Consultant Clinical/Counselling Psychologist- Head of therapies

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King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.7 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King's College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Consultant Clinical/Counselling psychologist with passion and enthusiasm in working in the field of sexual violence to join the Havens (London's Sexual Assault Referral Centre) therapies team. We are looking for an experienced and committed Consultant Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our well established services. This is a permanent post.

We are a longstanding partnership initiative between the Mayors' Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and NHS England to improve the care offered to people who have experienced sexual assault and rape. The service is provided by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The Havens provides comprehensive forensic, medical, advocacy and psychological therapy aftercare services.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will provide professional leadership across the Havens Children and Young People, Transitions and Adult Therapies services and be a member of the Havens Senior Management Team. This is a key role bringing psychological expertise and clinical leadership to further enhance clinical service delivery. The postholder will lead on service development, research, audit and the strategic direction of the Havens therapies service. The successful candidate will work in collaboration with other key agencies such as the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, other statutory services and the Third Sector. If you have a passion for providing exceptional care and are looking for an exciting, and challenging role we would welcome your talents and skills.

The postholder will have significant experience of working with people who have experienced sexual violence and trauma. Experience of working with clients who have experienced sexual trauma across the lifespan would be advantageous. You will have relevant experience in providing psychological assessment and intervention to clients in one to one therapy as well as groups and workshops. Experience of assessing and managing risk in the context of mental health and safeguarding is vital as well as experience of providing short to medium-term evidence-based psychological therapy.

Working for our organisation

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King's to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• CLINICAL RESPONSIBILTIES
  To provide expert knowledge and guidance regarding the psychological issues related to specialist medical services for sexual assault, sexual health, and other related mental health conditions.
• To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the Havens, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including
  psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, self-report measures, rating scales direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and other
  professionals involved in the client's care.
• To formulate plans for psychological treatment and/or management, drawing upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy and including CBT models of PTSD and complex trauma and other evidence-based models for trauma. Adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
• To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions including pre-trial therapy for individuals affected by sexual violence for problems such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour, relationship difficulties, sexual dysfunction and other psychological sequelae of rape and sexual assault. Therapy approaches will include specialised PTSD therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR, systemic approaches, psychosexual therapy, communication skills training and reducing vulnerability and risk.
• When necessary, provide crisis intervention for those suffering severe emotional and psychological
  reactions to sexual assault and those who are expressing suicidal thoughts or harm related to others or themselves.
• To contribute across services to ensure that psychological interventions / management strategies contribute to a coherent and optimal package of care.
• To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment and discharge of clients from the Therapies Service, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating
  with the referral agent and others involved in the client's care including the MPS and CPS whenever
  appropriate.
• To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients' formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
• To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.
• To provide expertise and advice to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.
• To undertake risk identification and management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice on psychological aspects of risk identification and management to the
  clinical team.
• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients and to monitor and evaluate progress.
• To provide expert consultation beyond the multi-disciplinary team to the wider professional body within the Trust.
• To provide expert consultation about the psychological care of this client group to staff and agencies outside the Directorate and Trust.
• To provide expert knowledge and guidance regarding the psychological issues related to specialist medical services for sexual assault.
• To prepare written reports, including court reports as a professional witness.
• To work as an autonomous professional within Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC) and BPS guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work
  including treatment and discharge decisions.
• To take a lead in developing the service's delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or awarded the Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology by the BPS or successful completion of the HCPC Period of Adaptation in Clinical Psychology)
• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice (e.g. BABCP accredited; EMDR accredited)
• Additional training in sexual violence/trauma through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, Or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor
• Completed training course in clinical supervision.
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for psychological difficulties following sexual trauma

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate accredited training in Psychotherapy

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for psychological difficulties following sexual trauma
• Experience of undertaking leadership roles
• Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of sexual trauma related sequelae
• Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics relevant to sexual trauma
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
• Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
• Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in sexual trauma.
• Knowledge of acute (e.g. recent) sexual abuse and exploitation, and issues relevant within this context (including but not limited to safeguarding, criminal justice system / pre-trial therapy, individual and systemic psychosocial needs).
• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in childhood sexual abuse / exploitation.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature sexual trauma.
• Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
• Experience of supervising qualified psychologists
• Experience of line managing staff
• Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
• Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
• Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area.
• Knowledge of acute (e.g. recent) sexual assault and rape, and issues relevant within this context (including but not limited to safeguarding, criminal justice system / pre-trial therapy, individual and systemic psychosocial needs).
• Experience of using structured risk assessment protocols and measures.
• Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books
• Experience of leading on recruitment
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of management and leadership.
• Knowledge of racial and other diversity issues and factors affecting access to mental health care.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working acutely with recent rape/sexual assault, within a multi-disciplinary service that provides comprehensive care to address the person's holistic psychosocial and medical health needs.

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that requires analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
• 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.
• To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and significant others, and to organise professionals' meetings and joint activities with staff of partner agencies.
• To plan projects and work schedules for groups of psychologists.
• To be expert in the skilled administration of psychometric tests, including skilled manipulation of test materials; and to be able to supervise others in administration of psychometric tests.
• Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups
• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
• 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.
• 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.
• Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self.
• Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and sensitively managing, a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.

Other Requirements

Essential criteria

• Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology and counselling within the context of a highly specialist service.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others and understand vicarious trauma.
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support and supervision to staff exposed to highly distressing situations and vicarious trauma.
• Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to articulate and interpret clearly the role of the profession of Clinical/ Counselling Psychology and Counselling/ Psychotherapy based upon a good understanding of the framework of government and national professional policy.
• A commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both psychological and MDT audit, and a wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership and service development skills.

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Click here to see the range of benefits we offer
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust's criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• Job Description and Person Specification (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Denmark Hill Site Map (PDF, 1.2MB)
• Princess Royal (PRUH) Site map (PDF, 1.4MB)
• Visa and Sponsorship Information (PDF, 352.6KB)