Job overview

8a Senior Psychological Therapist or 8a Senior Practitioner Psychologist 

An excellent opportunity has become available for an experienced psychological therapist (BABCP registered CBT therapist, Art Therapist or HCPC registered Psychologist) to join our Acute and Urgent Care Services based in Worthing.   

This full-time post will support across one of our inpatients working age adult wards, and our Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, (CRHT) with some input into the Haven service.  

The Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team (CRHTT): This is a multi-disciplinary team offering a 7-day service for people in acute psychiatric crisis. The team provides an alternative to hospital admission by delivering intensive community-based interventions and acts as a gatekeeper for hospital admissions. If admission is necessary, the CRHTT helps shorten the inpatient stay by facilitating a supportive discharge back to the community. 

The Haven: This is a 24/7 community-based mental health crisis unit, designed as an alternative to Emergency Department (ED) attendance for those without acute physical or medical issues. The Haven provides a safe, comfortable environment for comprehensive assessment and risk formulation, aiming to develop an appropriate care plan and onward clinical pathway. The extended timeframe allows for more thorough assessment and coordination of community support. 

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an innovative and resilient clinician who can offer evidenced based assessment and interventions for service users presenting with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. This post will offer a full range of evidence-based psychological interventions as well as complex assessments, formulations and consultations to colleagues from other disciplines within the team. You will be a strong team player who will support other MDT colleagues to deliver psychologically informed interventions though the provision of supervision and reflective practice and where appropriate, to supervise Band 7 Psychological therapists.  We will also look to our new post-holder to support wider pathway working, working alongside other teams to support service users at points of transition between services. We are very excited about these developments and the positive impact it is likely to have on the local communities that we serve. 

As part of the wider adult mental health service, you will also be joining an established community of psychologists and psychological therapists who bring a rich variety of skills. There are a significant number of psychologists and psychological therapists employed within the Trust working across different specialties and there are excellent opportunities for professional development through regular monthly psychology meetings and active peer supervision networks. 

Working for our organisation

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and substance misuse services in and across Sussex. The Trust has teaching status and is developing into one of the country’s leading teaching mental health trusts.  Psychological Therapies are highly valued in Sussex Partnership and Psychological Therapists occupy a range of senior positions across the Trust. Working here offers continued training and development, variety, plus all the benefits of living in Sussex. West Sussex is a beautiful county with great schools, good transport links, vibrant communities, rural areas, and tourist attractions, including the Coast and the South Downs. We would welcome informal visits and / or a telephone call to tell you more about our service and this post. The Trust has recently been rated by the CQC as Good overall and Outstanding for care.  

We welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds who are under-represented in service delivery.