Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist

Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and energetic Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to work in Acute Mental Health. You will be working in a very dynamic environment, which will provide you with many opportunities to learn and develop your therapeutic and systemic skills. There will also be an opportunity to be creative and innovative within the role, bringing new ideas, incorporating evidence-based practice into how the service is delivered.
Within the ward environment, you will have the opportunity to develop skills and expertise in the application of psychology not just at an individual level, but at the team and group level. A strong interest in pursuing consultation and leadership roles and developing skills in assessment and practice within a group context is desired. Running reflective practice sessions for staff, consider your position in the team and wider systemic issues, together with an interest in developing the skills to intervene via a range of formats, e.g., ward groups, staff consultation, families/carers and the MDT.
You will be well supported through regular clinical and managerial supervision as well as training to develop both professionally and personally within the role. There are many CPD opportunities as well as opportunities to join specialist supervision groups, such as the Trauma Clinical Network Group and other groups.
Experience in an Acute Setting is not required for this role and we would consider newly qualified psychologists.

Main duties of the job
You will support and assist the core aims within the service, both in direct clinical work and as a positive member of the multi-disciplinary team and wider service, having an important liaison function supporting the transition of patients between services.
You will provide psychological assessment and treatment, as well as psychological formulations and consultation to the multi-disciplinary team. You will also provide evidence-based group interventions such as DBT informed skills and support groups, as well as reflective practice/case discussions for staff.
You will also be a qualified practitioner on site to offer supervision, advice, support and to work with the assistant psychologists and trainee CAPS.

Working for our organisation
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.
At KMPT, we are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• HCPC registration
• Doctoral level training in psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies

Desirable criteria

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experince

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with psychosis.
• Experience of working in an acute care service.

Important Information:
In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.
To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.
Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter
The trust takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encompasses prevention, support and decisive action against perpetrators. We are committed to keeping you and our patients safe.

Use of AI when writing job applications
While AI tools can be helpful in generating ideas and drafting initial versions, they should never be the sole source for writing your job application.
AI cannot truly understand the specific job you're applying for or what makes you a good fit. Therefore, it's crucial to personalise any AI-generated content to accurately reflect your skills, experiences, and aspirations.
Relying solely on AI to write your application may result in generic, impersonal, and potentially inaccurate content. Always review and refine any AI-generated text to ensure it effectively communicates your experience, skills, accomplishments, and aspirations, and demonstrates your suitability for the position.