Clinical/Counselling Psychologist Band 8a

Job overview

Here at HPFT we have a long history of delivering outstanding care, and we are taking our inpatient psychological therapies service to the next level. Through an extensive expansion of our psychology provision, we are in a period of skill development with the wider workforce and embedding trauma informed approaches across all wards. This is an exciting time of change. We are looking for two caring and committed 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologists to work alongside the multi-disciplinary team in supporting change. If you have the relevant skills, are energetic, imaginative and, above all, care passionately about working with individuals and their families towards recovery, then we want to hear from you! Both roles are based in the innovative and purpose-built Kingfisher Court, Radlett. You will form part of a vibrant, passionate, and supportive inpatient psychology service. One role will be based on Owl ward, an 18 bedded male treatment ward, and the other on Robin Ward, an 18 bedded female treatment ward. Psychology is well established and highly valued on both units. For the right candidates we would consider a developmental period from Band 7 to Band 8a. We don’t want you to miss out so we’d like you to know that if we have a high level of interest in this role, the vacancy may close prior to the advertised closing date - Apply now! For an informal chat, contact Dr Peter Ord on 07815 025281(Owl Ward) or Dr Hanna Yousefzadeh on 07890 983922 (Robin Ward).

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will:

• Provide a specialist psychology service to service users on the adult mental health wards.
• Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions.
• Provide clinical supervision, advice and consultation to colleagues, and to other non-professional carers, on psychological aspects of assessment, formulation, care and treatment.
• Provide compassionate care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect and dignity, and underpinned by principles of recovery and knowledge of trauma informed approaches.
• Support the development and roll out of Trauma Informed Approaches across HPFT inpatient services as we change the question people ask from "What’s wrong with you?" to "What’s happened to you?"

In return, we can offer you:

• leadership and management training opportunities
• 5% on top of basic salary high cost allowance supplement (subject to a minimum and a maximum payment pro rata)
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service) plus bank holidays (pro rata where applicable)
• One of the UK's best pension schemes
• Comprehensive health and wellbeing services
• Special leave for family and personal reasons
• NHS Car Lease Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to Acute Services based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings. To be responsible for implementing a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group. To provide specialist psychological supervision, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to client’s formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans. To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory with a focus on Trauma Informed Approaches. For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert. If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.