Clinical / Counselling Psychologist

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.

Across the whole of the region we provide:

• Adult and older adult mental health services
• Specialist learning disability services
• Mental health services for children and young people
• Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

We currently employ over 3,500 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance.

We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it. To find more about our staff benefits, please visit our website: blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk. 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and ethnic minority candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Black Country Healthcare we recognise and value all forms of knowledge and expertise, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification or criteria in the job description/person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

For further supporting information to help you apply for this role please see documents attached under ‘Additional documents’.

Job overview

Cancer Clinical Psychologist 8a Dudley   Physical Health Psychology

BLACK COUNTRY HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

BAND 8a (7 – 8A preceptorship applicants welcomed)

0.69 WTE (26 hours)

We are pleased to offer this exciting opportunity to develop your career within our friendly and dynamic Physical Health Psychology Service. The Physical Health Psychology Service is a team of psychologists, psychotherapists, and counsellors who aim to assist people in adapting to and developing creative solutions for living with physical health problems.  The Black Country Healthcare Physical Health Psychology Service currently operates across 3 geographical areas (Dudley, Wolverhampton and Sandwell and West Birmingham) with a number of contracts in each area.  Due to service developments and staff promotions a number of vacancies are available and we would welcome conversations with those who would like to consider a single vacancy or combination of roles.  

Main duties of the job

We welcome applications from experienced clinicians as well as newly qualified (or soon to be qualified) psychologists.  The successful applicant will be banded according to their experience and offered an individualised and structured programme of professional development within the role as part of a preceptorship if necessary.  Experience of working in a physical health setting is desirable, but we are also keen to hear from applicants who have been working in other specialties, who feel they have transferable skills. The most important qualities are good communication skills, working co-operatively and thinking creatively.

The post holders will benefit from joining a supportive and enthusiastic team of practitioner psychologists and other psychological professionals who utilise a varied range of therapeutic approaches.  There are opportunities to engage in CPD and supervision across a range of models, including EMDR, psychodynamic, attachment, humanistic and 3rd wave approaches. In each role you will be working alongside a Principal Psychologist and other applied psychologists and psychological professionals, with support from a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. A robust leadership and supervision structure is in place, alongside operational management.

Please see Job Description and Person Spec for full details

Working for our organisation

0.7 WTE PALLIATIVE CARE AND BEREAVEMENT– Dudley

The specialist palliative care psychology service works with the award winning community and hospital specialist palliative care teams, both of which have achieved the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), the highest national standard for end of life care.  The role will offer opportunities to provide complex assessments and formulations, psychological therapy for patients and their loved ones, and to work jointly with other health care professionals. The palliative care MDTs are highly psychologically skilled and greatly value the input of the palliative care psychology team via attendance at regular MDTs, as well as the through the provision of regular clinical supervision, consultancy and staff training.  There will be ample opportunity to support the Principal Psychologist and work with other psychological therapists in the continuing development and improvement of the service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Provides highly specialist psychological assessment of clients with highly complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources, which may include neuropsychological testing.

Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk.

Undertakes risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

Formulates plans for highly specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients’ mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers.

Please see Job Description and Person Spec for full details

Person specification

Education/Qualifications 7

Essential criteria

• • Post-graduate doctoral level training in Applied Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• • HCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist
• • Evidence of continuing professional development

Experience 7

Essential criteria

• • Working within a Physical Health Setting
• • Multi-disciplinary team working

Knowledge 7

Essential criteria

• • Evidence- based practice relevant to the role
• • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group (define if required) and mental health.

Experience 8a

Essential criteria

• • Working as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
• • Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care as a care coordinator within the context of a multidisciplinary team.
• • Teaching, training, consultancy and clinical supervision and field supervisor for doctoral theses.
• • Research and development

Knowledge 8a

Essential criteria

• • Evidence-based practice relevant to the role
• • Risk assessment and risk management

Skills/ Personal Qualities 8a

Essential criteria

• • Provide effective teaching, training, consultancy and clinical supervision for the multidisciplinary team
• • Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake care co-ordination/lead practitioner responsibilities

** Please Note that Internal at Risk Employees will be given preference for this position**

We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward for this vacancy at any time should we receive an overwhelming response of applications. We therefore encourage applicants to apply early if you wish to be considered for this post.

If you do not hear from the recruitment 4 weeks within the advertised closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage. Please ensure that you check your emails on a regular basis for any recruitment updates regarding this vacancy. If you are not successful at the shortlisting stage and would like feedback, please contact the Recruitment Team directly for feedback. 

The salary range quoted is as per NHS Agenda for Change pay structures. This is based on the number of years’ working directly within the NHS at the advertised pay band. Experience gained with other NHS Trusts will apply, but candidates without prior experience working direct for the NHS would normally be appointed at the lowest point unless they can demonstrate the equivalent experience and then be eligible for incremental increases in future years.

Successful applicants for clinical posts up to and including Band 4 are expected to hold the national Care Certificate qualification and will be supported to attain this once in post.

The Trust is committed to equal opportunities, providing opportunities for flexible working and is a non-smoking organisation.

As a Trust we are passionate about Anti-Racism, Disability Inclusion, and LGBTQ+ Equality, and are committed to diversifying our staff team in all areas and at all levels of seniority to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. Therefore, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from people who belong to a minority or marginalised community, including from Black and Asian, Disabled (including hidden disabilities such as Neurodiversity, Mental Health, etc), or Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans or Queer (LGBTQ+) people.    

Furthermore, Disabled applicants have the option of requesting that their application is considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). Please indicate your intention to apply under the GIS in the relevant section of your application. Regardless of whether you participate in the scheme or have shared a disability, you will be provided the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the interview process at each stage of the recruitment process.

Due to the nature of the work some posts may be subject to a Standard Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, through the Disclosure and Barring Service as stipulated under part V of the Police Act 1997. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us; this will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances of your offences.