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Job description

The Senior Therapist will conduct standardised psychological assessments, to inform advanced formulation, recommendation for and delivery of time limited counselling interventions and/or psychoeducational groups for adults and children within community based services. The role involves working with service users with complex needs affected by substance misuse and/or dysregulated self harming behaviours, attributable to or co-occurring with psychosocial difficulties and mild to moderate emotional and psychological distress. The post holder will work autonomously, manage a designated case load, hold risk, maintain accurate and up to date clinical records, alongside provide routine, formal supervision and act as an escalation point for Band 4-5 practitioners. The post holder will work within, input into existing and develop new integrated care pathways, lead on audit and service improvement activity and altogether contribute to the delivery of a high quality, safe, effective, and compassionate service. Please see employer website for full job details & person specification.

Responsibilities

• Conduct standardised psychological - mini mental health status assessments, advanced collaborative formulation to include safety management and inform recommendation for treatment and agree counselling goals.
• Administer standardized self-report outcome measures (e.g. CORE-OM / PHQ - 9 / GAD-7/AUDIT.
• Deliver individual counselling interventions to service users impacted by substance misuse and self harming behaviours, applying high fidelity, evidence informed therapeutic modalities in line with service specifications.
• Efficiently manage designated caseload, prioritising work to meet service demands.
• Support dual diagnosis clients experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, including anxiety, low mood, and trauma related presentations, alongside issues that are co existing with or attributable to substance misuse and self harming.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• To be flexible as the role may involve travelling and working at various locations and times.
• Possess a full current driving licence and access to a car. Business insurance is also a requirement for this role.
• Consideration will be given to alternative travelling proposals in respect of applicants with a disability who cannot hold a driver’s licence.
• A professional Diploma in Counselling, covering psycho-dynamic, CBT and humanistic models of intervention or a person centred approach.
• Fully accredited membership with a professional registration Body (BACP category B/IACP, BABCP, UKCP, NCPS professional registrant or equivalent).
• 5 years’ post qualifying experience in Counselling and Psychotherapy, 3 years of which should include experience of providing clinical guidance, and direction in the assessment and management of risk and complex case presentations.
• Experience of delivering training to external stakeholders or employees.
• Experience of providing line management and clinical supervision to employed and associate counsellors,
• Ensuring safe and ethical practice, effective caseload management, and ongoing professional development, with the ability to appropriately escalate concerns to the Clinical Manager when required.
• Experience of working with individuals experiencing or recovering from Addiction issues, Mental Health issues and/or Self Harm.
• Experience of liaising with multidisciplinary mental health, addiction and allied professionals to deliver on an outcome based programme.
• A minimum of 450 hours of supervised clinical practice.
• Experience of assessment, management, and escalation of risk and or serious safeguarding concerns and including liaising with GP’s, multidisciplinary mental health, and allied professionals.
• Experience of undertaking standardised clinical assessments, formulation and delivering evidence-based or specialist treatment.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. Demonstrable experience of using Microsoft Office and of using a client management system.