Job summary
The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHFT) is delighted to be advertising various full-time and part-time Psychological Therapies opportunities for AFC qualified Band 7, 8a and 8b roles in Adult Secondary Care Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs). Please note, the roles will be required to work across any or all of our four vibrant localities depending on need; Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall.

Psychology is a vital and influential field, represented at every level in our Trust, including the roles of our Chief Therapies Officer, and also our Chief Clinical Information Officer who are both Consultant Clinical Psychologists.

Main duties of the job
In the CMHTS, we are a combination of Practitioner Psychologists, CBT Therapists and DBT Therapists offering a range of group and individual therapies in line with recovery models of care and trauma-informed practice. We welcome applications from practitioner psychologists, and qualified therapists across a range of modalities such as CBT, DBT, EMDR and CAT. Applications from those with interest, further training or specialism in Psychosis and/or Personality Disorder are particularly welcomed.

There are opportunities to apply and develop your time limited psychological skills in CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, CFT and CAT. We treat clients with a range of complex mental health problems including CPTSD, personality disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and moderate to severe presentations of depression and anxiety including OCD, health anxiety, social anxiety with comorbidities. There are ample opportunities to develop leadership skills, supervision skills and further clinical competencies in all these roles.

All the CMHTs have a strong multi-disciplinary ethos, with good links with staff from Tier 1 (Primary Care and Talking Therapies), our Recovery College and VCSE partners. Specialist services which include psychological therapists also support the CMHTs: Complex Emotional Needs; Eating Disorders; Perinatal; 18-25s Transitions Team; Early Intervention in Psychosis; Clinical Health Psychology.

About us
All our psychological staff are keenly supported to access further training by utilising NHS England's continuing PT-SMHPs strategy and we fully invest in staff support and wellbeing. Staff have regular supervision, reflective practice and access to CPD to support professional growth. Whilst Operational managers provide our line management, Consultant Clinical and Counselling Psychologists provide supportive professional leadership and clinical supervision.

Whatever you see as your future in Psychology services, BCHFT can help you get there. Join us and be part of a Trust that really values your growth and wellbeing. We will empower you to provide exceptional care and services. To support your career with us, we provide an extensive array of support, development, and progression opportunities. This includes benefits such as:

• Flexible working
• Staff benefits
• Support systems
• Professional groups
• University links

The Black Country is a vibrant and diverse region in the West Midlands, near Birmingham. It is known for its strong community spirit and rich heritage.

Job responsibilities

• Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of highly specialist psychological care to clients with highly complex and contentious mental health conditions or learning disabilities which include challenging behaviours and possible risk of physical aggression.
• To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families.
• To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.
• To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust.

Education/Qualifications
Essential

• 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.
• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
• HCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist with Chartered Status
• Trained in clinical supervision and the supervision of doctoral trainees
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Registration with BPS

Experience
Essential

• 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.
• Liaison and joint working with statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies
• Teaching, training, consultancy and clinical supervision and field supervisor for doctoral theses
• Research and development
• Active participation in quality and service improvement initiatives

Desirable

• Project management

Knowledge
Essential

• Evidence-based practice relevant to the role
• Risk assessment and risk management
• Clinical governance
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health and its implications for clinical practice
• Audit and research methodology
• Social inclusion agenda
• The Trust's Quality Improvement System

Desirable

• Highly developed knowledge and skills in the care of difficult to treat groups e.g. dual diagnoses, additional disabilities or severely challenging behaviour

Skills/Personal Qualities
Essential

• Communicate highly complex, highly sensitive and contentious information effectively, to a wide range of people
• Adapt creatively the evidence base for the interventions relevant to the client group (define)
• Articulate the value added by applied psychology services within the context of multidisciplinary mental health and learning disability healthcare provision
• Undertake complex multiagency working and liaise with multiple systems
• Utilise psychometric tests competently
• Provide effective teaching, training, consultancy and clinical supervision for the multidisciplinary team
• Identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours
• Utilise appropriate clinical governance mechanisms within own work
• Demonstrate effective keyboard skills
• Utilise multimedia materials for presentations in professional, academic and public settings
• Able to work in accordance with the Trust Values and Behaviours
• Able to engage with vulnerable people and work effectively in highly distressing and challenging circumstances
• Respects and has awareness of the advantages of joint working with other experienced professionals in a multidisciplinary setting
• Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
• Able to use own initiative and make decisions independently
• Committed to continual quality and service improvement
• Self-aware and committed to professional and personal development. Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision
• Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, theories and application

Desirable

• Project manage

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).