Senior Psychologist / Psychotherapist

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South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you'll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist who has a genuine passion for Early Intervention in Psychosis to join our team in Lewisham. The Lewisham Early Intervention in Psychosis Service (LEIS) is a specialist multidisciplinary community mental health team who work with people aged 18-65 who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis. The team uses well-researched Early Intervention strategies and works intensively with service users and carers for up to three years, offering a range of interventions to facilitate social inclusion and recovery.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for providing specialist psychological assessment, individual therapy (including CBTp), family interventions and group work, as well as consultation and supervision as required. As one of the senior psychological therapists within the team, you will be responsible for the overall provision of therapy within the team and management of the therapy waiting lists. You will be part of the leadership team within LEIS and be involved in providing consultation for complex presentations and offering support around clinical decision making.

Working for our organisation

LEIS is a large, friendly multidisciplinary team including Psychologists, Consultant Psychiatrists, Family Interventions Therapists, Vocational and STaR workers, and Care Coordinators. You will work alongside and be supported by another Senior Clinical Psychologist and a Band 7 CBT Therapist within the team. Psychological input is valued in the team, and considered an integral part of the services on offer to our service users and their families.

LEIS has good links with other Lewisham adult mental health services and the other three SLAM Early Intervention teams, and therefore there are regular opportunities to link with clinical psychologists and psychological therapists within and beyond other psychosis-related teams. You will be encouraged and supported to access CPD opportunities within the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

One of the key responsibilities of this role is providing high quality psychological therapy to individuals presenting with psychosis, as well as trauma and problems with mood and anxiety. This involves being able to successfully engage clients and working with clients where there can be a high level of complexity. This is a varied role, including providing consultation to the MDT, offering supervision to more junior staff, delivering training to the team and being a member of the leadership team, alongside providing direct psychological therapy.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
• Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist (or with other professional body appropriate to discipline, e.g. APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP), and evidence of required continuing professional development.
• Completed training course in clinical supervision.

Desirable criteria

• Additional training in specialised psychological assessment and interventions for psychosis (CBTp, FIp) through formal post-qualification training (PG Cert/Dip 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 to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature, including psychosis and trauma.
• Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
• 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.

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist in Early Intervention in Psychosis service

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of first episode psychosis.
• Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics for psychosis.
• 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.

Skills

Essential criteria

• To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
• 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 be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups, and well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.

Abilities

Essential criteria

• 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 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.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

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

• LEIS Senior Psychologist / Psychotherapist JDPS 2024 (PDF, 544.5KB)
• SLaM Staff Benefits (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working (PDF, 680.1KB)