Psychology Graduate Internship programme 2012 Handbook for Applicants 1
Welcome Thank you for your interest in our Psychology Graduate Internship Programme. Sussex Partnership is a leading provider of mental health, substance misuse and learning disability services across Sussex, Hampshire and Kent. We are driven by the desire to provide the highest quality services to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in society. We have decided to offer Psychology Graduate Internships from this year, as we believe these can help aspiring Psychology professionals as well as our service users. We are very excited to be able to offer ten high quality internships in 2012-13. We can offer you an opportunity to gain experience and skills that may help you on a career path into an applied psychology or psychological therapy profession. We have some really exciting opportunities to work with us supporting specific projects across our clinical, training, audit and research activities. Many of these projects are areas of innovation and all will benefit some of the most vulnerable people in Sussex and beyond. We will undertake to provide specific experience as detailed in each of the internship outlines in this booklet, and to sign off a reference detailing this and your performance at the end of your time with us. In exchange we ask you for a commitment to volunteer with us for 3-12 months, depending on the specific requirements of each role, for a minimum of 15 hours per week. We hope this will interest you and that we may be welcoming you to the Trust very soon. Dr Adrian Whittington Director of Education and Training Consultant Clinical Psychologist 2
Contents Page Reference What is a Psychology Graduate Internship? 4 Our Internships for 2012-13 1. Assessment and Treatment (Hastings) 5 2. Assertive Outreach Team 6 3. Recovery College 7-8 4. Eating Disorders 8-9 5. Adult Art Therapy 9-10 6. Research and Development (2 roles) 10-11 7. Clinical Audit 12-13 8. Education and Training 13-14 9. Assessment and Treatment (Eastbourne) 14-45 How to Apply 16 3
WHAT IS A PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE INTERNSHIP? An internship is where an individual undertakes voluntary work to gain relevant professional experience before embarking on a career. Internships are arrangements where the intern gains valuable experience and skills in exchange for providing their labour for a fixed period of time. In order to ensure best practice, the Trust approach to Psychology Graduate Internships complies with the Gateway to the Professions Collaborative Forum Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships 1.. Eligibility Criteria Duration of Internship Time commitment Work Plan Suggested tasks some but not all of this list Supervision Recruitment Travel expenses Graduates who meet the Graduate Basis for Chartered membership of the British Psychological Society, plus any additional criteria specified within each role. 3-12 months, specified for each role Minimum 15 hours per week; Normal maximum 22.5 hours. Local variation possible above this, but with recruitment and selection not to be based on greater degree of availability above 15 hours. Tasks are clearly defined and integrated into a structured work plan. The internship arrangements include negotiated flexibilities to support other aspects of the intern s development such as attendance at training or job interviews or to accommodate personal or paid work commitments. Collecting, managing and analysing data for routine clinical evaluation, audit, service or training evaluation or research Conducting literature searches, developing materials and information and writing reports to support clinical, training or research projects Managing materials and equipment for clinical, training or research use Supporting group or individual clinical work alongside a qualified practitioner, for example gathering specific information, making recordings, contributing specific planned input to a group or individual intervention under live supervision Assisting qualified practitioners in delivering training for other professionals. Undertaking specified administrative support tasks e.g. minuting meetings, data entry, diary management Named supervisor to provide a minimum of one hour of formal supervision and an additional one hour of supervisory contact (e.g. joint work, ad hoc consultation) per 37.5 hours worked. Recruitment to Internships is based on the principle of maximising equality of opportunity so that internships should be subject to fair and transparent recruitment and selection processes, with steps taken to minimise advantage to those with greater financial resources. Some internships offer to pay specified expenses for travel (1) to and from work and/or (2) between work sites. Where the availability of travel expenses has been specified this is listed in the role descriptions below. If it is not specified, please discuss this with the recruiting supervisor at interview. 1 www.bis.gov.uk/policies/higher-education/access-to-professions/gateways-to-professions 4
1. ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT GRADUATE INTERNSHIP (HASTINGS) Minimum 6 months Working days/hours: Minimum 15 hours - days by negotiation as long as one of the days is a Wednesday Start date: As soon as possible after 5 th November 2012 Mary Locke (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) Assessment and Treatment Centre Cavendish House Breeds Place Hastings East Sussex TN34 3AA Paid travel expenses: Unspecified To support the work of qualified Psychologists and Psychological Therapists within a multidisciplinary team in an Assessment and Treatment Centre. To gain experience of secondary mental healthcare and of the various roles within the service. To attend a range of meetings and to contribute clinically under supervision as and when appropriate. To contribute to research and education as and when appropriate (e.g. literature searches, preparing teaching aids). Basic audit work for psychology (e.g. reviews of waiting list, referrals). Attendance at psychology meetings. To sit in on client assessments and contribute where appropriate to clinical work. Attend team meetings. Conduct literature searches as and when appropriate. Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). Good interpersonal skills. Good basic research skills and experience of IT skills used in research and evaluation. Ability to produce written reports to a high standard. Potential benefits: Regular supervision from a Psychologist. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team and secondary mental healthcare services. Direct and indirect clinical experience. 5
2. ASSERTIVE OUTREACH TEAM GRADUATE INTERNSHIP 3 to 12 months Working days/hours: 15 hours a week Start date: As soon as possible Sara Meddings (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) Assertive Outreach Team St. Mary s House 52 St. Leonards Road Eastbourne BN21 3UU Paid travel expenses: Unspecified The Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) is a multi-disciplinary team working with people with psychosis who have complex needs, higher levels of risk and who do not easily engage with traditional services. In the initial three months - Supporting care coordinators with risk assessments by collating relevant history from case notes. Using the psychological principles of functional analysis in order to support the team with formulations about risk. Attending team formulation and reflective practice meetings. Literature searches relevant to psychology provision within the team. After the initial three months there will be opportunities for (depending on the service needs) - Joint visits to see service users alongside other team members. Therapeutic work alongside other team members, which may possibly include - - being part of a reflecting team working with a family - co-facilitating a group using recovery or CBT principles - joining a psychologist in a therapy session - supporting staff with behavioural reward programmes Conducting an audit, which could lead to publication (and has done so in the past). Supporting user and carer involvement. Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). A desire to pursue a challenging career in either Clinical or Counselling Psychology. Personal experience (own or that of a family members) or experience working with those with mental health challenges is desirable. Potential benefits: Regular supervision from a Clinical Psychologist. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team. Knowledge of psychological approaches (particularly functional analysis and formulation). Equal access to in-house training alongside other staff and volunteers. Direct clinical experience (if you are able to commit to a year). 6
3. RECOVERY COLLEGE GRADUATE INTERNSHIP Working days/hours: Start date: (depending on where is mutually convenient for both you and the service) Paid travel expenses: 9 to 12 months 15 hours a week As soon as possible Sara Meddings (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) Lucy Locks (Deputy Director of Occupational Therapy) Either Or St. Mary s House Aldrington House 52 St. Leonards Road 35 New Church Road Eastbourne Hove BN21 3UU BN3 4AG Unspecified The role is to support the development of the Sussex Recovery College, which is in the early stages of developing in partnership with other local organisations and stakeholders. This is an innovative and effective recovery oriented way of delivering treatments to groups of people through courses. It involves a shift from therapy groups to educational courses (complete with prospectus, curriculum and certificates) where people using the service are seen as adult learners or students rather than as service users or patients. Recovery colleges draw on the professional expertise of qualified staff (e.g. occupational therapists, nurses, psychologists) and the lived experience of peer trainers. All courses are co-produced and co-delivered by professionals and peer trainers and all courses are open to service users, their relatives and Trust staff. Collate information about existing groups and courses and audit them against validation criteria for the recovery college. Create a database of courses, which can be piloted in one area and then rolled out. Draft the first prospectus for the college. Organise a registration process for students. Draft certificates for course attendance and completion. Actively participate in the evaluation of the recovery college (e.g. link with the research department, be part of a group deciding how to evaluate the college, distribute and analyse satisfaction and outcome questionnaires). Support the recruitment of peer trainers. Identify potential venues and campuses where recovery college courses may be held. Literature searches relevant to the recovery college. After the initial six months there may also be opportunities to be part of teams developing and delivering courses or to contribute to papers submitted for publication about the recovery college. Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). Personal experience (own or that of a family members) or experience working with those with mental health challenges is desirable. Recent experience of teaching on or attending a course in further, higher or adult education. 7
