Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Psychologist to join the multi-disciplinary Community Team in the Camden and Islington Personality Disorder Service in North London Foundation Trust. The post-holder will join the Team Manager, Senior Social Worker and Consultant Psychiatrists in leading the team which is made up of Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Nurses and counselling psychologists. The Community Team works alongside the Therapies Team and the Liaison Team in the Personality Disorder Service and the post holder is also a member of the whole service management group.



The main purpose of the role is to bring a psychological perspective to the work of the Community Team, which functions within a framework of psychologically-informed and change-focused case management and provides assessment, consultation and interventions to people with difficulties understood as severe 'personality disorder'. The post holder will also hold a small caseload offering individual and group interventions. The team currently uses psychologically-informed and change-focused case management and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in their work with clients, and the post holder will be part of the DBT Team which works across both the Community Team and the Therapies Team in the service.



The post holder will have the opportunity to provide senior clinical input for the management of complex cases and to chair a weekly formulation-based discussion.



Screening and responding to Community Team referrals Providing assessment to clients and consultation to staff Providing psychological interventions to clients within a CPA/Dialog + framework Clinically supervising Psychology colleagues and those from other disciplines Contributing to the clinical and operational management of the Personality Disorder Service Providing training to Trust colleagues and partner agencies Service development/QI/research

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.



With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all



We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.



We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.



Why NLFT?



We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.



We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.



NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme



Excellent internal staff network

The post holder will be aligned with our Values :

We Are Kind



We Are Respectful



We Work Together



We Keep Things Simple



We Empower



We Are Proudly Diverse



In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.



CLINICAL / OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES



To provide psychological assessments for referred clients.

To formulate and devise psychological treatment and management plans for referred clients with a range of problems, severity and complexity, including those with challenging behaviours, and to provide psychological treatment for such clients, using a range of psychological interventions appropriate to the service.

To provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of clients.

To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients.

To liaise with other health and social care staff, from a range of agencies, in the care provided to clients.

To provide professional and clinical supervision to junior psychologists, trainee clinical and counselling psychologists and assistant psychologists.

To provide advice, consultation, training and supervision, where appropriate, to other health and social care staff working with the client group.

To regularly attend and facilitate group supervision.



POLICY, SERVICE, ORGANISATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES



To utilise evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.

To participate in and contribute to clinical audit and service evaluation with colleagues within the service, to help evaluate and improve service provision, proposing changes to working practice and procedures for own work area as required.

To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical or counselling psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.

To participate in an agreed programme of training and continuing professional development and maintain an active engagement with current developments in psychological practice in areas related to the post.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and client group.