Practitioner Psychologist/Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

Job overview

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Clinical /Counselling Psychologist or Cognitive Behavioural Therapist to join our Stepped Care Therapy Team within Older Peoples’ Mental Health Secondary Care Services in Fenland.

The friendly and supportive team comprises of Clinical Psychologists, Occupational Therapists and an OT Assistant. We regularly host trainees from all disciplines. We are a proactive team who use a broad range of therapeutic approaches and work in a person-centred way.

The role will include assessment, formulation and evidence-based intervention including, where appropriate, specialist neuropsychological assessment.

The post holder will also provide supervision and consultation for mental health colleagues and work closely with both mental and physical health staff. The ideal candidate will have a strong team work ethic, an ability to work under considerable pressure, and have a passion for working with older people.

We aim to support staff to develop specialist knowledge and expertise, for the benefit of our service and patients. Creativity and innovation are encouraged.

Main duties of the job

To provide a qualified specialist clinical psychology, counselling psychology or psychological therapy service to clients referred to Older People’s Stepped Care Therapies Service in the Fenland locality.

This is across all sectors of care (in outpatient day service, inpatient, residential care and domestic settings) working with people with functional and organically based mental health problems.

This will involve providing specialist assessment and therapy, including where it is appropriate to professional competence providing neuropsychological assessment.

To offer advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other non-professional carers, taking responsibility for psychological input to one of the OPMH teams.

To provide supervision and guidance for more junior staff including Trainee Clinical Psychologists, Trainee Cognitive Behaviour Therapists and Mental Health Practitioners where appropriate

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

• The post holder will be expected to contribute to the clinical activity of the service. This will involve holding a clinical caseload, including:
• Providing psychological therapy interventions for cases referred to the team. This will involve the use of evidence based psychological interventions in both individual and group work formats e.g., CBT.Formulating, implementing and evaluating therapy programmes for clients.
• Ensuring treatment delivery remains accessible, convenient and with minimal waiting times as agreed by senior clinicians and managers.Providing clinical supervision in the service.
• Undertaking risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and providing advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management
• Communicating, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to clients, family carers and others, information that may be contentious or highly distressing.
• Producing reports on clients in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of psychological assessment and formulation and treatment outcome in a way that does justice to the complexity of the problems described, but that are understandable to the recipients of the reports, including clients and referrers.
• Working in partnership with other disciplines including attending multidisciplinary meetings relating to referral or clients in treatment where appropriate
• The post holder will work with senior clinicians and other managers to:
• Ensure that there is a clinical audit programme developed.Ensure that all of the required evaluation data is produced in a timely manner.
• Establish local research priorities and develop a research programme in line with local policies.
• Produce reports by using the date which has been collected for the service.
• Help to collate and disseminate the results of clinical audits and service evaluations.
• The post holder will contribute to the on-going operation and development of the service by working with the senior clinicians and other managers to be involved with:
• Data collection for the on-going evaluation of the service.Promotion of the Older Peoples Therapies Service locally to GP practices and nationally as appropriate.
• The post holder will work with the senior clinicians and other managers to:
• Ensure that regular reports are provided for all of the information required for the ongoing and evaluation of the Stepped Care Therapies Service.
• Ensure that all staff complete information requirements as required by local protocols.

The post holder will:

• Participate in regular supervision (clinical or management) in accordance with good practice guidelines and Trust policy.
• Participate in the Trust’s annual Appraisal process. attend all relevant mandatory training as and when required to do so.
• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Implement NICE guidance and other statutory / best practice guidelines.
• Be responsible for the prevention and control of infection.

*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website

Applicant requirements

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.