Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Sussex Partnership Nhs Foundation Trust; Waldron; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job shares

Secondments

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Practitioner Psychologist to cover our Specialist Older Adult Mental Health Service (SOAMHS) in East Sussex. The role involves direct psychological and neuropsychological assessments, formulation, and delivery of therapies for older adults and families.

You will work within a multidisciplinary team, contribute to supervision, and support service development while adapting to the Transformation model in older adult care.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology as approved by the HCPC, including psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct therapies and lifespan development.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality psychological assessments and formulations for older adults and their families.
• Deliver evidence-based psychological therapies for complex mental health conditions.
• Supervise junior staff and contribute to training and service development.

Skills

Clinical assessment

Neuropsychology

Supervision experience

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Post-graduate doctoral training in applied psychology

Job description

Job summary

A fantastic fixed-term or secondment opportunity (until February 2028) has arisen for a Practitioner Psychologist experienced in working with older people, or wanting to gain experience, to provide cover to our Specialist Older Adult Mental Health Service (SOAMHS) based at Millwood (Framfield Rd, Uckfield, East Sussex). This is to cover the current post holder undertaking a secondment.

Our Service provides specialist mental health care and interventions to older people who are struggling to live to their potential due to their mental health, for example difficulties with anxiety, depression, complex emotional needs or psychosis, as well as care for people with dementia. Because distress will often impact on the wider system, our support extends to families and carers.

Although this is a Senior Practitioner Psychologist role, we will consider psychologists with appropriate experience for Band 7 and adapt the role as necessary (Band 7 JD and PS also included). We can also consider flexible working, job shares and secondments.

Main duties of the job

Within this post you will have several responsibilities: Working directly with clients providing psychological and neuropsychological assessments; providing psychological formulations and developing intervention plans; and offering evidence based psychological therapy for complex mental health conditions to the person and families. Equally important in this role is experience in multidisciplinary team working. You will be supporting psychological practice within the wider team through consultation, formulation, supervision, teaching, reflective practice, and training. You will provide advice and consultation to the multi-disciplinary team and other mental health and physical health professionals. We are looking for someone who has the ability to work autonomously within the context of a busy multi-disciplinary team.

Older adult services are changing in line with the national Transformation model. You will have an opportunity to contribute to and support developments to improve access to psychological therapies for older people with severe mental health problems.

About us

You will be based within a friendly multidisciplinary team consisting of community mental health nurses, MHWPs, psychiatrists and occupational therapists. The team has strong links with the Salomon's, University of Canterbury, Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology and regularly hosts Salomon's Clinical Psychology Trainees. You will have a close relationship with the working age psychology team within the local NMHT, and the wider psychological professions within SOAMHS, providing a cohesive and supportive network. There is a valued programme of CPD, peer supervision and reflective practice for psychology staff. You will receive high standards of clinical and professional supervision from the East Sussex Professional Lead for Older Adult Psychology, who is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, as well as peer-group and modality-specific supervision where appropriate. Current supervision groups include neuropsychology, CBT and family therapy.

Job responsibilities

As a Senior Practitioner Psychologist, you will provide high-quality psychological assessments, interventions and consultation services for older people, their families and staff, drawing on significant experience and possible post-registration training. You will develop specialist expertise tailored to the service's needs, which include adaptation of therapeutic models to the needs of older people. Models commonly used include ACT, CFT, CBT, and FI, and adaptation of specific interventions (e.g. CBTP, SCM) to the needs of older people.

You will contribute to the delivery of evidence-based psychological care within a multidisciplinary team, ensuring the psychological needs of clients are met effectively and in accordance with the highest standards of practice. You will also have a key role in the supervision of more junior staff, such as assistant psychologists, trainees, and Mental Health and Wellbeing Practioners (MHWPs) while also contributing to service development and research.

Please see Job Description and Person Specification for details.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology

Knowledge/Experience

• Experience in highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment across outpatient, community, primary care, and inpatient settings.
• Post-qualification experience as a practitioner psychologist with approximately 50 hours of clinical supervision
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, design and complex data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of applied psychology
• Experience working with diverse client groups across the lifespan, addressing a wide range of clinical severities, and maintaining a high degree of professionalism in challenging situations.
• Skilled in teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of applying psychology in different cultural contexts and working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service
• Knowledge of relevant national and local guidance, legislation, and mental health frameworks.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)
• High-level proficiency in at least two specialised psychological therapies and neuropsychology, with continued practice or training post-qualification.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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