Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist - Adult Acute Inpatients

jobs24.co.uk; Stafford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An established healthcare provider is seeking a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to enhance psychological care on their inpatient wards. This role offers the chance to work flexibly with a dynamic caseload, providing direct clinical work and contributing to the development of group interventions. You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, supporting both patients and staff through teaching, training, and supervision. The position promises opportunities for leadership and research, making it ideal for those looking to advance their careers while making a meaningful impact on patient care. Join a supportive environment that values innovation and professional growth.

Benefits

Excellent NHS Pension scheme

Generous maternity, paternity, adoption leave

Options for flexible working

Up to 27 days annual leave

Extensive Health and Wellbeing support

Free car parking at all trust sites

Free flu vaccination every year

Attractive relocation package

Qualifications

• Advanced clinical skills in psychological assessment and intervention are essential.
• Experience in risk assessment and management is crucial for this role.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological assessments and therapeutic interventions for patients.
• Support staff well-being and facilitate reflective practice sessions.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Risk assessment and management

Therapeutic interventions

Formulation of clinical presentations

Team collaboration

Teaching and training

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Master's in Psychology

Job description

Psychology is highly valued within our Trust and on our wards; and is an integral part of the MDT approach. Working alongside another Principal Psychologist across the wards and a small team of Assistant Psychologists, the successful applicant will be well-supported to work both directly with patients and with staff teams to promote psychological thinking and trauma-informed approaches to enhance the quality of care that we deliver on the wards. There will be opportunities for teaching, training, and delivering supervision, to enable ward staff to feel skilled, confident, and supported in their work, as well as offering placements for trainee clinical psychologists.

There are currently a number of exciting opportunities to be involved in nationally supported quality improvement and service development work, and research to positively influence the 'Culture of Care'. This role offers considerable scope for working flexibly and creatively; and to use and develop a wide range of:

1. Direct clinical work: Working flexibly and creatively with a dynamic caseload offering brief assessments; developing and sharing formulations; and delivering brief psychological interventions for patients with complex mental health difficulties and high levels of risk to self and/or others.
2. Working with families and carers.
3. Contributing towards the development, delivery, and evaluation of group interventions, where appropriate.

Indirect Work:

1. Working alongside as an integral member of the inpatient MDT to deliver joint work; and to promote psychological thinking and approaches; and contribute to care and risk management plans.
2. Offering group and individual debriefs to staff following incidents on the ward.
3. Supporting staff well-being and offering reflective practice sessions.
4. Facilitating team formulation sessions.
5. Oversight for the development, delivery, and evaluation of psychologically informed group interventions offered by other staff.

Leadership Roles:

1. Working alongside the Senior Leadership team and contributing to the development of the strategic vision for psychological provision on the inpatient wards.
2. Leading on service evaluation and service development initiatives.
3. Providing teaching and training.
4. Supporting or leading on research projects on the wards.
5. Supervision of Assistant Psychologists and ward staff.
6. Placement supervisor for Trainee Clinical Psychologists.

To support the psychological provision for the Acute Adult Mental Health Inpatient wards and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St. George's Hospital in Stafford. Given the pace of work and often relatively brief nature of admissions on the inpatient wards, the post requires the ability to work flexibly and creatively. This will include: undertaking psychological assessments, working jointly alongside other professionals within the MDT, and working with families and/or carers to inform the assessment process. Psychometric testing when required to aid the formulation of patients' difficulties and distress. Highly developed skills in the formulation of complex clinical presentations are essential, as a key element of the role will involve creating and sharing psychological formulations both through direct work with patients, and through consultation and supervision with the MDT.

The ability to offer timely, formulation-driven therapeutic interventions; and to support the development, delivery, and evaluation of psychologically informed therapeutic groups, which are a core part of the psychological work currently being offered on the wards, are also essential skills required in the role. A significant element of the role will be providing support to ward staff to promote psychologically-informed and trauma-informed ways of working, and to enhance staff well-being. This is likely to be achieved through facilitating supervision groups, reflective practice sessions, and providing teaching/training for staff; and offering formal and informal debriefs following serious or challenging incidents on the ward.

The ability to contain and manage one's emotional responses in highly stressful and unpredictable situations, and to support others to recognize, manage and contain their own emotional responses is therefore also an essential skill. The successful applicant would need to be skilled in risk assessment, risk formulation, and risk management; and managing safeguarding concerns.

A key role will be supporting the wider inpatient team with decisions pertaining to clinical care for patients. When planning for post-discharge care, the post holder will need to liaise with a range of NHS and tertiary care services in the community to support the implementation of intervention and management plans; and it may be necessary to work jointly with external professionals to determine how best to support a patient and what support may be available.

There are opportunities to develop and utilize leadership skills; supporting the Senior Leadership team to inform or implement creative and innovative ideas, to contribute towards the strategic vision for psychological provision, and the improvement of the quality of care and outcomes in inpatient services. There will also be opportunities to supervise placements for Psychologists in training; and to support or lead on research in collaboration with the Trust Research Department and local partner universities. The post holder will have a role in supporting and supervising the Assistant Psychologists on the ward, who are involved in the delivery of psychologically informed group-based and individual interventions.

As a University Trust, partnered with Keele University, we welcome and value research ideas and innovation.

Due to an expansion of psychological provision within our Adult Mental Health inpatient wards, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our Psychology team at St George's Hospital in Stafford. Applications are welcomed from experienced Psychologists who are looking to use their advanced clinical skills to make a difference; and to further develop their leadership skills.

By joining Team MPFT, you will be helping your communities and in return for this, we will support you by:

1. Supporting your career development and progression.
2. Excellent NHS Pension scheme.
3. Generous maternity, paternity, adoption leave.
4. Options for flexible working.
5. Up to 27 days annual leave (increasing with service up to 33 days) and the opportunity to purchase additional annual leave.
6. Extensive Health and Wellbeing support and resources.
7. If you work in our community teams, we pay for your time travelling between patients.
8. Lease car if you complete more than 500 business miles per annum, fully insured and maintained (including tyres), mileage paid at lease car rate.
9. Salary sacrifice car - fully insured and maintained (including tyres), your gross pay is reduced by the cost of the vehicle before tax, NI and pension deductions are calculated, mileage paid at business rates.
10. Salary sacrifice bikes up to £2k.
11. Free car parking at all trust sites.
12. Free flu vaccination every year.
13. Attractive relocation package.
14. Citizens Advice support linked with a Hardship Fund for one-off additional support up to £250 (if the criteria is met).

And more. We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation and there is a choice of staff networks that help you meet like-minded people.

Please note, we may be required to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.