Principle Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist / Psychotherapist

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.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

The SLaM Psychology in Hostels (PIH) Service is an innovative multi award-winning specialist homeless psychology service. For 12 years PIH has led in the development of ‘Psychologically Informed Environments’ (PIEs) delivering ‘Trauma Informed Approaches’ and developing best practice for working with excluded and multiply disadvantaged populations across Lambeth and Westminster.

The client population experience complex trauma, substance misuse, neurological issues, risk-taking behaviour and contact with the criminal justice system. This complex combination of needs leads to multiple social exclusion and barriers accessing mainstream services.

We are recruiting to a Band 8b Principle Psychologist / Psychotherapy role to lead the development and delivery one of our flagship partnerships, delivering PIE services across Connection at St Martins – a charity working with people experiencing rough sleeping, primarily in Westminster.

Our aim is promote wellbeing for staff and people accessing CSTM services by taking a whole system approach, and fostering genuinely trauma informed ways of working across the entire organisation.

Main duties of the job

This role will lead the PIE CSTM partnership, supervising our two Band 7 Psychologists embedded within the organisation. The role will work with these staff and our Art Therapist RP Facilitator to support PIE development within CSTMs Day Centre, Street Outreach and Accommodation services, with strategic support from the PiH Clinical Lead.

• Work closely with the CSTM Executive and Leadership, and the PiH Clinical Lead to develop this critical partnership; and lead the development of Trauma Informed ways of working across the entire charity.
• Deliver and supervise Team Formulations, Reflective Practice and Psychological Consultation to service teams across the organisation.
• Deliver and supervise evidence based individual and group clinical work to people accessing CSTM services; support assessment and onwards referral to mainstream services.
• Audit, evaluate and report on our activities in the Partnership, and work with the leadership to fund and develop the service
• To support the development of clinical governance processes and ensure the smooth running of the service and the delivery of agreed outcomes and outputs.
• To have senior responsibilities in the wider SLaM Psychology in Hostels team including the provision of professional and clinical supervision, line management and the support of PIH staff wellbeing

Working for our organisation

This post will be based across CSTM sites within the boroughs of Westminster and Wandsworth and has a team admin base in Brixton close to Brixton Underground Station.

Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

Benefits:

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package, feel valued and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance.

Some of our benefits include:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave packages dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance, flexible working and supporting a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
• Career development with plenty CPD opportunities such as mentoring, coaching, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
• Accommodation, our staff benefit from keyworker housing at selected sites.
• NHS discounts via the Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities: CLINICAL

▪ To provide expertise in a highly specialist clinical area, supporting the psychological needs of rough sleepers and homeless people, those with histories of complex trauma and addiction.

▪ To select and deliver evidence based psychological interventions, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting as required, drawing on a range of theoretical models (ideally including Community and Systemic approaches, especially Narrative and Solution Focused practice)

▪ To confidently advise other members of the charity on specialist psychological care of clients, and on psychological support to staff.

▪ To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations such as abusive and aggressive behaviour and self-harming behaviours within accommodation and outreach environments, and to support others involved in such situations.

▪ To contribute to the effective working of the charity and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.

▪ To confidently assess, monitor and record risk, and draw up appropriate risk management plans, including relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow Trust policies relating to its management.

TEACHING, TRAINING, AND SUPERVISION

▪ To provide professional managerial, and clinical supervision to other psychologists, psychotherapists and other professionals for all aspects of their work. This must include live supervision of therapist’s work.

▪ To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Psychology in Hostels Project service and the Lambeth Directorate by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and the homeless sector and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.

▪ To provide highly specialist psychological consultation and professional and clinical supervision to colleagues and others and to contribute to a psychologically informed framework within the service.

▪ To organise and provide specialist training to other professions as appropriate.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

▪ To lead in the recruitment, induction, management and appraisal of staff including qualified and pre-qualified psychologists.

▪ To foster a supportive and performance focussed team ethos through your interaction and communication with the team, your own behaviour, team meetings, supervision and partnership work.

▪ To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and developing services.

▪ To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the wider team and directorate clinical governance committee.

▪ To develop and updating policies and procedures for the delivery of high-quality arm of the PIH services at CSTM.

SERVICE LEADERSHIP

▪ To lead the development of this new service within the parameters established by the contract and agreements with CSTM and under the leadership of the PiH Clinical Lead.

▪ To identify aspects of the service which could be improved and initiate and implement service development projects, both within psychology and the broader service.

▪ To advise and contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the CSTM contract by reporting to the CSTM senior management team, board of trustees, SLAM directorate and others as required.

▪ To be proactive in challenging discrimination and to support the development of culturally competent services.

▪ Contribute to the development of a culture and values within the team of addressing health inequalities and multiple disadvantage and the value of cross-sector partnership working as ways of improving clinical practice andservice delivery.

RESEARCH AND SERVICE EVALUATION

▪ To actively participate in the development of services through initiating, undertaking and supervising complex service evaluation and audit.

▪ Assist in the development and maintenance of a strong research culture that values the use of outcome measures as a way of improving clinical practice.

▪ Encourage the critical evaluation of practice, and undertake research

▪ To develop data processes and an evaluation framework that interfaces and compliments CSTM existing evaluation and monitoring processes and also contribute to the wider PIH data and outcome capture.

▪ To produce contract monitoring and board reports.

▪ To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

▪ To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with HCPC requirements, HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’ or other relevant professional / registry body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.

▪ To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’, or for other registry or professional body’s code of ethics as appropriate.

▪ To contribute to the strategic development and implementation of new initiatives e.g. national guidelines including NICE.

A Full Job Description is attached to this advertisement.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession and extensive demonstrable practice in this field (e.g. professional Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology or other relevant professional doctorate or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/ supervised practice/ additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
• Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/ BPC/UKCP/BACP/ BABCP/ADMP-UK.
• Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent) OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.

• Additional training in relevant specialist psychological models (Psychodynamic, MBT, DBT, CAT, Systemic, Narrative).

Experience

• Experience of post qualification highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in relevant speciality and/or client group e.g. Addictions/homelessness/complex trauma/psychosis/personality disorder/ mood disorder.
• Experience of consulting to, and supervising with other staff (incl. psychologists, MDT professionals and third/housing sector workers).
• Experience of specialist work with trauma and complex trauma
• Experience of leadership, partnership working, and service development

• Experience of working with homeless people
• Experience of working with Psychosis or people experiencing unusual experiences
• Experience of work with substance misuse

Skills & Abilities

• Specialist practitioner skills at level 3 in at least one or more models of relevant psychological therapy (Community, Narrative, SFBT MBT, CBT/DBT, psychodynamic).
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, highly technical and sensitive
• Skills in managing risk and ensuring good clinical governance

Knowledge

• Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
• Evidence of post-qualification continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and/or HPCP.

• Specialist knowledge relevant to work in outreach, supported housing and homelessness
• Knowledge of ‘Psychologically Informed Environments’ and ‘Trauma informed Care’

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’