Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

at  Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Band 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist opportunity in Older Adult Acute MH Services, Part-time post (18.75 – 22.5 hours)
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to work on the Older Adult dementia ward in the Older Adults MH Inpatients Psychology Team at Prospect Park Hospital in Reading. This role would suit a candidate who is keen to apply a broad range of psychological skills, which would include consultation, formulation, behavioural support, neuropsychological assessment, therapeutic interventions, and contribution to service development.
We welcome applications for this band 8a Specialist Psychologist role. There are opportunities for flexible working patterns which would include face-to-face clinical work as well as home working. We are also flexible in accommodating requests for part-time working days.

Job satisfaction can come from numerous areas in this diverse role. Under supervision of a Principal you will take on a clinical caseload with older adults with complex mental health presentations and dementia. You will provide regular input to the multi-disciplinary team on your ward in the form of consultation, team formulation sessions, teaching and joint working. You will be part of the Inpatients Psychology team, supervise the Assistant Psychologist on your ward, and also receive peer support from the other ward Clinical/Counselling Psychologists. You will contribute to and/or lead on service development projects.

• Work on allocated wards – predominantly older adults (dementia)
• Offer psychological consultation to community and hospital staff (e.g. team formulation, teaching sessions, joint working, supervision and staff support groups).
• Supervise Assistant Psychologist.
• Clinical work with service users and carers involving assessment (including neuropsychological assessments and behavioural support assessments), formulation and interventions with varied and complex mental health and cognitive presentations.
• Contribute to service improvement initiatives in a ward/community team, as well as contributing to projects arising from the Inpatients Psychology Team.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

THE 5 “MUST HAVES” FOR YOU TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS ROLE:

1. Postgraduate doctoral qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or equivalent)
2. You will have experience working with adults and/or older adults with complex mental health problems, dementia or other disabilities and have excellent therapeutic and management skills.
3. You will enjoy working in teams and providing psychological consultation, teaching and supervision.
4. Calm, confident and assertive in emotionally demanding situations, you will be astute at setting and maintaining professional boundaries and will be efficient at dealing with distressing or hostile situations and behaviour.
5. Self-motivated and confident, you will show initiative and a determination to support clients and their families through creative engagement. This includes an ability to work integratively in your clinical work.
   Interviews are due to be held on 28 February 2025.
   Inpatients Psychology Team overview: There are currently 14 Psychologists and an art therapist working across the hospital, where we support people experiencing a mental health crisis across seven wards: adult acute, older adult acute, older adult dementia and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
   For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
   We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
   We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
   We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Dr Claudia Kustner on 01189605257 or email: claudia.kustner@berkshire.nhs.uk who will be delighted to help.
   Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible

Job satisfaction can come from numerous areas in this diverse role. Under supervision of a Principal you will take on a clinical caseload with older adults with complex mental health presentations and dementia. You will provide regular input to the multi-disciplinary team on your ward in the form of consultation, team formulation sessions, teaching and joint working. You will be part of the Inpatients Psychology team, supervise the Assistant Psychologist on your ward, and also receive peer support from the other ward Clinical/Counselling Psychologists. You will contribute to and/or lead on service development projects.

• Work on allocated wards – predominantly older adults (dementia)
• Offer psychological consultation to community and hospital staff (e.g. team formulation, teaching sessions, joint working, supervision and staff support groups).
• Supervise Assistant Psychologist.
• Clinical work with service users and carers involving assessment (including neuropsychological assessments and behavioural support assessments), formulation and interventions with varied and complex mental health and cognitive presentations.
• Contribute to service improvement initiatives in a ward/community team, as well as contributing to projects arising from the Inpatients Psychology Team