Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or post graduate training in another core mental health profession (social work, nursing, occupational therapy) and accredited with SfDBT.

Essential

• Experience of working with clients with Borderline/Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (BPD/EUPD) and complex trauma
• Experience of working in a service for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.
• Experience of providing consultation to other staff
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) and willingness to participate actively in CPD in line with BPS, SfDBT or their professional body's guidelines

Desirable

• Experience of delivering comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
• Experience of administration, scoring and written interpretation of formal personality tools and/or neuropsychological assessments
• Record of having published in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books

Essential

• Highly developed specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to clinical practice, particularly in respect of adults with severe and enduring mental health needs (including complex emotional needs and trauma history)
• Specialist knowledge relevant to working with clients with Borderline / Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, including theoretical of DBT
• Knowledge of the professional code of conduct of the BPS or their professional bodies.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work in relevant setting
• Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
• Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other relevant professional groups
• Able to make judgements involving complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (e.g. the assessment of specialist clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options)
• Able to provide services in an environment with service users who may be challenging and where the awareness of risk must always be maintained
• Able to plan, prioritise and organise own service user caseload, treatment programmes (individual or group) involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity.
• Skills in administering psychological tests and standardised assessments.

Essential

• Able to sit for extended periods of time while demonstrating active listening skills.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour including verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations including working with people affected by trauma, with people who engage in self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure. Adaptable and able to work flexibly to respond to the service needs/priorities.