About the Role

This role balances both clinical and managerial responsibilities and the post holder will be required to work across two sites, Royal Sussex County Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital and work closely with the Staff Psychological Support Service manager. They will assist the Staff Psychological Support Service manager in operating and developing the SPSS across the hospital sites of University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. They will work directly with staff members from Maternity service and departments who refer to the service, offering one-to-one psychological support, providing short-term counselling, single and group counselling sessions, team/single debriefs, and supervision. They will also be offering supervision to counsellors, student placement and other divisional teams within the Trust.

The post holder will require a sound understanding of a varied range of psychological theories that SPSS can offer to ensure that staff receive effective support. Therapy will be conducted with a mix of face-to-face, telephone, and Microsoft Teams appointments, allowing flexibility in service delivery and ensuring accessibility to staff with differing needs across all UHsussex sites. In addition to providing clinical support, the post-holder will provide supportive line-management duties and undertake supervisory responsibilities for paid staff, qualified volunteers and counselling students, and where necessary other NHS departments. This is a crucial aspect of the role, as it helps ensure that counsellors, students and staff receive adequate support and guidance in their practice. Ensuring the provision of high-quality supervision will be key to maintaining standards and fostering a supportive work environment.