Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
Job overview
Band 8a (or Newly Qualified Phycologist)- 4–1.0 WTE| Reading| Hybrid Working
We are recruiting motivated and compassionate Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Health Psychologists to join our Clinical Health Psychology Service.
Opportunities include:
Gastroenterology Service - Royal Berkshire Hospital & Erleigh Road Clinic (1.2WTE)
Acute Stroke Unit - Royal Berkshire Hospital & Outpatient Neuropsychology -Berkshire Healthcare (0.4WTE)
ME/CFS Service - Berkshire Healthcare (0.4WTE)
Community Psychological Medicine Service - Berkshire Healthcare (MUS/FND) (0.4WTE)
Haematology Service - Royal Berkshire Hospital & Berkshire Healthcare (0.4WTE)
You will work within well-established multidisciplinary teams, managing a specialist clinical caseload, contribute to service development with supervision and support from the Principal Psychologist.
These roles are primarily Band 8a however we welcome newly qualified psychologists with an interest in clinical health and we will provide you with a structured development pathway.
You will join a vibrant and supportive Service which also covers ICU, Pain, Bariatrics, Inpatient Neurorehabilitation ward, Diabetes and Cancer Services. Roles are jointly commissioned by Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust and Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust.
Applicants need only submit one application indicating preferred services.
Please note that if you have applied for this role within the past 3 months, we kindly ask that you do not apply again
Main duties of the job- Advice and consultation on patients’ psychological care to other clinical members of the teams providing psychologically and physically based care and treatment.
- Direct therapeutic clinical work with individuals living with long term physical health conditions
- Service delivery, service planning and care pathways.
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The "must haves" for this role:
- Doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology
- Evidence of post qualification or specialist training to accreditable level in areas of psychological/psychotherapy practice directly related to the clinical requirements of this post
- Experience of specialist assessment and formulation and treatment of adults in inpatient and/or community physical health settings.
- Relevant experience of working with long-term health conditions.
- HCPC registration
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award.Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
If you would like to discuss any of these roles in more detail prior to application, please contact:
ASU/Outpatient Neuropsychology - Dr Alan Gray at [email protected]
Gastroenterology - Dr Abi Wroe at [email protected]
ME/CFS - Dr Kate Smart [email protected]
MUS/FND – Dr Abrar Hussain [email protected]
Haematology – Dr Lissy Otto [email protected]
Applications for this role will be considered on a first come first serve basis and we may close the vacancy early if the right candidate is found
Please note, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria- For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas) which provides eligibility for Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
- For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Registered and accredited with the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
- For Clinical Neuropsychology: Registered with the HCPC as a Clinical Psychologist or Practitioner Psychologist (with additional qualifications in Neuropsychology) and eligible for Chartered Membership status with the BPS.
- For Clinical Neuropsychology: Completion of (or working towards/willing to undertake) the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN).
- Additional training/ accreditations (willingness to undertake or working towards these) to reflect post qualification specialism (e.g. Health Psychology, Neuropsychology, BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, EMDR-UK, BPS,).
Continuous Professional Development
Essential criteria- Evidence of post-qualification training and expert knowledge in multiple psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to the service area. Having a robust awareness of the current evidence-base and new developments within the area of specialism
- Training in clinical supervision.
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria- Ability to travel across sites in Berkshire and beyond as required
- Able to work flexibly as required and to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria- Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of highly specialised assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the specialist modality and service area
- Knowledge of evidence base, research, policy and legislation in relation to the service area
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills enabling the sensitive communication of complex, technical and/or sensitive information to multiple stakeholders
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement.
- The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system.
- Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, One Consultation and the Internet).
- Ability to manage difficult situations with service users, and their families and carers, that have complex presentations and to exercise autonomy in managing a demanding and complex caseload.
- Ability to confidently cope well under pressure, resolve issues and competing demands, with excellent time management skills and an ability to respond constructively to challenge or resistance, applying practical problem-solving skills in both everyday and complex situations.
Experience
Essential criteria- Demonstrable post qualification experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the area of specialism
- Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics
- Experiencing of managing complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, complaints and investigations.
- Experience of delivering interventions across different modalities (e.g. individual, group and systemic-based approaches).
- Experience of providing specialist advice and consultation to multi-disciplinary and multi-agency colleagues to support the psychological care of service users
- Experience of providing effective clinical supervision, mentoring and leadership to junior staff
- Experience of developing and delivering teaching to a range of staff groups
- Experience of positively influencing team practice and promoting wellbeing and social inclusion, and commitment to fostering trauma-informed, anti-racist and neuro-affirmative practice.
- Experience of service development and carrying out clinical audit, evaluative research and applying the findings.
- Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions.
- Experience of working with and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to service.
- Experiencing of managing complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, complaints and investigations.
- Experience of positively influencing team practice and promoting wellbeing and social inclusion, and commitment to fostering trauma-informed, anti-racist and neuro-affirmative practice.
These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.
Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.
At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.
Watch our careers video to learn more.
We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.
Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.
If you need help with your application, please contact us on [email protected]
Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement.
No agencies, please.