Job summary
We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity for a HCPC registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist, or an Allied Health professional with experience in Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT), to join the Newham Mentalisation Based Therapy Service. This is a permanent 0.6 band 7 position.

Our service offers a comprehensive MBT program tailored for individuals with Complex Emotional Needs. We encourage candidates who have previously worked therapeutically with complex mental health issues to apply, especially those with past experience in MBT treatment.

This role presents a fantastic chance for professionals seeking to enhance their clinical skills within a small, supportive team environment. Besides providing clinical interventions, you will have the opportunity to engage in various service development initiatives, including consultations with other services and outreach efforts to community teams across the borough.

At the Newham MBT team, we prioritize a collaborative approach. We welcome applications from candidates who appreciate the value of working within a reflective, in-person team. Regular discussions about service users and careful collaboration around care planning are integral to our process. We are particularly interested in applicants who are self-reflective and can thoughtfully consider the therapeutic relationship and its impact on their practice.

Please note that a requirement for this role is availability to work on Fridays.

Main duties of the job
The primary aim of this role is to deliver high-quality clinical services to patients engaged with the Newham Mentalisation Based Therapy Service while also offering expert support and guidance to fellow team members.

Key responsibilities of the position include:

• Conducting in-depth psychological assessments for patients referred to the Mentalisation Based Therapy Service, along with preparing specialized reports for referrers and patients.
• Developing and implementing tailored treatment plans, providing specialized Mentalisation-Based therapy to patients receiving care from the service.
• Offering both individual and group interventions for individuals struggling with Complex Emotional Needs.
• Participating in individual and group supervision, engaging in reflective practice, and pursuing further professional development in Mentalisation Based Therapy.
• Collaborating with other professionals to ensure a seamless continuity of care across various services.
• Operating independently while adhering to professional guidelines and the overarching policies and procedures of the team.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job responsibilities
For a full overview of the job role please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical / Counselling Psychology or equivalence (statement of equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist) or allied professional with experience in MBT
• HCPC registration or equivalent (for allied Health Professionals)

Desirable

• Training in MBT
• Further training in a therapeutic modality relevant to personality disorder

Experience
Essential

• Experience in working with patients with complex personality presentations (i.e. 'Personality Disorder') and/or risk of self-harm.
• Experience of delivering therapeutic interventions to individuals with Complex Emotional Needs.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team offering support to adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
• Experience of group work.

Desirable

• Experience of delivering training/consultation and providing clinical supervision.
• Work within at least two therapeutic modalities.
• Experience of the application of psychology/therapy in different cultural contexts

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Skills in psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
• Skills in the effective communication of technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
• Skills in the assessment of risk for patients with mental health problems and specifically for patients with complex Emotional Needs
• Capacity to work calmly and thoughtfully when working with traumatic psychological issues, demonstrating an awareness of the sensitivity and unpredictability of patients with complex needs, and a capacity to tolerate the strong emotions evoked by such work
• Knowledge and understanding of diagnosis of Personality Disorder.
• Evidence of CPD
• Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.
• Ability to provide a culturally-competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.
• Knowledge of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult - to - treat groups (e.g. complex needs, self harm, personality disorder/psychosis, dual diagnosis, persons with additional disabilities etc).

Desirable

• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Some knowledge and understanding of psychoanalytic models and developmental processes associated with Personality Disorder (eg: Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), Mentalization-based Treatment (MBT).

Other
Essential

• Ability to manage effectively verbal aggression and abuse from service users, carers etc, and the risk of physical aggression.
• Demonstrably respectful approach to service users, carers, colleagues, other professionals and professional contacts. Willingness to negotiate and ability to handle confrontation effectively and professional

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).