Counselling Psychologist

About UsThe Confederation, Hillingdon CIC works with General Practice and other healthcare providers to deliver its vision for “Hillingdon to deliver the best primary care outcomes for patients in the whole of London”. We are a not-for-profit community interest company. The Confederation works to develop and support individual GP practices, PCNs and Neighbourhoods and their changing needs. We deliver excellent clinical services ourselves both at scale and complementary to General Practice. We are the provider representative voice for local General Practice into the wider NHS and other Partners. We are ‘of the NHS’ but independent, innovative and transformational.The Confederation determines to develop as an attractive place to work, providing rewarding roles and opportunities to grow in order to attract and retain great staff that in turn delivers our vision.Our ValuesJob SummaryAs a Counselling Psychologist, the post holder will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to develop high-quality psychological support to patients within the Primary Care Network (PCN). They will provide evidence-based counselling and psychological interventions, supporting patients with mild to moderate mental health difficulties and promoting overall wellbeing. The Counselling Psychologist will also contribute to the development of local mental health pathways and provide consultation and training to colleagues.Primary ResponsibilitiesDeliver psychological assessments and interventions to individuals and groups within the PCN.Work collaboratively with GPs, social prescribers, and other healthcare professionals to ensure coordinated care.Develop and deliver evidence-based treatment plans for patients presenting with mental health issues.Provide clinical advice, supervision, and training to colleagues where appropriate.Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to data collection and reporting requirements.Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings to support the integration of psychological care within primary care settings.Contribute to service evaluation, audit, and research activities within the PCN.Uphold confidentiality, safeguarding, and information governance standards in all aspects of work.Collaborative Working RelationshipsFoster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks. Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships.Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations e.g. CCGs).Can recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to:Patients and their representatives. GP, nurses and other practice staff. Other healthcare professionals including community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, social prescribers, first contact physiotherapists, physicians associate and paramedics.Community pharmacists and support staff Other members of the medicines management (MM) team including pharmacists, technicians and dieticians Locality/GP prescribing lead Community nurses and other allied health professionals Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimization Community nurses and other allied health professionals Professional DevelopmentWork with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities. Involved in one-to-one meetings with line manager monthly to discuss targets and outcomes achieved.Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.Knowledge, Skills And Experience RequiredRecognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from normal pattern and can refer to seniors when appropriate.Able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct.Education, Training and DevelopmentUnderstands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service. Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity. LeadershipDemonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision. Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service. Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others. Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals.Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example. Health & Safety/Risk ManagementThe post-holder must comply at all times with all local Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System.The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).Equality & DiversityThe post-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.Patient ConfidentialityThe post holder must at all times respect patient confidentiality and, in particular, the confidentiality of electronically stored personal data in line with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and in keeping with Hillingdon Primary Care Confederation Information Governance Policy and procedures.The post holder should not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the line manager and required for the role.Communication & Working RelationshipsThe post-holder will establish and maintain effective communication pathways at all times with project team members.Special Working ConditionsThe post-holder is required to travel independently between sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies.Job Description AgreementThis job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only. There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within The Confederation. All members of staff should be prepared to take on additional duties or relinquish existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the service or function.This job description is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of the post and is not exhaustive. It will be subject to regular review and amendment as necessary in consultation with the post holder.Person SpecificationEssential CriteriaCurrent registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC.Doctorate in Counselling Psychology or equivalent accredited by the HCPCExperience of working therapeutically with adults in primary care, community, or mental health settings.Experience of delivering evidence-based psychological therapies such as CBT or integrative approaches.Experience of multidisciplinary working and case formulation within primary care or NHS settings.Good IT SkillsAble to obtain and analyse complex technical informationRecognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors when appropriateAble to work under pressure and to meet deadlinesProduce timely and informative reports Gain acceptance for Recommendations and influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course action where there may be significant barriers.Work effectively independently and as a team member Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provisionExcellent communication and interpersonal skills.Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.Sound clinical judgment and ability to manage complex cases.Strong organisational and time management skills.Self-Motivation Adaptable Full Driving Licence Commitment to continuous professional development.Flexible and adaptable approach to service delivery.Ability to travel across multiple PCN sites as required.