Potential benefits: Regular supervision from a Clinical Psychologist and the Deputy Director of Occupational Therapy. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team alongside peers and trained professionals with expertise and experience of mental health challenges. Experience working with a range of stakeholders from the voluntary sector. Knowledge of psychological, occupational, recovery-oriented, educational and many other approaches. Equal access to in-house training alongside other staff and volunteers. Closing date for applications: 10am on Monday 22 nd October 2012 4. EATING DISORDERS GRADUATE INTERNSHIP 12 months Working days/hours: 15-22.5 hours a week Start date: As soon as possible after 5 th November 2012 Andrea Pickering (Clinical Psychologist) Community Mental Health Centre 79 Buckingham Road Brighton BN1 3RJ Brighton General Hospital Elm Grove Brighton BN2 3EW (planned move to Brighton General Hospital in October/November 2012) Paid travel expenses: Unspecified To work as part of a small multi-disciplinary, outpatient team that offers group therapy treatment to patients with mild to moderate eating disorders. To help in the gathering of outcome measures and continued establishment of an evidence base for the service. Support as co-facilitator in the delivery of psycho-educational and therapeutic eating disorder groups alongside a qualified practitioner. Gather information and contribute specific planned input to a group under supervision. Collect, manage and analyse data for ongoing clinical evaluation of the service. Undertake specified administrative support tasks such as data entry, minuting meetings, booking patients into groups, answering treatment related enquiries etc. Contribute within the team in the continued development and evolvement of this new service. Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). Personal experience (own or that of a family members) or experience working with those with mental health challenges is desirable. Knowledge or experience of eating disorders would be beneficial but is not essential. 8
Potential benefits: Regular supervision with lead Clinical Psychologist. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team. Experience of mental health and the link with eating disorders. Knowledge and understanding of the different eating disorder diagnoses and treatments. Direct and indirect clinical experience. 5. ADULT ART THERAPY GRADUATE INTERNSHIP 9 to 12 months Working days/hours: 15-22.5 hours a week Start date: As soon as possible Joanna Stevens (Advisor for Arts Psychotherapies) Main base (but will also need to travel to other sites): Art Therapy Office Mill View Hospital Nevill Avenue Hove BN3 7HY Paid travel expenses: Not available We are looking for an enthusiastic and creative psychology graduate to support arts therapists working in adult mental health services (acute and community) and the dementia service to help evaluate a number of clinical interventions. Key clinical interventions include - Art Therapy in the Community (ATIC) group Art Therapy for Psychosis group Art Therapy workshop series Social Art Group visits (to be confirmed) Inpatient Art Therapy groups CORE outcomes from individual therapy sessions Inpatient drama therapy group (dementia) Identify and administer appropriate outcome measures including running focus groups with service users. Collate and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data. Support arts therapists with the implementation and analysis of AIR (Audio Image Recording) interviews. Help disseminate evaluation findings and contribute to the published evidence base for arts therapies. Support arts therapists in the development of research topics. Help increase understanding and application of the arts therapies. 9
Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). Understanding and experience of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Interest in psychological therapy. Interest in creativity and improving service user experience. Interest in working alongside arts therapist in the development of evaluation models that capture outcome for arts therapy interventions. Experience of using digital technology. Potential benefits: Experience of working within secondary mental healthcare services (community and acute) on a range of projects alongside experienced arts therapists. Experience of working with service users to help evaluate the therapy experience. Experience of contributing to the evidence base for arts-based therapies. Experience implementing and analysing data using the AIR tool. Knowledge and understanding and application of a range of evaluation methods. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team. Opportunities to attend arts therapies professional meetings and development activities. Opportunities to observe arts therapies clinical sessions, clinical discussions and to visit additional teams and services where possible. Opportunities to meet and learn alongside other trainees. 6. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRADUATE INTERNSHIPS (2 ROLES) 12 months Working days/hours: 15-22.5 hours a week Start date: Thursday 1 st November 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter Mark Hayward (Director of Research) Research and Development Department Sussex Education Centre Mill View Hospital Nevill Avenue Hove BN3 7HY Paid travel expenses: Unspecified We are seeking to appoint two interns to work on one or more research and development projects including recruiting participants to current research studies, analysing data and writing reports. Each intern will be expected to take on one or more projects within the department. Examples of current projects are - To develop and keep up-to-date a database of outcome measures for Mindfulness- Based Cognitive Therapy groups. 10
