Honorary Psychotherapist in Training (Un-paid)

Job overview

We are offering the rare opportunity to work as an Honorary Psychotherapist in training in an NHS Adult Mental Health Psychological Service, as part of your Psychodynamic Psychotherapy training.

The post is unpaid. We understand that applicants may need to undertake paid work, alongside their training requirements and personal therapy and so the hours are therefore negotiable. We require a minimum commitment of at least one day a week (to see at least 2-3 patients for psychotherapy which includes your training patient, and 1 assessment per month, depending on your clinical experience) over at least a 12-month period.

We are offering this honorary position to applicants who are seeking experience as part of their psychotherapy studies. The role will involve working closely alongside 3 psychodynamic psychotherapists (across North and South Bucks), a group analyst and a larger multidisciplinary team of clinical psychologists, CBT therapists, family therapists (and others) in the South of the county. There are therefore many opportunities to gain a broader understanding of the context of psychological work within the NHS.

Main duties of the job

You will be offered regular supervision with a qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist.

The placement is with North Buckinghamshire Psychological Therapies, a friendly team of psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, based at The Whiteleaf Centre, Aylesbury, alongside a variety of multidisciplinary clinicians working in adults and older

adults mental health, as well as other services such as our Primary Mental Health Service, The Early Intervention Team for Psychosis, The Crisis Team and The Community Mental Health Team.

The successful applicant will be enthusiastic, self-motivated, well organised, and keen to contribute to the service. Ideally, we are looking for applicants with prior experience of working with patients as our service is specialist, working with complex, longstanding and enduring difficulties. They will also have good IT skills and be able to work autonomously under supervision.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

What you will gain:

• An opportunity to gain valuable experience working within a Psychological Therapies team in the NHS to further your development in a clinical setting.
• Experience collating clinical background information and history from electronic health records, developing your understanding of mental health in context.
• Weekly experience assisting the Psychological Therapies team in therapy assessment sessions with clients, observing psychological therapists at work
• Develop skills in drafting Assessment Reports and recommendations and where appropriate, conduct your own assessment
• Contribute to audit and quality improvement where appropriate
• Professional development: in addition to mandatory NHS training, you will have the chance to engage with additional workshops relating to different aspects of mental health including sleep, neurodiversity and more.
• Through your interactions with diverse individuals and exposure to various therapeutic approaches, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of mental health.
• You will receive weekly supervision from a qualified psychotherapist, as well as working closely alongside a psychotherapist throughout your working week.

For further information please email to Konstantin Nemirovskiy, Principal Psychodynamic Psychotherapist.

If you’re applying for the role, please include your c.v. and a covering letter for why you’re interested in the role and why you would be a good fit for it. We will interview all candidates before appointment on a chronological basis. If you are successful, you will be given an honorary contract with Oxford Health. An appropriate person will be appointed once we have found the right fit, so encourage early application.

Applicant requirements

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.