Clinical Psychologist

We are looking for an enthusiastic Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join the West of England Specialist Gender Identity Clinic. The post holder will join an established and expanding psychology service within the clinic in the provision of Transgender Health Care nationally. An increased prevalence of diversity of gender identity and expression has been observed here in the UK and elsewhere in recent times. In addition there is greater awareness and some improvement in understanding, tolerance and acceptance with regard to this diversity in our society. For a relatively small number of people, however, this experience of diversity can result in significant levels of distress and discomfort and some impairment in psychological wellbeing and social functioning. In relation to this there has been a dramatic increase in referrals to Gender Identity Clinics in the UK over the last decade. The Gender Identity Clinics therefore are working closely with NHS England in order to develop and expand provision in order to meet the increasing demand for services.Main duties of the jobThe post holder will work with a Senior Clinical Psychologist and as part of the multi-disciplinary team that provides physiological, psychological and social interventions, and will liaise and work together with professionals and others outside of the service, to relieve patients distress, help them achieve a greater sense of gender comfort and improve psychological wellbeing and social functioning. The post holder will contribute to the development and provision of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and consultation and evidence based interventions. The post holder will also be required to contribute to service evaluation development and clinical audit.The post would suit someone with an interest in working with people where there are issues of difference, diversity and social inequality, particularly in relation to marginalised identities or gender and sexual diversity. In addition the post would suit someone who is keen to work together with colleagues to develop and evaluate effective and efficient interventions for this group of patients.About usAbout Devon Partnership TrustWe provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we doOur valuesWe not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile making time for people challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesPatients accessing the West of England Gender Identity Clinic experience a sense of gender diversity or incongruence between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity, an associated significant level of distress and discomfort and some impairment in psychological wellbeing and social functioning. The post holder will work with a senior clinical psychologist and as part of a multi-disciplinary team that provides physiological, psychological and social interventions in the service and where appropriate, will liaise and work together with professionals and significant others outside of the service, to relieve patients distress, help them achieve a greater sense of gender comfort and improve psychological wellbeing and social functioning. The post holder will contribute to the development and provision of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence based interventions to patients of the service. The post holder will also offer consultation to patients, to non-professional carers, significant others and to non-psychologist colleagues in the service. The post holder will also be required to contribute to the supervision and training of staff, service evaluation and development and to clinical research. Duties and Responsibilities
Communication and Working Relationships Patients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with patients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed. Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional gender identity service on a day to day basis. To contribute to the teams engagement including liaising with a wide range of professionals and agencies. Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in a range of settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice. Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the gender identity service and in DPT to foster a positive approach to gender service provision and to enable effective negotiation. Planning and Organisation The service: To plan and prioritise own workload, balancing the demands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals and service research and development activities.
To contribute to the planning and organising of the psychological service within the gender identity service and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities. The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychological knowledge to the multiprofessional planning, development and marketing of the gender identity service.
Responsibility for Judgement and Analysis
To provide specialist psychological expertise and advice. To provide psychological therapies/other therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. To support the Senior Psychologist by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team. Responsibility for Patient Care, Treatment and Therapy Assessment, formulation & intervention: To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about assessment, treatment and discharge, including the management of risk. To contribute to assessments to aid care pathway planning and to inform decisions about eligibility for gender service interventions. To formulate plans for psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues. To maintain accurate and up to date client records Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families. Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines. Policy & service: To support proposed changes for policy and for service development.
Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources Careful use of equipment.
Information Resources and Administrative Duties To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards.
To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication. Responsibility for Research and Development
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in clinical work within the gender identity service. To support project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation
As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation.
Freedom to Act
The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trustguidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Team Leader.
To provide specialist psychological expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families. Any Other Specific Tasks Required To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership. To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work. Equality & Diversity Devon Partnership NHS Trust is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce and so we welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation, maternity/pregnancy, marriage/civil partnership or transgender status. The Trust expects all staff to behave in a way which recognises and respects this diversity in line with the appropriate standards. Recovery It is a requirement of all employees to have an understanding of the broad principles of the Recovery Approach and to incorporate them into every aspect of their work in support of the Trusts aim to provide services that support peoples recovery through being holistic and promoting social inclusion, self management, personal autonomy and independence. Risk Management / Health and Safety Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, ensure that agreed safety procedures are carried out and maintain a safe environment for employees, patients and visitors. Records Management The post holder has responsibility for the timely and accurate creation, maintenance and storage of records in accordance with Trust policy, including email documents and with regard to the Data Protection Act, The Freedom of Information Act and any other relevant statutory requirements.
Clinical Governance, Compliance and Performance The post holder will be responsible for proving that the Care Quality Commission outcome areas have been met in all registered/related activities for which the post holder is responsible. Where outcomes are not met the post holder is expected to put in place/recommend action to improve. The post holder will proactively seek and engage the support of the governance teams in the Compliance and Corporate Development directorate to gather information as required. The post holder will build an understanding of and adhere to the CQC guidelines as well as the Trusts guidelines on the approach to maintaining CQC registration. Prevention and Control of healthcare Associated Infection The post holder is expected to comply with Trust Infection Control Policies and conduct themselves at all times in such a manner as to minimise the risk of healthcare associated infection. Policies & Procedures Trust employees are expected to follow Trust policies, procedures and guidance as well as professional standards and guidelines. It is your responsibility to read and familiarise yourself with all policies relevant to your job role. These are grouped into two sections, HR and Clinical and can be found on the Trust intranet site or via your line manager. You will also be required to comply with any training needs that arise from reviews or variations of policies and procedures. Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential
QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING Qualified Clinical Psychologist (D.Clin) and eligible for Chartered Clinical status in the British Psychological Society including specifically: training in models of psychopathology, psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology and in research design, methodology and data analysis Registration with HCPC
Desirable
Training in gender and sexual diversity
ExperienceEssential
Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings Experience of providing psychological services in a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-agency context Experience of work
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply. C9369-24-#####
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