Clinical Psychologist/ Forensic Psychologist/ Counselling Psychologist

Job Summary

Due to additional funding, we are looking for a compassionate Clinical/Forensic/Counselling Psychologist to join us within the male rehabilitation services as part of the Rehabilitation and High Support (RHS) Care hub in Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. The post will suit an enthusiastic Psychologist with an interest in developing skills across a wide range of therapeutic approaches and consultation skills, and a desire to work within a low secure setting.

Prospect Place is a 45-bed low secure unit that opened in 2011 and is based on the site of Birch Hill Hospital in Rochdale. The unit is for men aged 18 to 65 years, who have a diagnosed psychotic disorder, and have been detained under the Mental Health Act. Alcohol and drug misuse are often a part of the problems faced by patients. A secure setting may be required to help address challenges around the patient's view of their illness and the vulnerabilities and risks to themselves and others that may result from this.

For more information about our services, please visit: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.

There is free parking at Birch Hill Hospital site and available office space. We would welcome applications for flexible working patterns, including hybrid working.

The post is offered at 8a; however, a band 7 to 8a preceptorship will be considered for candidates with suitable experience. The postholder will be supported with completion of this.

Main Duties of the Job

The post holder will be part of a respected psychology team both within Prospect Place and RHS. Within Prospect Place, there is a Principal Clinical Psychologist, Principal Forensic Psychologist, and Assistant Psychologists.

The post will require you to provide psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention to service users who present with complex mental health problems, alongside a possible history of trauma, substance misuse, and forensic histories. The post holder will provide direct face-to-face clinical sessions and support the psychosocial intervention work of colleagues.

You will be expected to attend MDT meetings and to facilitate regular clinical discussion groups to offer the MDT reflective space, develop psychological formulations, and provide bespoke training. In addition, you will provide one-to-one clinical supervision to Psychologists and other members of the MDT as appropriate and dependent on experience. The post will require you to be involved in service developments, Quality Improvement projects, and governance within the service as required.

Regular supervision will be provided, as well as team meetings and peer support.

About Us

We would welcome applications for flexible working patterns, including some hybrid working, compressed hours, or a job share. We support staff to work flexibly and recognise and respect the roles our colleagues hold outside of their working hours.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the top of our agenda. We believe that a diverse, inclusive, and engaged culture is vital; that everyone's value should be recognised and respected.

We proactively challenge injustices and are the only Trust in the North West to publicly recognise our commitment to becoming anti-racist and supporting our transgender and non-binary colleagues. We also have thriving staff networks to make sure everyone has a voice.

Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities, and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We're really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we're a great place to work.

We are committed to staff development through shared learning, training, and peer supervision. We are working hard in the Rehabilitation and High Support Care Hub to reduce restrictive practices and to provide trauma-informed care.

Our Trust Values are:

Kindness
Fairness
Ingenuity
Determination

Job Responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification to support your application for this post. Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification which will highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience you will need to demonstrate in your application to give yourself the best opportunity to be shortlisted.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

• Good honours degree in psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, or Forensic Psychology.
• HCPC registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.

Desirable

• Further qualifications and/or training in a range of therapy models/interventions.
• Further training and/or qualifications in the delivery of clinical supervision.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in an inpatient setting (psychiatric rehabilitation/PICU/acute/secure services).
• Demonstrable experience of delivering highly specialist psychological assessments and interventions (individual and group) within an NHS mental health environment.
• Experience of working within multidisciplinary services in mental health providing therapy to service users with high levels of complexity.
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to other psychological therapists.
• Experience in teaching/training of other qualified mental health staff/non-psychology staff.

Desirable

• Experience of providing line management to other psychological therapists.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the application of clinical governance and risk management policies.

Desirable

• Expertise in administration and interpretation of specialist psychological assessment tools.
• Knowledge of procedures that maintain and contribute to the improvement of psychological services.
• Knowledge of systems theory and organisational change.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Willingness to work as part of a psychology team providing input into the low secure units.
• Skills in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health inpatient services.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment and intervention.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
• Ability to play an active role in service development via evaluation, audit, and research.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to prioritise work, manage waiting lists, meet deadlines, and revise work plans accordingly.

Desirable

• A wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.

Work Related Circumstances

Essential

• Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs.
• Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies.
• Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.