To recruit people who are experiencing psychosis for a randomised controlled trial, which involves liaising with mental health teams and conducting face-to-face assessments with participants. To conduct a systematic literature review of mindfulness-based therapies for carers. To complete an NHS ethics application for a study evaluating therapy groups for people with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. To conduct a thematic analysis of focus group transcripts. To support service user engagement with the Research Network. Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). Confidence in using SPSS to enter and analyse data. Good interpersonal skills. Experience of working with mental health service users and carers would be desirable but is not essential. Interest in clinical research. Ability to work independently when required. Potential benefits: Direct experience of the work of Clinical Psychologists working in the NHS. Supervised experience of working with mental health service users (e.g. conducting assessments for therapy trials). Supervised experience of conducting a systematic literature search and literature review analysis skills (e.g. meta-analysis). Supervised experience of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Supervised experience of applying for NHS ethical approval and Research and Development approval. Opportunities for joint-working as and when appropriate. For example, there will be opportunities to jointly conduct assessments with research participants with an experienced research assistant. Interns will have some opportunity to choose projects that fit their research interests and supervision will provide an opportunity to reflect on career progression. The department will support each intern in developing their skills and experiences through providing and funding relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities. 11
7. CLINICAL AUDIT GRADUATE INTERNSHIP 12 months Working days/hours: 22.5 hours a week Start date: January 2013 Claudine Hull (Head of Quality and Compliance) Wendy Harlow (Evidence & Practice Facilitator) Aldrington House 35 New Church Road Hove BN3 4AG Paid travel expenses: Unspecified To support the clinical audit function of the Governance Support Team at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The Governance Support Team functions are Risk and safety; Customer Experience; Patient Advice & Liaison (PALS); Clinical Audit and Care Quality Commission Registration. The focus of responsibilities will be in the clinical audit team where the intern will be required to interact with healthcare professionals, and use clinical audit methodology to support change and quality improvement to clinical care pathways. Project support for specific clinical audits within the Trust clinical audit priority plan including - Project planning with healthcare professionals Design of clinical audit packs, information sheets and data collection sheets Coordinate data collection with relevant divisions and clinical audit leads Data analysis and report writing Support educational events within the clinical audit team including - Design, support and evaluate delivery of in-house formal clinical audit training. Support coordination and delivery of NICE launch events Support ad hoc training events as requested by Trust staff Maintain and develop back office Governance Support Team functions including - Maintain and update clinical audit intranet pages. Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited). Good communication skills. Good understanding of audit/ research methodology. Good presentation skills. Intermediate IT skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, web design and WebEx. Training can be provided in Excel, web design, WebEx if necessary. Potential benefits: Experience of working with a range of healthcare professionals to achieve improvements in the quality of care provided using the clinical audit process. Knowledge and experience of carrying out clinical audits and methodology. Experience in designing and delivering training. Up skilling from intermediate to advanced IT skills. 12
Overall knowledge of back office functions, which are transferable and increasingly required by healthcare professionals in a clinical environment. Knowledge and understanding of working with a provider of mental health, substance misuse and learning disabilities and all professional groups of multidisciplinary teams. Knowledge and understanding of local and national policy related to the quality agenda. 8. EDUCATION AND TRAINING INTERNSHIP Working days/hours: Start date: 6 to 12 months 15 to 22.5 hours per week by negotiation Thursday 1 st November 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter Catarina Sacadura (Senior Psychological Therapist: Training Coordinator Aldrington House 35 New Church Road Hove BN3 4AG Paid travel expenses: To and from the main work base: NO Between main work base and other sites where work is undertaken: YES You will join the Education and Training team working across all Sussex Partnership services, based at Aldrington House. You will contribute to the development of the suite of education and training initiatives for Trust staff and work on projects to develop the profile of the Trust as an educational centre of excellence. You will work with a number of senior Psychology and Psychological Therapies staff and two training co-ordinators to evaluate the impact of two specific training initiatives in the Trust: Behavioural Activation/Graded Exposure and Graduate Psychology Internships. 1. Behavioural Activation / Graded Exposure Project Support the piloting of a training programme for 30 mental health professionals working in the Trust (e.g. Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists) to deliver manualised Behavioural Activation/Graded Exposure interventions with people with severe mental health conditions with difficulties with low mood or anxiety across our services. Key tasks will include: Assisting with the preparation of training materials and co-ordination of training delivery Assisting the trainers with the co-ordination of supervision sessions for staff undertaking the training Attending the training and assisting with organisational aspects including audiovisual equipment Under supervision of the lead trainer, to design and conduct pilot evaluation of the impact and use of the training by staff, by conducting qualitative interviews staff survey methodology, and analysing patient outcome questionnaires. 2. Graduate Internship Scheme Evaluation Support the evaluation of the impact and value of the newly launched Graduate Psychologist Internship Scheme (of which this position is an example!), working with one of the Training Co-ordinators and the Director of Education and Training. Key tasks will include: 13
