Counselling / Clinical Psychologist

We're excited to offer a full-time role for a passionate and motivated Clinical/Counselling Psychologist OR CBR Therapist to join Berkshire Healthcare Birth in Mind.

As part of Maternal Mental Health Services, Birth in Mind is a specialist service providing assessment and treatment for adults with severe Fear of Birth (medically referred to as tokophobia) and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to their birth experience (including miscarriage, still birth and neonatal loss). You'll be joining a warm, dynamic team of psychologists and psychological therapists who are deeply committed to providing the best possible care.

Our service offers generous time for CPD, giving you the chance to expand your expertise in Trauma-Focused CBT, EMDR, and Compassion-Focused Therapy. We highly value clinician self-care, providing strong support systems including peer supervision, regular one-on-one supervision, and specialist supervision in Compassion-Focused Therapy and EMDR.

You'll be based at Erlegh House, located on the vibrant University of Reading campus, complete with plenty of parking, nearby green spaces, and local shops.

We also offer a flexible, hybrid working model that includes both face-to-face sessions and online working, either from our well-equipped clinic space or from home when suitable.

If you're looking for an opportunity to make a difference in a welcoming and supportive team, we'd love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

As a valued member of our team, you will work across both pathways to provide specialist assessments, formulations and evidence-based interventions, working both with individuals and groups.

You will be supported to develop clinical skills and expertise in other therapy modalities such as EMDR.

You will have the opportunity to be involved in service improvement projects such as service user feedback forums and designing our specialist resources. We have a strong belief in evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence, so you may also be able to undertake or supervise research, audit and service evaluation.

As part of your ongoing development, you may be able to supervise trainees and assistant psychologists, as appropriate. There may also be opportunities to be involved in consultation, liaison and training to multidisciplinary mental health staff, perinatal mental health services, third-sector agencies and other, non-professional carers.

About us

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

Job responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

• Holder of HCPC registered Clinical/Counselling Psychology qualification OR Post graduate qualification in CBT and BABCP accreditation
• Experience treating PTSD using NICE-recommended therapy modalities (TF-CBT)
• Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients and ideally experience of working with the perinatal population.
• Understanding of the specific needs of clients who have experienced a birth trauma and the impact this can have on postnatal mental health.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

• For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas) which provides eligibility for Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
• For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Registered and accredited with Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
• For All: Additional training/ accreditations (or working towards these) to reflect post qualification interest/ specialism (e.g., Health Psychology, Neuropsychology, BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, BPS).

Continuous Professional Development

• Evidence of training and/or interest and knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to the post.
• Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body.

Experience

• Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics
• Experience of working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environment
• Experience of service development and carrying out clinical audit, evaluative research and applying the findings
• Experience of working with, and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to service.
• Experience of delivering teaching and training to staff

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of psychological/neuropsychological or psychotherapeutic assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the service area.
• Knowledge and understanding of service evaluation, audit and research and completing this in the NHS.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or sensitive information to service users, their carers/families and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system.
• Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS office/Teams, One Consultation and the internet).

Additional Requirements

• Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required, and ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position

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.

£48,270 to £54,931 a year per annum (inc. of HCAS)