Senior Psychosocial Practitioner

The Iris Centre, is the Therapeutic Community which forms part of the Personality Disorder and Complex Emotional Need Pathway. It is a specialist team of mental health professionals with qualifications and experience in offering psychotherapy and treatment to individuals with Severe and Complex personality difficulties. The team includes psychosocial practitioners, Group Analysts, psychotherapists and Consultant Medical Psychotherapists. This service was commissioned to offer care and treatment to individuals with a diagnosis of Severe and Complex Personality Disorder who have received treatment in out of area placements or would likely need to be treated in out of area placements, and to support the effective care and treatment of individuals with a diagnosis of personality disorder in community networks. We are looking for an experienced and dynamic individual with a passion for working with those who attract the diagnosis of Personality disorder. The successful candidate will join our highly skilled team and play a key role in the development of our work streams. What is Psychosocial Practice? The clients who are referred to the Service often find that those activities, which most of us perform without thinking, are charged with emotion and conflict to such a degree that there is a breakdown in the manageability of daily life. The Psychosocial aspect aims to address, in a relational way, the difficulty clients have in carrying out the activities of the day.Main duties of the job Psychosocial group work encourages clients to use everyday tasks and relationships as a means of managing disturbance and also for exploring possibilities for change and growth. It is not based solely on the tasks of the group but on the emotional reactions aroused when carrying them out and the group work includes promoting discussion about both these aspects. The practitioners try to erode the traditional professional: client dynamic in order to nurture the clients adult/functioning side to enable the clients to take as much responsibility for the effective functioning of the group as possible.

• Openness to both conscious and unconscious communication and recognises behaviours and affects are communication
• Communicates in a clear direct manner and actively listens and engages with others to further their understanding
• Can adapt the mode of communication appropriate to the audience
• Avoids telling others what to think but provides/creates opportunities for understanding to grow / develop / emerge.
• Can think about ones own capacities and deficits in relation to the work.
• Can work by continually being aware of ones responses to others and ones self
• Self-reflection / awareness - desire to know why one is drawn to this work
• Has self-knowledge - able to self-talk - adopt a third position, We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

About Devon Partnership Trust We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery. We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do