Clinical Associate in Psychology (Disordered Eating)

Clinical Associate in Psychology (Disordered Eating)

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP), who is keen to join Tower Hamlets Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams and take on the challenge of working in a diverse borough with people on the Disordered Eating pathway.

The post-holder will sit within the Isle of Dogs and Stepney & Wapping Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams as part of the Psychology services.

Main duties of the job

Candidates should have an interest in working with people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties from a range of religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The post-holder will work closely with other Psychologists, and supervision will be provided by qualified Psychologists.

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

The successful candidate will work as part of a vibrant multi-disciplinary team operating out of our community offices based across the Isle of Dogs and Stepney & Wapping, and will liaise with relevant external agencies to facilitate and enable psychological interventions.

Alongside other Psychology staff, the post-holder will provide assessment and empirically-informed therapy to service users. In collaboration with more senior staff, the successful candidate will contribute to staff training and provide psychological advice (informal, ad hoc, and formal consultation) to other staff, support family members and liaise with primary and secondary care providers and various other statutory and non-statutory agencies involved in service users care.

The post-holder will be offered a range of opportunities for post-qualification training. The role offers excellent opportunities for developing skills in service-development and co-production.

Your service area is part of the wider psychology and psychological therapy provision in Tower Hamlets, and you would be joining a community of psychologists and psychological therapists working across a wide range of service areas. The department aims to develop and deliver our services through co-production with people with lived experience. We meet regularly and support professional development in a range of ways.

Person Specification Qualifications

• An approved qualification in psychology conferring eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society, (Class 2.2 or higher)

Skills

• Adept in understanding and using models of clinical supervision and requirements for practice in line with the evidence-base and professional codes of conduct

Qualifications

• Completed BPS British Psychological Society accredited CAP apprenticeship training programme including EPA to IFA standards
• Understand the range of behavioural change models, including health belief models, and interventions that promote mental health for the populations (e.g. Ecological Model; Community Psychology).

Experience

• Strong ability to engage with a variety of services and community partners and stakeholders, and to expand existing networks, and to nurture and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders
• Apply and review risk assessments and formulations when working with complex patients within scope of practice
• Able to assess limits of professional boundaries and capacity and understand when to seek appropriate supervision/advice on practice and whom to refer to so as to ensure best care
• Lived experience of using services, and/or being a carer for someone
• Evaluate and audit clinical practice through conducting service evaluations/QI projects to inform change through dissemination of findings ensuring best use of publicly funded resources
• Assess and identify appropriate practice in relation to critical incident and severe adverse events
• Provide consultation/supervision with regards to psychological formulation, assessment, and intervention

Skills

• To be able to assess and formulate someone's experiences drawing on a range of psychological models and theory
• Work cross-culturally and/or in different languages
• Understand the principles of clinical supervision using them to provide a safe and supportive environment to reflect, review and discuss personal and professional responses to work
• Able to correctly handle confidential information and knowing how and when to share this information for appropriate professional purposes and only with appropriate individuals, and as necessary with appropriately gained consent
• Ability to maintain accurate clinical records and why all entries in clinical and practice records are dated, timed and signed
• Ability to analyse and appraise the range of psychological assessment methods used within applied clinical practice to underpin assessment
• Skilled in continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills
• Experience of working closely experts-by-experience, local communities, Community and Voluntary and Social Enterprises, to co-produce and co-develop services
• Awareness of diversity of cultural norms across the borough, and being able to respond to this appropriately
• Knowledge and implementation of local, regional and national policy

Experience

• Understand how to analyse and appraise key theoretical concepts of psychological models of treatment both at individual and group level recognised in evidence-based national guidelines
• Communicate effectively, share information and check understanding using clear language and appropriate, written materials, making reasonable adjustments where appropriate in order to optimise people's understanding
• Recognise and accommodate sensory impairments during all communications and the use of personal communication aids
• Take account of how conflicting and sometimes contradictory information from carers and other healthcare professionals, in emotive and challenging situations and contexts, may impact on the outcome of assessment
• Apply and analyse a range of research approaches including both qualitative and quantitative methods in clinical practice

Skills

• Maintain and implement knowledge of contemporary evidence-based practice through appropriate continued professional development
• Understand and recognise professional duty to challenge and report discriminatory behaviour
• Ability to analyse outputs from specialist psychological assessments across a broad range of patient needs
• Knowledge of the range of legal, ethical, professional, financial and organisational policies and procedures that apply to clinical research activities
• Experienced in using a range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies relevant to situation and service context that draw on specialist psychological tools to collect data to evaluate own practice as well as to enhance service delivery
• Understand and utilise learning styles, tools and techniques that can be used to support learning
• Able to understand and critically appraise best evidence and existing practice to inform clinical decision making where there is no agreed consensus on treatment protocols and evaluate outcome

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

£47,951 to £56,863 a yearper annum Inc HCA