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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

A Specialist Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner working within the innovative Diabetes Care For You (DCFY) service, providing high volume, low-intensity talking therapy to people living with diabetes.  Holistic care and treatment and multi-disciplinary team (MDT) working are embedded within the service.

As part of the small psychotherapy team within the service, provide assessments and interventions for people living with diabetes while experiencing associated mild to moderate emotional distress. Conducting risk assessments as well as psycho-educational interventions to encourage emotional resilience and active engagement in diabetes self-management. Work closely with other psychotherapists who will direct and support the PWP caseload. Responsible for delivering low intensity psychoeducational groups in person and on-line to people living with diabetes.

Our NICE approved interventions are based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) with an understanding of the psychological aspects of diabetes. Working with a range of disease specific difficulties from diabetes burn-out and distress to disordered eating, you’ll provide advice, consultation and joint-working with the wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT).  Link with wider primary- and secondary-care mental health local services as required.

2. Communication and working relationships

a)   Work alongside the Lead Psychological Practitioner and other psychotherapy colleagues. Daily liaison with administrators and clinicians within the DCFY team, including medics and nurses, dieticians and podiatrists.  Provide short-term low-intensity psychotherapy to patients living with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Be an advocate for the service and engage and foster good professional relationships within the wider health care system.

b)  Communicate sensitive confidential information in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans, monitor progress during interventions. Assess for depression, anxiety and eating disorders in people with diabetes and use on-line questionnaires as appropriate. Support physical health care colleagues with psychologically informed care. Develop positive working relationships across the administrative, operational, and clinical teams. Undertake risk assessment and take appropriate action. Formulate treatment plans for discussion with the Lead Psychological Practitioner.

c) Comprehensive assessment of patients with mild to moderate emotional distress, including assessing for suicidal risk and developing safety plans. Explicitly discuss thoughts, feelings and actions relating to an individual’s desire to self-harm and/or engage in suicidal activity. Working skilfully and sensitively with denial and/or avoidance. Telephone triage patients on the psychotherapy waiting list and monitor systematically stepped care within the psychotherapy service to ensure that lower-level interventions are providing significant health gain.

d)   Facilitate structured group therapy of patients living with diabetes in person and on-line. Present cases to large MDT, supporting and informing colleagues from a psychological perspective.

3. Main tasks

a)    Contribute to the review and management of the psychotherapy waiting list within the DCFY service in line with agreed protocols and guidance. Telephone triage patients on the psychotherapy waiting list and monitor systematically stepped care within the psychotherapy service to ensure that lower-level interventions are providing significant health gain.

a)  Make telephone assessments of mild-moderate depression, anxiety, disordered eating, safe-guarding, and risk. Formulate and implement low-intensity treatment plans accordingly eg psycho-educational interventions, guided self-help.

b)  Liaise with patients to discuss their referrals and decide and communicate with the patient around their psychotherapy assessment and time-limited treatment arrangements, signposting as necessary.

c)  Motivate and emotionally support complex patients living with diabetes to enable positive diabetes management. Using CBT-based methods and motivational-interviewing techniques, enable the development of emotional wellbeing and resilience for adults aged 18 y/o+, living with diabetes.

d)  Communicate with MDT colleagues around the action to follow, and record appropriately on computer-based system(s) and patient notes. Utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

e)  Receive regular clinical professional supervision and to sit in on psychotherapy assessments and treatment sessions as appropriate.

4. Main responsibilities

a)      Work sensitively, constructively and emotionally with patients on the psychotherapy pathway within the DCFY service.

b)      Assess for depression, anxiety, eating disorders and risk in people living with diabetes and use questionnaires as appropriate. Regularly liaise with DCFY Lead Psychological Practitioner to discuss suitability of patients for various pathways.

c)      Undertake risk assessment and take appropriate action.

d)      Formulate treatment plans for discussion with the Lead Psychological Practitioner.

e)      Provide regular audits in regard to the key performance indicators (KPIs) for DCFY including the audit and evaluation of therapeutic interventions.

f)        Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health

g)      Take part in regular clinical supervision in line with professional standards and maintain an active engagement with current developments in the field of CBT and related disciplines. Actively participate in continuing professional development (CPD).

h)      Maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the accrediting body registered with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

5. Organisation chart