Senior Psychodynamic Psychotherapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical  

To provide specialist psychodynamic assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources which might include psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care, where relevant.

To make skilled evaluations to formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To implement a range of highly specialist psychological and psychodynamic interventions within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations, informed by different exploratory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To provide interventions as agreed, to meet the requirements of the commissioned service.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individuals, family or group.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans, including communication with the referral agent and others in care team.

To provide specialist psychotherapeutic advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

 To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide 

To communicate information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and give feedback in a skilled and sensitive manner.

To monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

To provide advice, guidance and consultation to peer and junior professionals within the service, both individually, and by attendance at team referral and review meetings

To develop the role of psychodynamic psychotherapists within the Psychological Therapies team and provide a specialist role within the wider multidisciplinary teams. This will include the development of treatment programmes to be run jointly with other staff, thus disseminating psychological expertise across the service.

 Teaching, training, and supervision

To receive regular clinical, professional and managerial supervision from a senior psychotherapist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues and line managers.

 To provide post-qualification CPD experiences and provide supervision to qualified and unqualified, graduate psychological therapists attached to the service, as appropriate, and in consultation with relevant others.

 To participate in and contribute to post-qualification training for psychotherapists in the Trust, as required, and also to other clinical colleagues. To undertake training and teaching for other qualified and unqualified Health Service staff, community workers, user groups and volunteers, as required and commensurate with experience.

To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional pre- and postgraduate training and clinical supervision.

To provide advice, consultation and clinical supervision to staff across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit, and in consultation with relevant others.

To provide and maintain adequate statistics and records of work as required by the Trust.

Exercise delegated responsibility for the safe, appropriate and legitimate use of psychological test material and other equipment deployed in post holder’s area of duty.  Advise manager on equipment and resources needed to maintain work undertaken and any shortcomings with these.

To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels.

To attend relevant meetings and professional activities by agreement with manager

To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

Research and service evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members and colleagues under supervision.

To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research as appropriate to own level of experience and within agreed service objectives.

To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

To participate in research and audit teaching and activity initiated within the team, service and/or professional group, as appropriate to own level of experience.

 General and Professional

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder’s professional and service manager(s).

To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychotherapy across the service, by continuing to develop skills, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of psychotherapy and related disciplines.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health