Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Practitioner Psychologist to join our Early Intervention in Psychosis Service (EIPS) in the Western locality (Bognor and Chichester) on a Preceptorship Development Plan. This framework enables us to support you in transitioning from a Band 7 to an 8a role in this post within 18 to 36 months. We welcome applications from Practitioner Psychologists who are due to qualify this year.

The Western EIPS are a friendly and supportive multi-disciplinary team providing support and treatment to people aged 14 – 65 who have experienced either a First Episode of Psychosis or present with an At Risk Mental State. We are looking for an enthusiastic Practitioner Psychologist with excellent clinical skills, to offer evidence-based psychological interventions, and support and develop psychologically-informed practice in the team. A strong commitment to recovery, trauma-informed approaches, co-production, and equality is essential. You will be closely supported by the West Sussex Principal Psychologist, and will be joining a positive and welcoming community of staff from the psychological professions working across SPFT EIPS.

Main duties of the job

As a Practitioner Psychologist working in our Bognor EIPS, you will lead on the provision of high-quality psychological services from the team, with support from the West Sussex EIPS Principal Psychologist. This will include offering psychological and cognitive assessments, and evidence-based psychological interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis and Family Interventions for Psychosis. You will work closely with multi-disciplinary colleagues and contribute to regular team clinical discussions, and formulation-based approaches to care planning and risk assessment. You will be supported in developing competencies and responsibilities to progress to a Senior Practitioner Psychologist (8a) role within this post, including opportunities to develop your clinical, consultation, supervisory and leadership skills.

About us

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for all age groups across Sussex. The Bognor team is one of the Trust’s six EIPS teams, which organisationally sit within the Children and Young People’s Services division. EIPS has a single service-wide leadership and governance group which oversees the delivery of care.

The team is based at the Bedale Centre in the sunny seaside town of Bognor Regis. Living and working in West Sussex has lots to offer, with vibrant communities, historic towns and picturesque villages between coast and countryside. We also have great schools locally.

Our Trust is rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for caring by the CQC. Our staff agree, in our recent staff survey 82% told us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.

Our Trust promotes high quality clinical research and audit. The strength of the Research and Development team and the Trust’s Clinical Academic Groups (CAGs) are examples of the structures we have developed in order to support and promote evidence-based practice and service user involvement within the wider services.

Date posted

24 March 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£41,659 to £54,619 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

354-CS-21046-D

Job locations

Bedale Centre

1 Glencathera Road

Bognor Regis

PO21 2SF

Job description

Job responsibilities

You will work as a member of the Bognor EIPS team, providing a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to clients, their families or carers. In addition, you will support psychologically-informed practice within the team and service through consultation, supervision, formulation and training.

Your career development is important to us. The Preceptorship Development Plan will ensure you are supported to progress from a band 7 to 8a role in this post within 3 years (please see attached document for details). This will include many opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills, including access to high quality training such as Daniel Freemans Feeling Safe Programme, and to service innovations such as the Sussex Psychosis Experiences and Recovery (SuPER) clinic. Our service also has a strong culture of family inclusive practice, and we support our staff in accessing training in Family Interventions for Psychosis as appropriate. We have a strong commitment to compassionate leadership and professional development, and you will be provided with specialist psychosis supervision, Family Interventions for Psychosis supervision, peer CBTp Supervision as well as opportunities to develop your special interests and expertise in line with service and team objectives.

In order to be a successful Practitioner Psychologist in our team you will:

  • Be a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist, professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).
  • Be passionate about working with people with early psychosis and have knowledge and skills in evidence-based assessments and interventions.
  • Provide expert advice, consultation, training and clinical supervision to other members of the service.

It would also be advantageous if you are:

  • Experienced in a leadership role and in providing supervision and teaching.
  • Have existing qualifications in CBT, CBT for psychosis and family interventions in psychosis.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details (both B7 and B8a).

The post is 4 days a week, from 9am to 5pm (there may be opportunity to increase the hours if wanted). The post will be made up of a combination of face to face clinical work, office time and remote working as appropriate. We welcome informal visits and/or a phone conversation about the service and this post.

Job description

Job responsibilities

You will work as a member of the Bognor EIPS team, providing a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to clients, their families or carers. In addition, you will support psychologically-informed practice within the team and service through consultation, supervision, formulation and training.

Your career development is important to us. The Preceptorship Development Plan will ensure you are supported to progress from a band 7 to 8a role in this post within 3 years (please see attached document for details). This will include many opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills, including access to high quality training such as Daniel Freemans Feeling Safe Programme, and to service innovations such as the Sussex Psychosis Experiences and Recovery (SuPER) clinic. Our service also has a strong culture of family inclusive practice, and we support our staff in accessing training in Family Interventions for Psychosis as appropriate. We have a strong commitment to compassionate leadership and professional development, and you will be provided with specialist psychosis supervision, Family Interventions for Psychosis supervision, peer CBTp Supervision as well as opportunities to develop your special interests and expertise in line with service and team objectives.

In order to be a successful Practitioner Psychologist in our team you will:

  • Be a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist, professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).
  • Be passionate about working with people with early psychosis and have knowledge and skills in evidence-based assessments and interventions.
  • Provide expert advice, consultation, training and clinical supervision to other members of the service.

It would also be advantageous if you are:

  • Experienced in a leadership role and in providing supervision and teaching.
  • Have existing qualifications in CBT, CBT for psychosis and family interventions in psychosis.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details (both B7 and B8a).

The post is 4 days a week, from 9am to 5pm (there may be opportunity to increase the hours if wanted). The post will be made up of a combination of face to face clinical work, office time and remote working as appropriate. We welcome informal visits and/or a phone conversation about the service and this post.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
  • *For forensic psychologists working in forensic settings: Masters degree (with the award of the British Psychological Society qualification in forensic psychology or equivalent).
  • Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings
  • Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
  • 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 including 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 applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework
  • Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
  • Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service
  • Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)
  • High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
  • High level of knowledge and skills in neuropsychology and evidence of further practice and/or training since qualification
  • Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
  • *For forensic psychologists working in forensic settings: Masters degree (with the award of the British Psychological Society qualification in forensic psychology or equivalent).
  • Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings
  • Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
  • 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 including 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 applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework
  • Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
  • Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service
  • Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)
  • High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
  • High level of knowledge and skills in neuropsychology and evidence of further practice and/or training since qualification
  • Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

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).