Clinical/Counselling Psychologist - Crisis Pathway

Job summary The crisis pathway in Milton Keynes consists of Mental Health Hospital Liaison Team (MHHLT) and the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT), as well as Street Triage and Ambulance Triage.
This role is a split post between the former teams.
Together with the Consultant Psychiatrists, the post holder is a clinical lead for the teams, driving service development with the team managers and senior practitioners.
The role entails close working with a wide range of agencies and colleagues, including acute hospital staff, police, social care and other teams across Milton Keynes Mental Health Service, to support the psychological care of patients in a mental health emergency.
In addition, within the MHHLT a large part of the role involves helping acute hospital staff to understand and meet the psychological needs of their patients.
We are seeking applications from self-motivated, adaptable and enthusiastic psychologists who have experience in crisis work and / or clinical health psychology and have a good foundation of transferable skills with an interest to develop in this area.
Applicants should be committed to delivering patient-focused care and treatment.
Main duties of the job The post holder will be need to be an integral part of both teams, attending handover meetings, contributing to discussions about the caseload and brining a psychological perspective to care planning for all patients.
They will support with screening and assessing referrals, offer short term work to include formulation and intervention with patients, and provide psychological consultation to colleagues and other services.
The post holder will receive regular supervision and support from the Lead Psychologist and Operational Manager, as well as peer support and guidance from other team postholder will have the opportunity to become involved with quality improvement projects and other initiatives that enhance the service user experience.
You will also be linked in with Trust - Wide psychological professions initiatives and events.
We are looking for well-rounded and experienced practitioners.
Our staff work pro-actively, with confidence and motivation, showing initiative which has contributed to the development of numerous award-winning services.We find that they are often flexible, robust and resourceful and able to manage the challenges of working in an environment which can be demanding.
About us Click here to find out more about working at CNWL!CNWL Psychological Professions Hear directly from our leaders and their vision for psychological professions in the Trust here.
Learn more about working in Milton Keynes by following the link below.
Welcome to Psychological Therapies at Milton Keynes Mental Health Services :: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust ( We are delighted that you are interested in working with us here CNWL.
Our Trust is an exciting place to work with a wealth of CPD opportunities available for all our staff.
We work in collaboration with our AHP and Social Work colleagues and value the lived experiences of both our staff and service users.
Open Dialogue is a key focus for the Mental Health part of the Trust, engaging with families and support networks as well as the individual.
Here at CNWL we encourage our psychological professions staff to pursue leadership opportunities in senior roles.
Various prominent leadership roles within the Trust are currently held by Psychologists including: Director of Strategy and Integration, Chief Information Officer, 3 Clinical Directors.
We try to facilitate the development of our psychological professions staff across all areas.
Please see attached advert for further information.
Job description Job responsibilities To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a psychology service to patients in the crisis pathway (Mental Health Hospital Liaison Team, MHHLT and Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment Team , CRHTT) and personally provide highly specialist clinical input.
To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in the crisis pathway.
To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychologists within MHHLT.
To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
Person Specification Training and Qualifications Essential oEntry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
oAdditional training in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
oCompleted training course in clinical supervision.
oRegistered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
Desirable Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice BABCP accreditation Experience Essential oEvidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in crisis or acute mental health settings, and / or physical health settings.
oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
oExperience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
oExperience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
oExperience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.
oPost-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities o Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area Desirable Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings.
Experience of working in a hospital setting.
Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books Experience of working within a liaison model.
Experience of managing both mental and physical health care needs concurrently.
Knowledge Essential oHighly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies.
oAdvanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
oAdvanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.
oKnowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
oDoctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
oKnowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Desirable Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups ( personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders).
Skills Essential oTo select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
oTo 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.
oTo plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and to organise meetings such as CPAs and case reviews, and joint activities with staff of partner agencies.
o To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences o To plan projects and work schedules for groups of psychologists.
o To be expert in the skilled administration of psychometric tests, including skilled manipulation of test materials; and to be able to supervise others in administration of psychometric tests.
o Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
oSkills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups Abilities Essential Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to effective Desirable Requirements Please bullet point team functioning and holding team roles.
Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self Ability to manage physical aggression directed at self, including use of physical interventions as prescribed by Trust policies.