Practitioner Psychologist

There is an exciting opportunity for a psychologist in City & Hackney Neighbourhood Psychology Team (NPT). NPT works alongside the multidisciplinary team in the Primary Care Networks. NPT is made up of psychologists, clinical associates in psychology (CAPs), and admin.

The team offers a range of interventions to the service users whose needs may not have been met by traditional services and there are opportunities for community psychology approaches. There are three pathways within NPT: complex emotional needs, trauma and disordered eating. Experience and interest in working with service users experiencing these difficulties would be beneficial. We offer assessments, one to one interventions and groups.

There will be opportunities to develop skills in supervision to psychological staff and consultation and support to our MDT colleagues. You will be supported to develop competency in co-production, population health and a range of clinical skills.

City and Hackney is a vibrant, diverse borough and the role involves building on the strengths of the community to meet the needs of the population. The successful candidate will be passionate about inclusive working and co-producing services with our local populations and third sector partners.

Main duties of the job

• Undertake specialist assessment of emotional and psychological needs of the communities within the neighbourhoods in City & Hackney.
• Formulate, co-produce and implement appropriate care and treatment, and crisis contingency plans for clients presenting within the neighbourhoods, and to provide psychological treatment to a caseload at the same time as acting as lead professional to those clients, working closely with other members of the Neighbourhood mental health team.
• Liaise with other professionals to contribute to the establishment of continuity of care across services, including statutory and voluntary, and physical and mental health sectors.
• Provide specialist consultation to the broader staff team within the neighbourhoods MDT on the management of cases.
• To provide clinical supervision where appropriate to designated junior colleagues, e.g Clinical Associates in Psychology.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job responsibilities

To join with service users, carers and experts-by-experience in the co-production of place-based interventions for individuals with a range of mental health difficulties, according to the population health approach adopted within the neighbourhoods. To be responsible for implementing sound clinical skills in mental health practice, including coordinating patient care, group work, risk assessment and management and crisis intervention. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment and recovery plans taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental process that have shaped the individual, and the wider determinants of health and wellbeing, in conjunction with the team.

Clinical:

Provide skilled assessments of service users emotional and psychological needs based upon the understanding, interpretation and integration of complex data given by the service user and obtained from other sources. Develop robust psychological formulations with the service user. Implement psychological interventions based on the presentation and needs of the service users, which draw on a range of modalities that may include SCM, DBT, trauma focused CBT, EMDR and narrative approaches, both in one to one and group settings. Attend and engage in supervision. Communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor progress together with team. To demonstrate clear knowledge of the 1983 Mental Health Act. To undertake frequent risk assessment and risk management for service users and to provide advice to other professions on aspects of risk assessment and risk management, considering immediate physical safety and psychological needs. Work closely with colleagues in the MDT to promote trauma informed, psychological ways of working and holistic care. Facilitate service user and carer involvement in the ongoing development and evaluation of the service, with a particular focus on developing co-produced interventions.

Administration: To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including: electronic data entry and outcome recording of sessions, report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice, Trust policies and procedures and provide statistical returns in accordance with service requirements. To participate in the investigation of accidents, incidents or complaints in accordance with Trust policy. To be involved in developing new areas of work and initiatives within the service.

Management: Engage in the operational management policies of the trust. Participate in the formulation and implementation of protocols and procedures for the delivery of the transformation pilot project.

Professional Responsibilities: To ensure professional registration is maintained at all times. To comply with professional requirements at all times. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes. To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintain an active engagement with current developments in the field of Complex Emotional Needs, Personality Disorder, Trauma-Informed Care, substance misuse, psychological therapy and related disciplines. To actively participate in the formulation, direction and development of policies and procedures relating to the service.

Training, teaching, Research and Supervision: Support the identification, formulating and development of useful improvement work for the team and interfacing services, which may include teaching, training and research. To participate in the ongoing research and in audit projects where necessary. To collate data as necessary. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual and group work with other team members.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
• Registered with Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Further training in a therapeutic modality relevant to complex mental health e.g. EMDR, trauma focused CBT, NET, DBT, SCM, narrative approaches.

Experience

• Experience of working therapeutically in mental health settings.
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues across the professions to support the offer of holistic, psychologically informed and trauma informed care to all service users.
• Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of service users with complex needs and comorbidities, including diagnoses of trauma/PTSD; personality disorder.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for service users' psychological care and treatment, within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Collaborative risk assessment and safety planning, including referral to social care as appropriate.
• Experience of facilitating groups.
• Experience of the application of psychological therapy in different cultural contexts, including adapting practice to be inclusive and working with interpreters.
• Experience of offering supervision.
• Experience of working in a community psychology framework.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex, multivariate data analysis and service evaluation.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, in both verbal and written form clinically sensitive information to service users, other professional colleagues, families, and carers within a highly emotive and unpredictable environment.
• To be able to engage with service users, carers and experts-by-experience in the co-production of meaningful interventions including training, treatments and other wellbeing-focused endeavours.
• Knowledge of the local borough and the populations we support.
• Capacity to work calmly and thoughtfully when addressing traumatic psychological issues, demonstrating an awareness of the sensitivity and unpredictability of individuals who have experienced complex mental health difficulties, and a capacity to tolerate the strong emotions evoked by such work.
• Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Understanding of relevant legislation, policies and best practice guidance.

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.

Deputy Psychological Lead, City & Hackney

£54,320 to £60,981 a year per annum Inc HCAs