Neonatal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Therapist
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Neonatal Psychological Service at Bedfordshire Hospitals works to support the emotional and psychological wellbeing of parents and families where their baby has been admitted to the neonatal unit, as well as the staff teams that support them. Psychological support and family-centred care is a valued part of our Trust's approach, and we work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues to support our infants and their families to thrive.
You will be joining an experienced neonatal psychotherapist in providing support for babies and families on both hospital sites, and will be provided with appropriate clinical supervision. The service has good links with the paediatric psychology service and maternity midwives within the hospital trust, as well as community care providers.
Main duties of the job
Your role will involve providing assessment, formulation and specialist evidence-based individual, couple, and group-based intervention in relation to parent and infant wellbeing during the family's time on the neonatal unit. The work will include infant and family support as well as working with the staff team and wider system to contribute to and develop a trauma-informed neonatal environment.
Job responsibilities
1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the psychological medicine service, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
2. To develop psychological formulations of presenting problems or situations that integrate complex information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence, and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors, as well as health needs and impact of health problems on the family.
3. To develop and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a family's psychological difficulties, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the presenting problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
4. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for families and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, psychological formulation, treatment and discharge of clients and manage and maintain a caseload in line with service guidelines.
6. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other multidisciplinary professionals, both within hospital and community settings, contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
7. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across the designated area and agencies serving the client group. To promote excellent psychologically informed practice and a service consistent and compliant with the philosophy of person-centred and evidence-based practice.
8. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management in line with Trust and inter-agency policies and procedures.
9. To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to patients/clients, family carers and others as appropriate, information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients/clients under their care.
10. To provide psychological support and supervision for staff working on the unit. This may be in the form of group sessions by providing a safe space for reflection and providing tools and/or sign posting for further support.
11. To respond rapidly and flexibly to emergency or crisis situations.
12. To adhere to appropriate confidentiality guidance from the Trust, the HCPC and the BPS with respect to considering issues of risk, supervision and safeguarding.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology or equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist) HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist. Or Equivalent postgraduate level training in a recognised model of psychological therapy (e.g. CBT, CAT, psychodynamic psychotherapy) and demonstrated eligibility for accreditation as a practitioner/therapist with the relevant accrediting body (e.g. BABCP/ACAT)/UKCP.
* Further training in the psychological assessment and treatment of babies and children with acute and chronic illnesses and life-limiting conditions and their families, acquired through structured clinical supervision, self-study and attendance at relevant courses.
Experience
* Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment with families across a range of settings including inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.
* Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
* Experience of providing psychological management with families where there is anxiety around compliance with medical procedures or recommendations.
* Experience of working in an acute neonatal setting and/or experience of working with children and families experiencing issues related to loss, bereavement, long term medical needs, severe illness or injury.
* Experience of working with new-born babies and their parents/carers, and providing psychological assessment and interventions designed to facilitate attachment and bonding.
* Experience of teaching/training other professionals.
Skills
* Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
* Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, high technical and clinically sensitive information to young people, their families/carers and other professional colleagues within and outside the NHS.
* Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance, including regular supervision, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
* Skills in providing consultancy to other professional and non-professional groups.
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.
Job Details
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Salary: £46,148 to £52,809 a year, pro rata
Reference number: 418-NICU0518-EH
Job locations: Luton and Dunstable Hospital/Bedford Hospital
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