Clinical Psychologist / Counselling Psychologist

NHS; Exeter; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job description

Clinical Psychologist / Counselling Psychologist

The Clinical Health Psychology team are embedded at the interface of physical and mental health, and work in a truly bio-psycho-social way to alleviate the distress experienced by those with physical health conditions. The appreciation and valuing of psychology and psychological therapies by the renal team has been demonstrated by their willingness to fund an additional psychology post to work alongside our established senior psychologist who will supervise and support this role. We are now looking for a practitioner psychologist or psychological therapist to work with people who are living with kidney disease. The work is a varied and interesting mix of direct client work and indirect work providing support and training to the medical staff who work in this area. Psychology staff also work to create a trauma-informed environment within the renal team and can help advocate for patients. There are elements to this role, such as working towards completing donor and recipient transplant assessments and some end-of-life treatment decision making, which may not be so prevalent in other roles, offering the opportunity to develop specialist competencies. There is some flexibility in working hours and modalities within service constraints.

We welcome applications from both psychologists and other therapists e.g. psychotherapists, family therapists, and from current doctoral trainees who are due to complete their qualifications this academic year.

Main duties of the job

All clinical health psychology staff belong in two teams; the hospital team that they link with and the psychology team they sit in. We are part of DPT's wider strategy of Integrated Psychological Medicine and have strong links with Talking Health and Liaison Psychiatry. As a service, we have been able to offer a wide range of training, clinical, and development opportunities. We support our staff to develop their careers and have been very successful in recent years in supporting staff to train in specific therapy models.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability, and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high-quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. These include attributes such as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving the lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, and being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part-time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity, or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

The principle purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people who attend Renal Services at the Royal Devon University Hospital (RDUH).

This will be achieved by:

1. Supporting the systematic provision of a high-quality psychological service in specialist fields of practice, across identified locality areas, as a key component of integrated mental/physical health and wellbeing services across Devon Partnership NHS Trust and the Acute Trust.
2. Carrying out specialist psychological assessments with donors and recipients regarding kidney transplants.
3. Carrying a specialist caseload of clients for assessment and intervention, and providing advice and consultancy to patients, family members, carers, and professionals.
4. Working autonomously within professional guidelines and supporting the systematic governance of psychological practice within the health teams and services they will work with.
5. Receiving regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.

Person Specification

Knowledge and skills

• Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychological therapies are commonly applied.
• Excellent verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills.
• Proven organisational, planning, and time management skills.
• Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise.
• Good communication skills when presenting/facilitating to varying groups of people.
• Ability to work independently and use initiative within a service consisting of a network of teams.
• IT Skills.
• Ability to work as a member of a clinical team.
• Ability to tolerate ambiguity and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts.
• Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.
• Strong leadership qualities, resilience, and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty.

Qualifications

• Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol. or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society. Or, for Psychotherapists/Psychological Therapists clinical training must be to Masters level and accreditation match the requirements of Column B of the SCoPEd framework.
• Registered with HCPC / UKCP / Other appropriate specialist regulatory body.

Experience

• Experience and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
• Proficiency in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
• Experience of working with complex trauma and with systems working around people who have experienced trauma.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care, and inpatient settings.
• Experience of teaching, training, and/or supervision.
• Experience of neuropsychological assessment and awareness of the impact of neuropsychological symptoms on presentation.

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.