Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist - Development post
Job summary
The Fen's service are advertising an 8a position, which includes the opportunity for people at a band 7 level to apply for and develop up to an 8a. Those already at the level of 8a are also welcome to apply.
If you are appointed as a Band 7, you will be provided with a list of competencies to complete and an agreed timescale in which to complete these, up to a maximum of 12mths. Competencies will be reviewed in your supervisions and appraisals. Only on successful completion of these competencies, you will progress to a Band 8a.
The Fen's is an innovative and challenging service for individuals with chronic histories of trauma who are located in a male high-risk prison.
Our treatment draws on attachment theory and incorporates schema focused therapy, along with a range of short-term interventions such as EMDR, CBT, CAT etc. Through a combination of individual and group therapies, patients are given opportunities to heal from trauma and neglect, improve wellbeing and reduce risk.
We will support you in broadening your therapeutic skills, management, and working to achieve organisational change in a complex system. There are opportunities to further your research interests through our links with Universities.
The role is a permanent, full-time position with scope to complete some work from home .
Main duties of the job
You will have a managerial role working within the Fens Services. This will require the post holder to have a solid working knowledge of personality disorders, challenging behaviour and trauma, recognising the implications and consequences that can arise for those who struggle to live with personality difficulties arising from adverse childhood trauma.
The post holder is required to have good leadership skills and a desire to work collaboratively with both HMPPS and other NHS staff who provide additional core services within the main prison. This post requires experience of working in a challenging environment, with an understanding of risk management to assist in reducing personal distress and improve wellbeing. You will be required to provide a clinical leadership role, that ensures the systematic provision of a high-quality Mental Health intervention accessible across both Fens and the Outreach Services.
The post holder will work autonomously within their professional guidelines and the overall framework of both the Trust's and The Fens Service's policies and procedures.
"I wanted to change, I was crying out to change. You know, it was a trust element....letting them see me warts and all....and that was the hard thing. Breaking down crying...getting the stuff out I needed to. I grew from that...if I don't like myself, how can anyone else like myself. How can I move on if I don't forgive myself... I've got to give myself a chance." Current service user
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead fulfilling lives.
Our clinical teams deliver a wide range of NHS services across inpatient, primary care and community settings, including children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, and research and development.
To achieve our goals, we recruit high calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities' employer, we welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly under represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
All appointments are subject to the successful completion of a probationary period.
Please note we reserve the right to close adverts early should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all roles. If you apply for a post that does not attract sponsorship, your application will be withdrawn from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at https://www.cpft.nhs.uk
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
To develop psychological formulations of presenting problems; emotional, cognitive and behavioural. In particular to use specialist knowledge in relation to offending behaviour, to develop psychological formulations of the connection between a persons personality psychopathology and the dangerous offences they have committed. This will require the integration of information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family, carers or group.
To incorporate the results of individual assessments into the formulations and treatment and care plans for the patient(s). To be able to articulate these formulations to other members of the multidisciplinary team including non-clinical staff using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills at a level which is accessible to all.
Within a cognitive interpersonal framework to develop plans for the formal psychological individual treatment and/or management of a patients mental health and behavioural problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of these problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
To formulate, develop and implement plans for neuropsychological assessment informing the psychological treatment and/or management of a patients neurocognitive deficits within an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems. Ensuring methods are efficacious meeting the patients needs within the Fens service or in support of appropriate referral to another specialist service.
Within a cognitive interpersonal framework to develop plans for the formal psychological individual treatment and/or management of a patients mental health and behavioural problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of these problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
To provide management, coordination and delivery in conjunction with the clinical director, on the application of virtual reality methods both within assessment and treatment provisions within the Fens service, developing appropriate evaluation methodologies and research protocols for this provision.
To provide neurofeedback services to individual patients working within an approved research protocol and delivering key assessments as designated to support the evaluation of this wellbeing intervention with high risk patients who have a history of acute developmental trauma. Training will be provided if needed.
To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory, including specialist neurological assessment.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS, or a BPS Statement of Equivalence.
- Or chartered forensic psychologist
- Valid HCPC registration
Desirable
- Recognised training in specialist assessment tools (e.g.PCL-R, HCR-20, WAIS-IV or other clinical assessments)
Experience
Essential
- Working experience as a trainee/qualified psychologist within a locked/secure environment
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of clients across a range of care settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity Skills at 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 teaching, training and/or supervision
- Experience of the application of psychological interventions in different contexts
Desirable
- Lived experience of mental health
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework
- Experience of interagency working
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, ...
