Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 7 or 8a Practitioner Psychologist or Psychotherapist (depending on experience) to work for our community services, offering a psychological therapy service to patients within the psychosis pathway. The postholder will be based in the STEP (Southwark Team for Early Psychosis) team for 3 days and in the Dulwich CMHT team for 2 days. This can be for a fixed term contract or secondment for 9 months.



We are looking for a motivated clinician who is passionate about working with people with a diagnosis of psychosis and their families and networks. The successful applicant will have good engagement skills, think creatively, work flexibly and have a range of skills in working collaboratively alongside others. Southwark is a racially and ethnically diverse borough and we are looking for a clinician who can work with cultural humility and will actively support our anti-racism agenda.



The successful candidate will contribute to the work of both the STEP team and the Dulwich CMHT providing direct and indirect psychological therapeutic interventions for patients, groups and families. Direct, evidence-based, interventions include CBT for psychosis, trauma-focussed CBT, EMDR, CBT-based family interventions, Open Dialogue, Systemic Family Therapy and Arts Therapies. We are also piloting culturally sensitive interventions that are based on afro-centric approaches. The successful candidate will contribute to the delivery of therapies depending on their area of expertise.



Within Southwark we offer psychological therapies on a stepped-care basis, therefore group working and supporting the delivery of low intensity interventions are also part of the role.



Supervision and management responsibilities will depend on the skills and experience of the successful candidate.



South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.



We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.



We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.



The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.



Qualifications



(Psychologist) Doctoral level qualification in clinical or counselling psychology or equivalent and Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist or



(Nurse Advanced) Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by post graduate diploma specialist training, experience, short courses plus further specialist training to master's equivalent level or



(Social Worker Specialist) Professional knowledge acquired through degree/diploma in social care, supplemented by further specialist knowledge, for example in needs of a specific client group, experience to Masters equivalent level or



(Occupational Therapist Advanced) Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by further training, short specialist courses, to master's equivalent level.

In addition to the relevant qualification above:

Registration by the relevant practitioner registering body, e.g. NMC, HCPC, BACP.



Experience



Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs.



Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature including psychosis.



Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience.



Experience of developing and carrying out research projects.



Prior experience of working within Early Intervention Services.



Knowledge



Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for Early Intervention in psychosis.



Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.



Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.



Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.



Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.



To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.



To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.



Skills



To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.



To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and for meetings such ascase reviews.



To plan allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists.



Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.