Principal Psychotherapist/Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Principal Psychotherapist/Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a professionally registered experienced Psychotherapist/Clinical Psychologist/Counselling Psychologist to join the Therapeutic Community team in Folkestone delivering specialist treatment for adults with complex emotional difficulties at Ash Eton Therapeutic Community.

We are keen to recruit an analytically trained clinician experienced in conducting therapeutic groups for people with severe and complex emotional needs. The role will involve running Psychotherapy outreach groups out in the community, as well as being a member of the Therapeutic Community Team.

Ideally, you will also have experience of working within, or lived experience of being a member of a therapeutic community and/or experience of using a trauma-focused therapy group model.

Ash Eton Therapeutic Community is an established therapeutic community and the service was Highly Commended in the National Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards 2018.

We are actively engaged in peer reviews of other Therapeutic Communities (TCs) around the country and are members of The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities (TCTC). We regularly present papers, workshops and research on therapeutic communities at conferences. We offer a vibrant and engaging therapeutic programme for those with long term emotional and attachment difficulties, including MBT and small and large psychotherapy groups, as well as a range of verbal and non-verbal therapies including dramatherapy, art psychotherapy, and occupational therapy.

Main duties of the job

This role will involve advising CMHT and MDT teams on appropriate referrals, as well as offering supervision and case consultations. You will offer assessments and run psychodynamic psychotherapy groups with patients in the initial treatment phase before service users join the TC. You will offer small group psychotherapy in the TC and attend community meetings. You will have opportunities to develop co-produced lecturing and training roles.

You will be committed to an analytic frame of a democratic TC upholding our relational practice values and principles including co-production and inclusivity. You will be capable of working with transference processes involved in working within this demanding environment. You will also have the capacity to remain reflective and process the complex dynamics that can emerge in both team and community dynamics. You will be confident with managing a caseload of clients with complex needs who may present with significant risk. You will have the ability to organise and plan your workload so that priorities are attended to and quality standards are maintained. You will also have acquired the necessary experience and skills to deputize for the clinical lead as required and to support her and the operational lead in the day-to-day running of the service.

About us

You will be working within a multi-disciplinary service in Folkestone offering exciting opportunities for creative work. The Trust has a second therapeutic community in Maidstone and there will be opportunities for both teams to come together to share learning experiences and work together on service developments. You will receive ongoing group clinical supervision and be part of a staff process group to work through dynamics within the team as well as being offered professional support and development.

Job responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of approximately 16 patients in treatment.
• Effectively manage the pathway into treatment so that group spaces are used optimally and patient waiting is minimised.
• Undertake high-quality specialist psychological assessment.
• Deliver MBT-informed/psychodynamic therapy groups in community services to adults with complex emotional difficulties.
• Be an effective member of the Therapeutic Community MDT, delivering small psychotherapy groups, community meetings, and other therapeutic groups.
• Offer professional consultation regarding complex cases.
• Build collaborative working relationships with colleagues in CMHT/MHT+.
• Assess and manage clinical risk.
• Identify and respond to child and adult safeguarding concerns.
• Offer group clinical supervision to colleagues in other services.

Person Specification

Qualifications/training

• Professionally qualified Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist to Masters level or higher.
• Professionally registered with UK governing body (UKCP or BPS).
• Clinical supervisor's training/qualification for junior staff/trainees.
• MBT training/qualification.
• Clinical supervision training for supervision of Doctoral trainees on placement.

Experience

• Experience of working in a range of mental health settings with a range of levels of need and full range of age groups.
• Extensive experience in mental health psychotherapy.
• Experience of a minimum of 100 hours specialist clinical supervision in working with groups/personality disorder.
• Significant clinical experience of therapeutic group work with adults with complex and severe personality disorder.
• Experience of working as a qualified specialist psychotherapist/counselling psychologist/clinical psychologist for a minimum of four years.
• Experience of working in a therapeutic community.
• Experience of service development using a co-production model.

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of the therapeutic community model, principles, and values.
• Post-graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• An awareness of NHS Plan, NSF, and clinical governance priorities.

Skills

• Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.
• Advanced assessment, formulation, and planning skills for highly complex adults.
• Ability to plan, organise and flexibly manage own workload.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Ability to support and contain the team to work with challenging dynamics and relationships.
• Advanced keyboard skills.

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.

Address

Ash Eton Therapeutic Community, Ash Eton

£62,215 to £72,293 a year Per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Reference number

380-WK0215-B

Job locations

Ash Eton Therapeutic Community, Ash Eton