Practitioner Psychologist/ Psychological Therapist
Band 7
Job overview
You will be one of a team of six psychologists, working as part of a multidisciplinary service which aims to help individuals to understand and manage persistent pain by developing self-management skills. Psychologically informed practice is key to our service, and you will work closely with other team members to empower people with long-term pain and other health conditions to improve their quality of life. The role involves one-to-one work, and facilitation of both face-to-face and online groups. Individuals may experience other health conditions and mental health issues alongside persistent pain, requiring a multi-faceted approach using a variety of models of therapy.
The role is based in Brighton & Hove and coastal West Sussex (including Worthing and Bognor Regis). This is a very exciting time for us as we continue to grow and develop our multidisciplinary pain management service across Central and West Sussex. The persistent pain team requires creative and innovative psychologists who can help to shape foundations for exceptional care. Working alongside our clinical specialists, you will be key to delivering psychological components within the pain service.
Main duties of the job
1. To provide psychological assessment to adult patients within the Persistent Pain Service.
2. To undertake assessment and management within the Pain Assessment and Triage Team clinics, 1:1 therapeutic work and within the group Pain Management Programme (PMP).
3. To provide specialist advice and consultation to non-psychology colleagues on patients’ psychological care.
4. To provide training and education in psychological understanding and interventions to colleagues, and where relevant staff in other services and agencies.
5. To work with the Team to develop psychology services within the organisation.
6. To utilize research skills for audit, policy, service development and research in the use of psychological therapy within the service to ensure the use of evidence based/best practice.
7. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures.
Working for our organisation
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex. Our 6,000 staff serve a population of 1.3 million providing essential medical, nursing, and therapeutic care to adults and children.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community, helping people plan, manage, adapt to changes in their health, supporting avoidable hospital admissions and reducing hospital stay times.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Post graduate qualification in clinical or counselling psychology (registered with the health professions council) or other core profession (such as mental health nurse or health psychology practitioner) with additional therapy accreditation in NICE guideline evidence based practice (e.g. BABCP).
* Accreditation with relevant professional body: Relevant professional accreditation (HCPC for psychologists and BABCP for CBT therapists)
* Post – qualification training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
* Post qualification experience of working as a psychological practitioner within an NHS context.
Experience
* Experience of assessment and therapy with patients with long term health conditions and co-morbid psychological problems either in a specialist health psychology service, acute hospital, or within an IAPT service/ primary care.
* Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team setting and working collaboratively with other disciplines from physical and/ or mental health.
* Experience and ability to manage own caseload and time.
* Good record of Continuing and Professional Development in accordance with professional body of applicant. Willingness to continue to do this and to demonstrate levels congruent with accreditation/reaccreditation.
* Evidence of continued professional development relevant to working within a long-term conditions psychological therapy service.
* Have conducted assessments for suitability for treatment, conducted assessments according to service criteria.
* Worked in a service with agreed targets to demonstrate clinical outcomes.
* Experience of working within NHS psychological therapy services or equivalent.
* Experience of offering training and consultation to other staff groups including physical healthcare staff.
* Experience of using CBT and/or ACT to treat the full range of common mental health problems as well as OCD, phobias and trauma.
* Experience of working psychologically with patients with Long term health conditions or within an MSK pathway.
* Received regular supervised practice according to service provision and professional body requirements.
* Experience of working within or physical healthcare team as a psychological therapist.
* Experience of working therapeutically with patients who have Long Term Conditions and/or medically unexplained symptoms.
* Experience providing assessment with recommendations for onward referral to other services.
* Experience of supporting patients to engage with behaviour change using approaches such as motivational interviewing.
Skills
* Full range of skills and competencies as required for professional accreditation as Psychologist or CBT therapist.
* Demonstrates knowledge of research evidence, national guidance and clinical protocols for psychological interventions for patients with long term health conditions.
* Computer literate - competent with standard software packages – internet, word, excel, PowerPoint.
* Demonstrates high standards in written and verbal communications with ability to adapt style of communication to different professional and non-professional groups.
* Ability to demonstrate use of robust risk assessment and risk management skills using service protocols and guidance.
* Ability to engage with and develop appropriate therapeutic relationships with clients with complex psychological and physical health conditions.
* Demonstrates high standard of record keeping, with due regard for NHS Confidentiality, Data Protection and Information governance, abiding by codes of ethics and guidance for good practice of professional body.
* Has full understanding of the Ethical Principles and Codes of Practice for own professional body.
* Ability to establish good working relationships with local stakeholders [e.g. GPs, Practice Managers, nurse specialists, physicians within primary and secondary care, and with 3rd sector organisations].
* Awareness of how psychological interventions fit into a mental health and physical health referral pathway.
* Ability to complete clinical audits.
* Can provide additional third wave CBT based interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion Focussed Therapy.
* Have skills to train/teach mental health awareness to other members of staff in primary care setting; 3rd Sector, other health care professionals.
* Skills in offering consultation and supervision to non-mental health professionals such as nurse specialists, to develop collaborative formulations and treatment plans for patients with complex physical health conditions and co-morbid psychological presentations.
* Skills in working effectively within a multidisciplinary setting.
* Experience of working therapeutically within a group setting.
Other
* Collaborative approach to working with patients to empower them to manage their health conditions, using a variety of therapeutic approaches such as CBT, ACT or CFT.
* High level of enthusiasm and motivation.
* Ability to work with a psychological therapies team and within a physical healthcare team and foster good working relationships.
* Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively.
* Ability to work under pressure and autonomously.
* Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
* Ability to be self-reflective, whilst working with patients, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
* The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system.
* Ability to travel to all locations across the locality (public transport is not available to all destinations). If not a car owner/driver, please state how you will travel.
* Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems.
* An understanding of the principles of equal opportunities in relation to staff and patients.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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