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Clinical Psychologist - Mid Essex MHST

  • NHS
  • Part Time
  • Chelmsford
  • 46148.00 - 52809.00 a year
NHS

Job Description

Job summary

Mental Health Support Teams are a government initiative following the NHS long term plans for transformation of Children and Young People's Mental Health Services. NELFT is the largest providers of Mental Health Support Teams in England. Our Southend, Essex and Thurrock services cover 144 schools. The service is developing and expanding with an aim to cover all secondary schools in locality by September 2025. The MHST's deliver evidence-based individual and group interventions in educational settings for children experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties aged 5 to 18 years old. The teams also have a strong focus on whole school approaches to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people.

The Mid Essex Mental Health Support Team (MHST) covers a large geographical area incorporating the districts of Braintree, Chelmsford and Maldon. We are an early intervention and prevention evidence-based service and as a team we are supportive and passionate in what we deliver. We are a friendly team of professionals who come from multidisciplinary backgrounds. We recognise the needs for a healthy work life balance, and we will consider flexible working applications in line with the trust policies and process. We encourage Continual Professional Development and are keen to support our staff to grow and progress.

Our locality covers a large area so you will need access to a vehicle and have the ability to travel efficiently across the county.

Main duties of the job

The role requires a post-graduate qualified psychological practitioner (e.g. clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist) fully registered with HCPC.

The post holder will be an effective team member using their own initiative, supporting their peers and team lead. They will ensure that a high-quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based service is available to all service users who need it throughout the MHST.

The post-holder will be directly involved in delivering and supervising a range of therapeutic interventions, which may include parent work, group work, school observations of children, and short-term psychological treatments.

Working under the direction of the Locality Clinical Lead, the post-holder will also be responsible for liaising directly with schools, conducting annual needs assessments with education setting management and planning the needs-led programme for working with the setting on their whole-school and -college approach (WSCA) to mental health and wellbeing.

The Clinical/Counselling Psychologist in MHST may also be required to complete a postgraduate certificate supervisor training. This training is funded as part of the MHST programme.

This role is suited to a candidate who is keen on service development as well as managing a clinical caseload.

We welcome applications from recently qualified candidates.

About us

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX8CImoDX8

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities

Please see job description and person specification for full details of this role.

  • To provide an efficient, effective and comprehensive psychological service for children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents and families.

  • Where appropriate to supervise SMHPs and Assistant Psychologists as well as group supervision for a mixture of practitioners within their locality in MHSTs.

  • To contribute to multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents and families.

  • Working in partnership with schools, to support children, young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their families in the self-management of presenting difficulties.

  • To contribute to audit and research.

  • To actively engage in treatment and outcome monitoring, including the use of normed measures associated with CYP-IAPT.

  • To work in clinical practice, making use of supervision, within the overall framework MHSTs and the Trusts policies and procedures.

  • To oversee the formulation and treatment and management plans for schools, parents, children and young people being supported by the MHSTs using a range of specialist psychological interventions appropriate to the service; individual and group.

  • To support and empower children, young people and families to make informed choices about the intervention.

  • To always operate from an inclusive values base which recognises and respects diversity.

  • Assess and integrate issues relating to transitions, education and training/employment into the overall therapeutic process.

  • Work in collaboration with children, young people and communities to enhance and widen access to support health promotion.

  • To be able to travel across the county for supervision, clinical work and training all travel to be in line with trust policies and procedures relating to expenses and Vehicle registration and insurance.

  • Through close case management and supervision, escalate cases where the level of need becomes beyond scope, or more severe ensuring adherence to other relevant elements of service delivery.

Clinical Skills

  • To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by their professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.

  • To use appropriate clinical understanding in assessing, jointly with colleagues in the multi-disciplinary team, children, adolescents and their families, working collaboratively to formulate their strengths and difficulties and to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.

  • To provide therapeutic interventions with due regard to issues of cultural, racial and religious difference and sexual orientation.

  • To undertake observations of children in school settings as part of wider assessments.

  • To undertake work with parents/carers/networks of referred children and young people.

  • To provide specialist mental health assessments and interventions for schools, parents, children and young people if required. The interventions and supports offered will be based on the low intensity evidence-based interventions for the treatment of low mood, anxiety, and behaviour problems.

  • To utilise theory, literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other members of MHST.

Leadership

  • To actively promote integrated healthcare professional working internally and externally

  • To facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict

  • To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols and guidelines

  • To participate in the audit, quality improvement, research and service evaluation, linking in with the clinical governance agenda

  • To advise, encourage and share knowledge utilising the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.

  • To ensure that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based service is available to all service users who need it.

  • Under the direction of the Locality Clinical Lead, to support the practical development of the MHST initiative within the service.

  • To assist in the ...

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