Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Therapist to bring their skills and join the Clinical Health Psychological Services (CHPS) and the Long-Term Conditions Psychology Service in Barking and Dagenham based at Porters Avenue Health Centre. Our team is committed to making a difference within the long term conditions teams in the community (Respiratory, Cardiac and Diabetes). We are looking for applicants who have the energy and enthusiasm to acquire experience in working in health psychology and specialise in providing evidence-based interventions to non-professional carers and patients who are presenting with psychological distress in the context of living with long term physical health conditions.
Main duties of the job
The post holder would join the Clinical Health Psychology Service in NELFT, a well-established and well-respected team of psychologists. We are a friendly, collaborative and supportive team. We are keen to recruit people who share our vision of contributing to best practice, national guidelines and an evidence base. We offer excellent development opportunities including high quality and regular supervision, opportunities to supervise trainees and involvement in research.
Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
Working for our organisation
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This role involves:
1. Provision of specialist psychological assessment and therapy using a range of psychological therapeutic modalities and techniques.
2. Working in a multidisciplinary team alongside nurses, dietitians, doctors and physiotherapists offering integrated care and delivering a high quality health psychology service.
3. Working autonomously within professional guidelines and within the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist/ UK Registration as a psychotherapist/counsellor, eg UKCP, BABCP, BACP Registered
Desirable criteria
5. Additional specialist training in advanced therapy skills, such as CBT, motivational interviewing, family interventions
6. Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
Skills
Essential criteria
7. Skills in the application and delivery of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention, management and evaluation.
8. Expertise and skill in assessment and management of mental health risk situations if they occur within the service, or through consultation from other services
9. Good communication skills
10. High level of team working skills
Desirable criteria
11. Experience in working with carers and families in terms of carers support
12. Able to administer and interpret cognitive and neuropsychological assessments.
13. Able to work with interpreters
Experience
Essential criteria
14. Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including physical health settings, community, primary care and in patient, community and mental health settings, within the NHS.
15. Experience of delivering psychological therapy to a wide variety of client groups, ages, contexts and presenting problems, reflecting the full range of clinical severity.
16. Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision. Willingness to offer training/honorary placements to suitably qualified people
Desirable criteria
17. Experience of delivering psychological therapy in physical health services
18. Experience of working with patients with Long Term Conditions
Knowledge
Essential criteria
19. High level knowledge of clinical risk, and how to effectively assess, manage and communicate risk information, at times within crisis situations in a community setting.
Desirable criteria
20. Knowledge and ability to work with patients with physical health difficulties, and within clinical health psychology settings
21. Knowledge and ability to work with long-term health conditions
22. Knowledge of models of supervision
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
23. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
24. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
25. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
26. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.