Oncology Psychotherapist / Counsellor

• To work within our 'exploratory' pathway providing existential/ person centred/ psychodynamic/ integrative therapies (our other pathways are: directive, family, sex therapy, psychiatry/ mental health nursing)
• Provide a high-quality specialist counselling/ psychotherapy service to adult cancer patients within the context of the Adult Psychological Support Service, including assessment and evidence based interventions associated with the complex physical and psychological impacts of a cancer diagnosis
• Work autonomously, within professional guidelines, code of conduct and the overall framework of the team/trust policies and procedures.
• Provide specialist advice and consultation on patients' psychological care to colleagues through psychosocial meetings, multidisciplinary team meetings and attendance at clinics if appropriate.

• To work as a clinician in the delivery of a counselling service to the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust, working directly and indirectly with patients, and with members of the multi-disciplinary team involved in the care of cancer patients, to improve patients psychological wellbeing, quality of life and coping strategies.
• To provide specialist psychological assessments for patients referred to the Adult Psychological Support Service and make decisions about support options considering the individual needs and choice of the patient, their clinical treatment, prognosis and resources available; referring on to the most appropriate specialists if required.

• Maintain a personal programme of continuing professional development as required by professional body and participate in other activities designed to ensure the continuing development of specialized professional clinical skills. This should inform, update and expand practice and be disseminated as appropriate within the team.
• To provide clinical case supervision in both group and one to one format according to need for health care professionals within the organisation related to the psychological support of patients.

• Participate in the identification and recommendation of service priorities for psychological practice.
• Participate in appropriate developments in psychological practice.
• Participate in the development, evaluation and monitoring of the services operational policies through the deployment of professional skills in service evaluation and audit.

• To routinely collect outcome data for service evaluation and monitoring purposes.
• To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work, work with other team members and to staff in the trust.

• To undertake administrative duties appropriate to the tasks of the post including the specialized use of IT.
• To be familiar with computer use (e-mail, internet, Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

Desirable

• Other health professional training, e.g. nurse, OT, physio, radiographer, medic
• Recognised supervision qualification/ training
• Training/ qualification in one or more specialised areas of clinical expertise
• ( Couples / Groups)

Essential

• Psychological Therapies experience in in a physical health/ acute settings
• Experience working with individuals with long term life threatening physical illness
• Experience working in an exploratory therapeutic approach pure or integrated (existential/ person centred / CBT humanistic / psychodynamic)
• Experience of working within multi cultural settings
• Experience of providing clinical supervision in a group or 1:1