Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex 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 clients care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy in the treatment of mental health conditions as recommended by NICE guidelines.

To be responsible for implementing a range of 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 several provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, as appropriate, to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of clients presenting with mental health needs related to the perinatal period.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during both uni- and multi-disciplinary care, integrating the contribution of other professionals on the basis of client need.

To work jointly with psychological therapists based in community teams, to plan and hand over the psychological assessment and treatment of patients that may continue after discharge from the Maternal Mental Health Service.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.

Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and (for Clinical Psychologists) neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology ; or alternative training outside of the UK that is recognised by the Health & Care Professions Council leading to registration in the UK as a Clinical or Counselling psychologist
• Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (Practitioner Psychologist, domain: Clinical Psychologist or Counselling Psychologist

Desirable

• Post qualification training in applied research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
• Post qualification training in the application of psychological care in a perinatal context
• Post qualification training in DBT, MBT, or any other evidence base intervention of working with clients with complex needs or personality difficulties.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experience of working with people who experience severe, complex and long-term mental health problems
• Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision while working as a specialist psychological therapist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology & Psychotherapies

Desirable

• Post qualification experience of working in a specialist perinatal mental health service
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of working in complex needs services such as substance misuse or personality disorder.
• Experience of the application of clinical or counselling psychology in different cultural contexts

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Springfield University Hospital

Tooting

SW17 7DJ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.swlstg.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)