Job summary

Rough sleepers project and Homelessness service .

Band 8a Highly Specialist Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (1.0 WTE)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and innovative clinical or counselling psychologist with excellent clinical skills and demonstrated expertise and knowledge of working with adult homeless people.

The post holder will provide a specialist, flexible service to people who are either rough sleeping or living in supported accommodation in the borough of Camden.

This full-time post will be divided between a new pilot project working with people who are rough-sleeping (0.6 WTE) and a well-established, multi-disciplinary, secondary care homelessness team (‘Focus’, 0.4 WTE) which works with service users in accommodation. The former role will involve co-location with the Council’s commissioned outreach team, ‘Routes off the Streets’ in central Camden and potentially other community outreach sites as appropriate. There may be a requirement for occasional joint outreach shifts at times outside of standard working hours. The overall aim is to improve access to mental health services for homeless people.

At the end of the pilot period, there will be an opportunity to combine the Focus post with another 8a position in the Trust (depending on whether funding for the pilot is continued) and so to continue with a full-time permanent position.

The post requires HCPC registration.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will provide a high level of clinical expertise in supporting the psychological needs of homeless people in the borough of Camden, including those with histories of psychosis, complex trauma, personality disorder and addiction.

The role will involve a multi-agency approach to assessment, formulation, and care planning to support people with their mental health needs and into accommodation, if appropriate.

The post holder will work closely with a range of services supporting homeless clients, including substance misuse specialist posts and the ‘Routes off the Street’ team.

The post will involve advising team members and partner services on the psychological care of service users and contributing to a psychological and trauma-informed approach to the work.

Direct clinical work will include triaging and linking service users to relevant specialist services and

providing one-to-one interventions when appropriate. Indirect clinical work will include supporting hostel and outreach staff in the management of challenging behaviours, facilitating complex case discussion groups for staff, delivering reflective practice sessions and providing specialist training in psychological and trauma-informed approaches to other professionals and third sector agencies.

There will be opportunities to contribute to the evaluation of the rough sleepers’ project through audit and research.

About us

This is a very exciting time to work at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust as we move towards implementing the community framework and developing a network of core and intensive teams within Camden and Islington boroughs.

The Trust uses a trauma-informed approach in all its work with staff and service users. It has active programmes to support diversity in the workforce and anti-discriminatory practice, a flexible working policy and excellent access to CPD opportunities. By coming to work here you will be joining a Trust with a national reputation for research where services recognise that research underpins its commitment to providing high quality and innovative clinical care. We have close links with local training organisations and have trainees on placement working under supervision.

The Trust supports flexible working and staff are encouraged to negotiate a working pattern that allows for a good work life balance.

Date posted

22 December 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,903 to £61,996 a year per annum Inclu HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-CANDI-280

Job locations

Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust

4 Greenland Road

London

NW1 0PA

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the full Job Description document attached for more details.

The post will be part of a well-established, successful psychology service working across a number of community teams. We pride ourselves on offering a high level of in-house training and regular supervision from experienced clinicians.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the full Job Description document attached for more details.

The post will be part of a well-established, successful psychology service working across a number of community teams. We pride ourselves on offering a high level of in-house training and regular supervision from experienced clinicians.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

  • Post-graduate doctoral level qualification in clinical or counselling psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or British Psychological Society Statement of Equivalence. Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a clinical psychologist or a counselling psychologist.

Desirable

  • Completion of further post-qualification specialist training in an area relevant to the post.

Experience

Essential

  • 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). Experience of working with a wide variety of service users, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. Experience of teaching, training and offering effective consultation and supervision services Experience of working with, and addressing issues of, diversity. Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Desirable

  • Experience of working in partnership with third sector agencies to deliver services. Experience of working with homeless people Experience of specialist work with substance misuse, psychosis and/or trauma and complex trauma.

Skills

Essential

  • Skills in the use of a range of methods of psychological assessment (including psychometric tests), intervention and management for the full range of problems of severity and complexity presented in adult mental health Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting. Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice. Interest and ability to contribute to service development Ability to work creatively and flexibly Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems Post qualification training in at least one or more models of relevant psychological therapy (e.g. CBT, DBT, MBT, CAT, psychodynamic or systemic)

Knowledge

Essential

  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practised within the clinical fields of psychology. Well-developed knowledge of the clinical area where the post has designated special responsibilities Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the Health and Care Professions Council and British Psychological Society

Desirable

  • Knowledge of ‘psychologically informed environments’ and Trauma informed care
Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

  • Post-graduate doctoral level qualification in clinical or counselling psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or British Psychological Society Statement of Equivalence. Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a clinical psychologist or a counselling psychologist.

Desirable

  • Completion of further post-qualification specialist training in an area relevant to the post.

Experience

Essential

  • 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). Experience of working with a wide variety of service users, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. Experience of teaching, training and offering effective consultation and supervision services Experience of working with, and addressing issues of, diversity. Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Desirable

  • Experience of working in partnership with third sector agencies to deliver services. Experience of working with homeless people Experience of specialist work with substance misuse, psychosis and/or trauma and complex trauma.

Skills

Essential

  • Skills in the use of a range of methods of psychological assessment (including psychometric tests), intervention and management for the full range of problems of severity and complexity presented in adult mental health Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting. Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice. Interest and ability to contribute to service development Ability to work creatively and flexibly Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems Post qualification training in at least one or more models of relevant psychological therapy (e.g. CBT, DBT, MBT, CAT, psychodynamic or systemic)

Knowledge

Essential

  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practised within the clinical fields of psychology. Well-developed knowledge of the clinical area where the post has designated special responsibilities Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the Health and Care Professions Council and British Psychological Society

Desirable

  • Knowledge of ‘psychologically informed environments’ and Trauma informed care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).