Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist/ Psychotherapist

at  The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Are you a registered Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist with an interest in working with people with cancer? Do you have skills in CBT/ ACT/ CFT/ Systemic approaches? Do you enjoy inpatient work?
We are looking for a Band 8a 0.6wte Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist to work across our Chelsea (Thursdays) and Sutton (Tuesdays and Fridays) sites (the post attracts outer London weighting).
The post’s clinical work will focus on the inpatient setting, with additional time to follow up patients once they are discharged into the outpatient setting. There will be line management and supervision responsibilities. This role will provide a fantastic opportunity to develop consultancy, supervision and leadership skills alongside assessment and therapy skills.
We actively encourage you to contact us to discuss the role and to get a sense of our team so that you can make an informed decision about applying for the role. We are happy to connect with you over the telephone, video conference or face to face. Please contact Dr Justin Grayer, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and service lead on justin.grayer@rmh.nhs.uk or 020 7808 2777 about the role.
Interview date Wednesday 30/10/24
Interview location The Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, SM2 5PT
please limit ‘supporting information’/ ‘personal statements’ to 600 words. Statements longer than this will result in the application form not being read
1.1 Provide a qualified clinical/ counselling psychology or psychotherapy service to cancer patients, as part of the Adult Psychological Support Service, within a specialist cancer treatment centre at The Royal Marsden.
1.2 The post will be predominantly inpatient focused, with additional clinic time to provide ongoing outpatient support once patients are discharged. This will include co-ordination of inpatient referral screening and triage; the provision of specialist psychological assessment and intervention to inpatients where distress is preventing access to treatment (such as needle phobia, claustrophobia), or they are struggling with the inpatient environment or facing the end of their life. The post holder will work closely with mental health nursing and psychiatry colleagues as well as with other psychological therapists.
1.3 Indirect clinical work, such as the provision of advice and consultation (in/formally), as well as supervision and training, to clinical teams. For example, attending ward meetings/ handovers, helping staff understand and respond to complex psychological presentations (of patients or relatives).
1.4 As a senior member of the service, the post holder will also have managerial responsibilities and contribute to the service’s Leadership team.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That’s why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
1.1 To work as a senior clinician contributing to the development of a clinical/ counselling psychology/ psychotherapy service for adult cancer patients, including inpatients and outpatients; delivering a range of interventions to support patients and those affected by cancer across the lifespan, in the form of individual therapy and groups. The post will require independent management of caseload and provision of a psychological service with appropriate supervision and professional management, as per professional body guidelines.
1.2 Working within the highly specialised area of psych-oncology to provide appropriate psychological assessments, based upon the use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients and others involved in the patient’s care.
1.3 To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the psychological assessment, treatment and discharge of patients, ensuring appropriate psychological assessment, formulation and interventions, communication with referrers and others involved with the patients’ care on a regular basis. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models, and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
1.4 The post holder will require intensive concentration during all patient contact for prolonged periods, which will frequently involve working with highly distressed patients and those affected by cancer (e.g. issues relating to palliative care and terminal illness and suicide risk).
1.5 To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner in written and verbal form, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans for patients under the psychologist’s/ psychotherapist’s care and to monitor therapeutic progress. To communicate with patients and relatives about difficult and highly distressing issues, related to the patient’s physical and mental health status.
1.6 To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis and development of a psychological care treatment plan. To liaise with multi-disciplinary teams and participate in multidisciplinary meetings where appropriate, develop relationships with medical teams and offer supervision of psychological support where appropriate.
1.7 To integrate with the psychological formulation specialist knowledge of complex mental health disorders.
1.8 To undertake risk assessment and risk management, where appropriate, in regards to patients and provide advice to other professionals both within the hospital and in the community.
1..9 To act as co-ordinator, where appropriate, to ensure adequate provision of a care for the patient’s and their relative’s needs, communicating effectively with the patient, his/her family and all others involved in the network of care.
1.10 To attend service meetings, including daily inpatient handovers with mental health nurses, psychiatrists and other psychological therapists.
1.11 To attend case conferences, reviews and other meetings as and when appropriate. Ensure that reports and other correspondence are entered into the relevant notes and communicated to other professionals appropriately with due consideration of confidentiality and consent.
1.12 Internal liaison with Medical Consultants, Multi-Disciplinary Teams, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Advocates, Interpreters, members of the Adult Psychological Support Service.
1.13 External liaison with Health, Mental Health and Social Services, and other healthcare providers as well as other relevant professional bodie

Please refer the Job description for details