Adult Mental Health settings.
- Further training in related area e.g neuropsychological assessment.
- Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.
Experience
- Experience of working in Adult Mental Health services and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
- Experience of working in Community and In-patient settings for adults with complex mental health needs.
- Experience of neuropsychological assessment.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience in undertaking leadership roles within psychology 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 of working on a PICU / acute Mental health unit.
- Experience of working with people who have experienced complex trauma.
- Experience of training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
- Proficiency in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
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.
Our EEO Statement
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.
