Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist who would be interested in gaining additional invaluable skills and experience working in secondary care mental health services. As the successful postholder, you will be working within the Community Mental Health Service in Slough in person, and wider Berkshire (online). You will be offering your expertise to a wider multidisciplinary community mental health team.

This exciting role offers an excellent opportunity for a career development, and we would welcome passionate and dynamic candidates, who are keen to work in a closely connected and supportive team, which prioritises relational practice and trauma-informed environment. In particular, we would be interested in psychologists who have an interest working with psychosis and/or trauma presentations.

Main duties of the job
You will work as a valued member of the Community Mental Health Psychological Therapies team within Slough Mental Health Service, as well as the trust Psychological Therapies wider team, and you will provide a specialist psychological service to users presenting with severe and complex mental health difficulties requiring multiple interventions, complex/intensive risk management plans and high levels of multiagency work.

You will be reliable and knowledgeable, and you will have great IT skills and be familiar with various systems and software packages.

You will need to be able to travel independently across Berkshire.

About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

Job responsibilities
The 3 must haves for you to be considered for this role:

• You will be registered as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and be eligible for Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
• You will have experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
• You will have the ability to complete clear and detailed psychological assessments and collaboratively derived formulations of a service users presentation

Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Person Specification
Education, qualifications or training
Essential

• Postgraduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas)
• Registered as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• (Eligibility for) Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)

Desirable

• Additional training and accreditations (or working towards these) in relevant therapeutic approaches or psychological models to reflect post qualification interests/ specialism (e.g., specific therapy models and accreditations, Health Psychology, Neuropsychology etc).

Continuous Professional Development
Essential

• Evidence of training and/or interest and knowledge in psychological models or therapeutic approaches relevant to the post
• Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body

Previous Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, 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 dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics
• Experience of working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environments
• Experience of service development and carrying out clinical audits, evaluative research and applying the findings
• Experience of working with, and addressing, issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to the service

Desirable

• Experience of delivering teaching and training to staff
• Experience of providing clinical supervision, mentoring and structured guidance to other staff

Knowledge, skills and abilities
Essential

• Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the specialist modality and service area
• Knowledge and understanding of service evaluation, audit and research and how to undertake these activities in an NHS context, including how to implement learning
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or sensitive information to service users, their carers/families and other professional colleagues, both within and outside of an NHS setting
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster positive relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of the service within the wider health care system
• Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, One Consultation and the Internet)

Additional Requirements
Essential

• Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
• Ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.