Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychotherapist

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Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychotherapist

Band 8a

Main area: Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist Grade Band 8a

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 15 hours per week (Part time)

Job ref: 222-LS-CARMHS-383

Site: Early Intervention Service (Hounslow)

Town: London

Salary: £59,490 - £78,028 per annum pro rata inclusive of 15% HCAS

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 31/03/2025 23:59

Interview date: 07/04/2025

West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

Job overview

We are seeking a passionate and committed Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist specialising in working with psychosis to join our innovative team. You will be working in Hounslow Early Intervention in Psychosis Service with people experiencing a First Episode of Psychosis, offering individual, family and group interventions, and support to the wider team.

At West London NHS Trust we want to employ talented, passionate and skilled psychological professionals, so that we can provide the best service possible to those who use our services.

In return, we are committed to investing in and supporting our staff. In this role, we offer:

• Potential to train in CBT for Psychosis
• Potential to train in Family Intervention for Psychosis
• Supportive work environment – in a recent survey psychological professionals in our Community and Recovery Services reported high levels of satisfaction with the psychological leadership, supervision and training they receive.
• A comprehensive CPD and reflective practice program.
• Opportunities to link and collaborate with the North Thames Doctorate courses through supervision, teaching and research.
• We are a values driven organisation and Togetherness, Responsibility, Excellence and Caring underpin how we treat each other and those who use our services.

Main duties of the job

You will lead on the provision and delivery of a comprehensive psychology service including direct and indirect psychological interventions, family work and complex case consultation to MDT colleagues. You will work as a key member of the EIS team and will contribute to the leadership and development of the service.

Skills and experience in working with clients with psychosis, including experience of direct provision of CBTp, other individual interventions for trauma and emotional needs, and Family Interventions, are essential.

We require a genuine commitment to MDT partnership working and psychological approaches to psychosis, and an interest in supporting and developing psychological skills in MDT and more junior psychology colleagues.

You will be based in Hounslow, which is well based for transport links, being only a short walk from the Piccadilly Line.

This role will include working with people from varied cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary; a passion for creating and enabling equality of access to services for all is vital.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.

Person specification

Qualifications

• A recorded/registered qualification in one of the following: Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology; Psychotherapy qualification requiring registration.
• Other qualifications relevant to the client group (e.g. ADOS assessment; systemic therapies; dual diagnosis; EMDR)
• Training in clinical supervision for doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
• Evidence of post-doctoral training in CBTp, and/or FIp and/or other relevant approaches

Experience

• Experience of working as a qualified (specialist) psychologist or psychotherapist with clients with psychosis and complex needs.
• Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of administration, scoring and written interpretation of psychometric / neuropsychological tests
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of co-producing and/or co-delivering services with service users and/or 3rd sector partners.
• Experience of supervising other staff and/or having led service development projects
• Significant level of experience in working within multidisciplinary community teams

Knowledge

• Advanced specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to clinical practice
• Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of the assessment and intervention of complex mental health difficulties.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work in the current setting

Skills

• Excellent engagement and verbal communication skills, including with persons who may be highly distressed, hostile and/or experience barriers in relationships and communication.
• Able to make complex clinical judgements both alone and with MDT or supervisory consultation, at an appropriate level.
• Able to plan, prioritise and organise own workload, including clinical, administrative and other aspects.
• Able to function in highly emotionally distressing circumstances on a frequent basis (e.g. in dealing with service users with serious mental illness, histories of homicide and serious violence, self-harm, sexual abuse).

Other Requirements

• Demonstrable enthusiasm for and commitment to working with service users with psychosis and a range of levels of need.
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for and commitment to leadership and partnership working with MDT colleagues and community and 3rd sector partners.
• Demonstrable commitment to the skill and career development of other staff members.
• Must be capable of being guided by precedent, clearly defined policies, procedures and codes of conduct.
• Able to reflect on own professional practice.
• Willing to participate actively in CPD in line with BPS guidelines.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Record of having published in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks.

Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We encourage the thoughtful use of technology as a demonstration of strong time management and a commitment to innovation. However, we encourage applicants to personalise their recruitment application to showcase their unique skills and experiences.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

At West London NHS Trust, we want you to support you to build a career you can be proud of and this starts before your first day with us. Our people live our values every day as they deliver, manage and work to improve our services to patients, carers, families and other professionals.

We’re committed to making our recruitment process clear and efficient. It’s in everyone’s interest that we get the very best people on board as soon as we can.

To apply for a job, please note:

• You’ll need to create an account
  The first time you apply for an NHS job, you'll need to create an account to submit your application. Once you’re a registered user you can simply log in to start your application.
• All applications are submitted online
  All applications are made using an online form to ensure that all applications are assessed fairly and based on what you tell us about yourself. This is to ensure that everyone has the best chance to show us why they’re the right person for the job.
• No CV applications
  We don’t accept CV applications. It’s important you include all your relevant experience and skills in your application so we have all the information we need to make informed decisions about who to interview.
• Check your references
  Before you submit your application, you need to make sure that you’ve provided the names and the contact details for your references, which should cover a three year period. If you’re currently working for the NHS, we only need one reference from your line manager.

Help us choose you

Make sure you focus your application to demonstrate that you can meet all or most of our essential criteria. Also, pay attention to the job description and explain, with examples, (listed as supporting information) how your skills and experience prove not only can you do the job, but that you’ll excel in it.

Before you click send

You can’t edit your application once submitted. So make sure you take a few minutes to read through your application carefully. You want to make sure you’ve completed it as fully as possible and there are no errors or omissions.

Once it’s submitted, you’ll receive an email from NHS jobs to confirm the receipt of your application. From this stage onwards, all communications will be made via our recruitment system. Access to the TRAC jobs system is provided by email, so please check your email inbox, including your spam and junk folders.

Once applications for a role have closed, a shortlist of candidates will be invited for interview.

If you’re shortlisted, we’ll send you an interview invitation via our applicant database website TRAC Jobs. The invitation will include details of when and where to come for your interview and any additional tests that form part of the selection process.

If you’re unsuccessful at this first stage, you’ll receive an email via TRAC to let you know you haven’t been successful this time.

The interview is your chance to tell us in person what experience why your experiences and personal skills make you right for the role and for West London NHS Trust.

Some tips before coming to the interview

• Learn about our Trust, the department you hope to join and the services we offer. Finding out as much as you can about the role will help you demonstrate how your skills and experience fit the role.
• Re-read the job description and person specification carefully. We want to hire the best person for the job, so we’re going to ask questions based on your application to understand why you’re the right person. We may ask you to describe scenarios from your current role that demonstrate your ability to do the job. Prepare answers in advance against each of the criteria on the job description.
• We might ask you to bring documentation, including proof of identity, work permit, proof of residency, to the interview. Try to bring as much as you can with you so that we can take copies. This is a compliance requirement, that is, we have to ensure that everyone to whom we offer a job has the legal right to work.
• Dress in smart professional attire.

At the interview

You’ll usually be interviewed by a panel of two or more interviewers. If we need you to complete any tests, we’ll let you know in advance of your interview.

The outcome

The recruiting manager will tell you at your interview how and when you'll be notified as to whether you’ve been successful.