Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for a suitable, experienced Psychological Therapist to join the Veterans NHS Wales Service (VNHSW).
It will be based in the Swansea area.

VNHSW is a specialist primary care service offering an outpatient psychological therapy service with signposting and/or referral to other NHS services, Veterans Welfare Agencies and Veteran Charities for additional support and intervention. The client group is ex-military personnel with mental health and social difficulties related to their military service.
The post holder will be part of the VNHSW Team and will work with local and national colleagues. They must be experienced, qualified and registered with a relevant professional body, for example, Nurse/Occupational Therapist/Social Worker/Psychologist OR BABCP accredited therapist.
Candidates must already hold a post-graduate qualification in NICE-approved evidenced-based psychological therapy, e.g. Diploma level and above in CBT, and have been practising for several years in this role.

Main duties of the job

Offering veterans with military-related mental health difficulties a course of cognitive behavioural therapy or other evidenced based psychological therapy. 

Working for our organisation

Veterans NHS Wales is a small team working in Central clinic offering psychological therapy to veterans. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main responsibilities include;

Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service. Comprehensively assess veterans. Make decisions on new referrals, adhere to the service’s protocols, and develop appropriate management plans in liaison with other services and agencies. Implement and evaluate management plans. Implement and evaluate brief (up to 16 sessions) evidence-based psychosocial interventions. Use highly developed communication skills in working with people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties. Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessing and treating clients in line with the service. Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language. Adhere to an agreed activity contract regarding the number of client contacts offered. Clinical sessions are carried out weekly to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient. Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to the local veterans’ service and VNHSW. Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service. Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols. Work closely with other individuals involved in veterans’ care to ensure optimal use of resources available. Assess and integrate issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process. Carry out clinical audits of service performance, including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback. Provide specialist advice and consultation to other professionals/individuals/groups/committees across the Local Health Board, Local Authorities and other relevant organisations and agencies regarding service matters.

Person specification

English

Essential criteria

  • Diploma level training in Cognitive behavioural therapy
  • Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and demonstrating the competences as required
  • Demonstrate experience of working in mental health services
  • Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
  • Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHSuter literate
  • Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
  • Demonstrates an understanding of psychosocial issues that can impact veterans and how they may present
  • Knowledge of medication used in common mental health problems
  • Knowledge of CPA and WARRN
  • Good record of Continuing Professional Development and willingness to continue this in line with accreditation requirements
  • Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships
  • Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with service users, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision

    • Desirable criteria

  • Experience of working in Primary Care Service
  • Worked in a service where agreed targets are in place demonstrating clinical outcomes
  • Experience of working with veterans
  • Ability to deliver trauma focused cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing
  • Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation (e.g. BABCP)
  • Research experience

    • English

    Essential criteria

  • Be able to work with veterans

    • Swansea Bay University Health Board is committed to supporting its staff and processes to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing service users experience. In our commitment to increase the number of staff able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we would particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

    Equality remains at the centre of the Health Boards policy-making, service delivery and employment practices. We value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from people from protected groups under the Equality Act 2010, this specifically includes age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion, disability, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.

    Employer certification / accreditation badges

    Applicant requirements

    This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

    Welsh language skills are desirable