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Job summary

Main area
Psychotherapy
Grade
Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
30 hours per week (Working days Monday, Wednesday, Friday and either a Tuesday or Thursday)
Job ref
380-WK0215
Employer
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Ash Eton Therapeutic Community, Ash Eton
Town
Folkestone
Salary
£62,215 - £72,293 Per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
26/11/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust logo

Principal Psychotherapist/Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Band 8b

 

The CQC rates us as an Outstanding organisation for Caring with an overall rating of Good

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) offer a range of ongoing benefits to our valued workforce across the Trust. From an active health and wellbeing programme to regular recognition events, we work hard to provide varied benefits that make a difference to your work-life balance.

Would you like to work flexibly?  In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you.

Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

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Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a professionally registered experienced Psychotherapist/Clinical Psychologist/Counselling Psychologist to join the Therapeutic Community team in Folkestone delivering specialist treatment for adults with complex emotional difficulties at Ash Eton Therapeutic Community. We are keen to recruit an analytically trained clinician experienced in conducting therapeutic groups for people with severe and complex emotional needs. Ideally, you will also have experience of working within, or lived experience of being a member of a therapeutic community and/or experience of using a trauma-focused therapy group model.

Ash Eton Therapeutic Community is an established therapeutic community and an accredited member of the Community of Communities under the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The service was Highly Commended in the National Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards 2018. We are actively engaged in peer reviews of other TCs around the country and are members of The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities (TCTC) We regularly present papers, workshops and research on therapeutic communities at conferences. We offer a vibrant and engaging therapeutic programme for those with long term emotional and attachment difficulties, including  MBT and small and large psychotherapy groups, as well as a range of verbal and non-verbal therapies including dramatherapy, art psychotherapy, and occupational therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main duties of the job

This role will involve advising CMHT and MDT teams on appropriate referrals, as well as offering supervision and case consultations. You will offer assessments and run psychodynamic psychotherapy groups with patients in the initial treatment phase before service users join the TC. You will offer small group psychotherapy in the TC and attend community meetings.  You will have opportunities to develop co - produced lecturing and training roles.

You will be committed to an analytic frame of a  democratic TC upholding our relational practice values and principles including co-production and inclusivity. You will be capable of working with transference processes involved in working within this demanding environment. You will also have the capacity to remain reflective and process the complex dynamics that can emerge in both team and community dynamics. You will be confident with managing a caseload of clients with complex needs who may present with significant risk. You will have the ability to organise and plan your workload so that priorities are attended to and quality standards are maintained. You will also have acquired the necessary experience and skills to deputize for the clinical lead as required and to support her and the operational lead in the day-to-day running of the service.

Working for our organisation

You will be working within a multi-disciplinary service in Folkestone offering exciting opportunities for creative work. The Trust has a second therapeutic community in Maidstone and there will be opportunities for both teams to come together to share learning experiences and work together on service developments. You will receive ongoing group clinical supervision and be part of a staff process group to work through dynamics within the team as well as being offered professional support and development. 

Folkestone is well situated for easy motorway access to the M20. High speed rail links connect the town with London and access to the continent via the Euro-Tunnel is only a short drive away. There are excellent schools in the area and Kent has retained its grammar school system. The Trust offers generous relocation packages to eligible staff who would need to move to take up this position

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust serves 1.8 million people. We are rated Good overall by the CQC. We are proud to employ over 3,700 people from 66 nationalities and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

Our strategy

Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Manage a caseload of approximately 16 patients in treatment.

Effectively manage the pathway into treatment so that group spaces are used optimally and patient waiting is minimised.

Undertake high-quality specialist psychological assessment

Deliver MBT-informed/psychodynamic therapy groups in community services to adults with complex emotional difficulties

To be an effective member of the Therapeutic Community MDT, deliver small psychotherapy groups, community meetings and other therapeutic groups

Offer professional consultation regarding complex cases

Build collaborative working relationships with colleagues in CMHT/MHT+

Assess and manage clinical risk 

Identify and respond to child and adult safeguarding concerns

Offer group clinical supervision to colleagues in other services

Please see job description for full details

Person specification

Qualifications/training

Essential criteria
  • Professionally qualified Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist to Masters level or higher
  • Professionally registered with UK governing body (UKCP or BPS)
  • Clinical supervisor's training/qualification for junior staff/trainees
Desirable criteria
  • MBT training/qualification
  • Clinical supervision training for supervision of Doctoral trainees on placement

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working in a range of mental health settings with a range of levels of need and full range of age groups
  • Extensive experience in mental health psychotherapy
  • Experience of minimum of 100 hours specialist clinical supervision in working with groups/personality disorder.
  • Significant clinical experience of therapeutic group work with adults with complex and severe personality disorder
  • Experience of working as a qualified specialist psychotherapist/counselling psychologist/clinical psychologist for a minimum of four years.
  • Line management experience
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in a therapeutic community
  • Experience of service development using a co-production model

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Extensive knowledge of the therapeutic community model, principals and values
  • Post graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology.
  • Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
  • An awareness of NHS Plan, NSF and clinical governance priorities

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities
  • Advanced assessment, formulation and planning skills for highly complex adults
  • Ability to plan, organise and flexibly manage own workload
  • Ability to adapt to changing priorities
  • Ability to support and contain the team to work with challenging dynamics and relationships
Desirable criteria
  • Advanced key board skills

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareNo smoking policyHSJ Best places to workCare quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into health

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Roanna Bond
Job title
Principal Psychotherapist and Team Lead
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01303 227576
Additional information

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the service to discuss the possibility of arranging a pre-interview visit to the Therapeutic Community

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