Developing methods of evaluating the impact of the internship scheme for all stakeholders: Interns, Supervisors of Interns and where relevant other clinicians or patients. Writing up an evaluation report on the pilot project including recommendations for improvements to influence the next run of the scheme in October 2013 Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience A first or 2:1 honours undergraduate Psychology degree (BPS accredited) Warm and friendly personality allowing you to quickly form good relationships with a wide variety of people including staff from multiple professional backgrounds and senior Psychology and Psychological Therapy staff Proven audit and evaluation skills Attention to detail in the handling of data Skilled in the use of literature search methodology, powerpoint and excel Accomplished written communication skills Potential benefits: Experience of conducting audit and evaluation in order to develop services Experience of qualitative and quantitative service evaluation methodologies Experience of training as delivered to multi-professional staff in the NHS by Psychologists and Psychological Therapists Experience of working with in the hub of a large organisation to deliver strategic objectives within clinical services 9. ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT GRADUATE INTERNSHIP (EASTBOURNE) 3-12 months Working days/hours: 15 hours Start date: December 2012 or January 2013 Dr Alex Hope (Clinical Psychologist) Assessment and Treatment Centre St Mary s House 52 St Leonard's Road Eastbourne BN21 3UU Paid travel expenses: Unspecified To support the work of qualified Psychologists and Psychological Therapists within a multidisciplinary team in an Assessment and Treatment Centre To gain experience of secondary mental healthcare and of the various roles within the service Opportunity to be involved in group assessment, evaluation and follow-up Gathering and synthesising clinical information for complex case reviews and risk assessments Supporting group and individual work Collecting and managing data for routine evaluation of psychology service practice 14
Person specification: Applicants must have the following qualifications, skills and experience - Any previous experience of a multidisciplinary team and/or working within a clinical psychology service would be helpful, but not essential Candidates are not required to have prior experience of tasks outlined, but to demonstrate a willingness and desire to learn Potential benefits: A good grounding in gathering relevant assessment information to inform multidisciplinary team working An understanding of the role of a clinical psychologist in secondary care mental health services The opportunity to contribute to assessment and interventions from psychology services Supervision with a clinical psychologist Opportunities to observe and participate within an multidisciplinary team Opportunities to observe and contribute to clinical work (individual and group) 15
HOW TO APPLY Candidates will need to complete the accompanying Psychology Graduate Internships application form. The deadline for applications is 10am on the 29 th of October (unless otherwise specified). Posts may close early if we receive a sufficient volume of applications. Applications will be forwarded to recruiting supervisors based on the internship preferences candidates have specified at the start of the form. Recruiting supervisors will then short-list candidates based on how their application compares with the requirements of the internship. Application forms should then be returned by email to: training@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk Recruitment Submit application form to: training@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk Time Deadline 29th Oct Applications are forwarded to recruiting supervisor based on internship preferences within 3 days Short-listed candidates will be contacted by email to arrange interview with recruiting supervisor Candidates invited to interview will be asked to bring photographic I.D, two recent letters with current address and evidence of their qualifications within 4 weeks Candidates will be contacted by email about the outcome of their interview. Successful candidates will be sent internship offer letter which will need to be signed and returned within 5days Once CRB disclosure has been received/crb risk assessment form has been completed internship can begin First day of Internship: Local induction provided by supervisor and ID badge issued to intern within 4 weeks 16
Contact details Education and Training Aldrington House, 35 New Church Road, Hove, BN3 4AG Tel: 01273 778383 ext. 2269 Email: training@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk Web: www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/education This document is available in alternative formats upon request, such as large print, electronically or community languages. Please contact: 01273 778383 ext. 2269 Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Main switchboard: 01903 843000 Web: www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk Copyright 2012 Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Published and distributed by: Education and Training Published: October 2012 Ref: Psychology Graduate Internship programme 2012 Handbook for Applicants All information correct at time of printing 17