Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/CBT Therapist- Eating Disorders

Job Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work within the CNWL eating disorders service. We are offering a fixed term part time Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/ CBT Therapist post within the Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service.

This position involves providing specialist therapies (CBT-E, MANTRA, CBT-AR) to clients across all sectors of care. This includes the provision of highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, whilst also offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to colleagues and to other non professional carers.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will carry out clinical duties, clinically relevant audit and research (if needed/appropriate), and relevant administrative duties. The successful applicant will have a high level of knowledge, training, skill and experience in delivering CBT to patients with eating disorders. He or she will be encouraged to develop his or her academic and clinical knowledge in the context of service-related continuing professional development.

Working for our organisation

The post holder will be based at the Vincent Square Clinic Eating Disorder Outpatient Therapy Service (Health at Stowe and Roxborough Road) and may also provide clinical and other services across the inpatient and day patient programmes (based at 1 Nightingale Place, London, SW10 9NG) Depending on service need, you will be expected to work flexibly across sites (Paddington, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Chelsea). Service provision within this scope may at times involve travelling to different sites within the

catchment area. The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing assessment and treatment to adults with eating disorders.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Clinical

• To provide assessments of clients referred to the team, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources.
• To diagnose patients’ eating and related psychiatric problems.
• To formulate and implement plans for treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence-based models for eating disorders.
• To be responsible for implementing interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.
• To integrate (with the psychological formulation) an understanding of the medical aspects of the eating disorders and associated medical conditions.
• To liaise with other clinicians involved in the patient’s care, in order that appropriate physical checks and interventions are carried out to ensure the patient’s physical safety.
• To understand the role of relevant physical treatments (e.g. nutrition, pharmacology).
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
• To provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients, and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course

of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

• To act as care coordinator where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under CPA (to include clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the

network of care).

Teaching, training, and supervision

• To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinician and,

where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.

• To attend Staff Group with other colleagues in the service.
• To provide professional and clinical supervision of junior colleagues and trainees, as appropriate.
• To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of other professionals, as appropriate.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range

of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

• To undertake all mandatory training that is relevant to the post, including updates.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

• To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

Research and service evaluation

• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To undertake appropriate research/audit if needed/appropriate and provide research advice to other staff and clinical trainees undertaking research.
• To undertake project management (as needed/appropriate) including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.
• To familiarise themselves with, and to comply with, the Trust’s requirements on research governance.

IT responsibilities (other than those used for research)

• The post holder will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data and provide this to the Service Manager/Head of Speciality when necessary.
• The post holder will engage in relevant computer and IT training as required.

General

• To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the postholder’s professional and service managers.
• To contribute to the development and articulation of evidence-based and evidence-generating psychological practice across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the relevant professional body and with Trust policies and procedures.
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Extensive experience of psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment of clients across a range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience of interdisciplinary working within the NHS.
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of cognitive-behavioural therapy
• Knowledge of the theoretical and evidence base for understanding, formulating and treating the eating disorders
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively
• Experience in mental health risk assessment and management

Desirable criteria

• Supervised experience of delivering evidence-based therapies for the eating disorders and common comorbid conditions.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one other specialised psychological therapy.
• Publication and presentation of clinical research

Education and Qualification

Essential criteria

• An upper second class honours degree or higher in a subject relevant to mental health and higher level postgraduate training in an applied clinical field that includes models of psychopathology and distinct psychological therapies
• CBT therapist- Must be fully or provisionally accredited with the BABCP or have completed a BABCP accredited high intensity CBT course or diploma programme. OR Clinical/Counselling Psychologist registered with the HCPC.

Desirable criteria

• Post-qualification training in CBT for eating disorders

Skills and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of cognitive-behavioural therapy.
• Knowledge of the theoretical and evidence base for understanding, formulating and treating the eating disorders.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of mental health.
• Experience in mental health risk assessment and management

Desirable criteria

• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one other specialised psychological therapy.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Publication and presentation of clinical research

Attitudes, aptitudes and personal characteristics

Essential criteria

• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.