Clinical Psychologist/ Counselling Psychologist

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) teams in a Clinical Psychology / Counselling Psychologist role. We are looking to recruit one person full time or potentially two people part time. We currently offer hybrid working, with at least two days expected onsite for face-to-face work for full time workers.

The vacancy is in our North Talking Therapies Team based in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire. This is a unique and highly valued role within the teams that works alongside our CBT therapists and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners to offer high quality therapeutic interventions to our service users.

You will be part of a large and supportive team and have the opportunity to train to work with clients with Long-Term conditions and/or one of our modalities such as Couples therapy for depression or Interpersonal Psychotherapy. We pride ourselves on the support we offer to staff and provide an extensive programme of CPD for all our clinicians (5 days per year for full-time staff) where they can choose to attend to training in specific areas of interest.

Our services are focused on delivering high quality therapy, being amongst the highest performers in the region. The service finished the year and preceding years with recovery rates exceeding the national target of 50%. We continue to run innovative groups for our clients such as Perinatal, Older adults and Long Term Conditions.

Main duties of the job

The role is perfect for someone who enjoys working in Primary care, with common mental health problems such as Social Anxiety Disorder, PTSD and OCD. Your role will involve carrying out psychological assessment and treatments for clients with anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems, in line with National NHS Talking Therapies Guidelines. The Talking Therapies Teams provide evidence based talking therapies for people with mild to moderate mental health problems. The service sits within Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust and we are proud of our Trust CQC rating of 'Outstanding'.

You will mainly draw on Cognitive Behavioural Approaches in your work but there will also be a chance to integrate ideas from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and other relevant theoretical knowledge from your training. You will be supported to work towards your BABCP accreditation (if required) through weekly supervision.

As a psychologist working in the team, other opportunities include providing informal clinical skills and teaching sessions, taking part in, or facilitating reflective practice for colleagues, and supervising Assistant psychologists. We also welcome suggestions for integrating psychological ideas into the team and the role has some scope to develop this.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission. Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout: Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Job responsibilities

• The post-holder will provide specialist clinical psychological/ counselling psychologist assessment and treatment including a range of group and individual psychological interventions.
• The post-holder will provide specialist consultation, guidance and training to other team members.
• The post-holder will provide specialist support, guidance and consultation on clients' psychological care to other multi-disciplinary professionals.
• The post-holder will work closely with both psychology and other psychological therapy.
• The post-holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team's policies.
• The post-holder will utilise research skills for audit, teaching, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.

Person Specification

KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Doctoral/Masters level training in clinical psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
• Current registration with HPC.
• Professional qualification degree level, which should include knowledge and application of research methodology.
• Competent in CBT to BABCP standards, or willing to work towards achieving this within 1 year.
• Willing to train in one of the IAPT four modality therapies eg DIT, IPT, Couples therapy.

Desirable

• Additional specialist knowledge or training in psychotherapy in adult mental health/eating disorders.
• Interest in developing specialist expertise in working with long term health conditions in a primary care mental health setting.
• Experience of working in physical health care settings.

AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings, including at least six months clinical experience working in adult mental health.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life span's presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Knowledge of whole life span development and the impact on emotional, psychological and mental well-being.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one evidence based psychological therapy (i.e. CBT, Interpersonal Therapy, CAT, systemic family psychotherapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy) relevant to the treatment of adults with complex problems and their families.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration.
• Ability to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risks.
• Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures.
• Awareness of current NHS initiatives and Developments.
• Knowledge of legislation and the national agenda in relation to adult mental health including Mental Health Act (2007), New Horizons and NICE guidelines and understanding and knowledge of clinical/practice governance.
• Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to clients with mental health problems.
• Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.
• Experience of working in a community mental health setting.

Desirable

• Knowledge of psychological models of behaviour change and self-management.
• Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or offering supervision.
• Experience of service development/project management.

Employer details

Employer name: Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Saffron Ground Ditchmore Lane, Stevenage, SG1 3LJ

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

367-ACMS-8995