Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
- To provide highly specialist clinical health psychology intervention to adults in the community with complex difficulties. Specifically for patients with neurological conditions and strokes, their families, carers and associated staff. This includes developing and providing specialist programmes of care and advice at an individual and group level, consultative advice and supervision for colleagues, education of colleagues and service-based research.
- Teaching and training to multi disciplinary colleagues
- The teaching, training and supervision of newly qualified Psychologists.
- Participates in undertaking relevant research and audit within specialist services.
- The specialist teaching/training and supervision of doctoral clinical psychology trainees and psychology assistants.
- Required to act independently and be accountable for own actions within professional guidelines and trust policies.
This post constitutes:
- 8 sessions of highly specialist clinical psychology service to neurology out-patients
Knowledge, skills and experience required
- Post-graduate doctorate in Clinical Psychology accredited by British Psychological Society (BPS) and eligible for chartered status.
- Experience unique to specialty including experience within psychological aspects of health care, neuropsychological assessment and psychological interventions in group and individual settings
- Requires the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills, sufficient to effectively and tactfully communicate complex sensitive and contentious information to distressed or vulnerable patients, family and colleagues, or those with communication difficulties (eg. cognitive deficits, brain injury, deafness etc)
- Knowledge of relevant government frameworks and initiatives.
- Knowledge of physical health problems and psychological aspects of chronic and/or life-threatening physical illnesses and mental health difficulties.
- Knowledge of current evidence-based clinical interventions in clinical psychology.
- Skills in treating patients on an individual and group basis, including assessment, individualised formulation, development and implementation of treatment.
- Experience of responding to requests for consultation on staff and organisational difficulties.
- Experience of multi-disciplinary working, consultancy and staff teaching/training within healthcare settings.
- Emotional robustness and capacity for concentration to cope and work effectively with the stress (in self and others) of frequent intense work with people who are in highly distressing situations (e.g. management of chronic/terminal disease, bereavement, loss issues adjustment to physical and cognitive disabilities resulting from stroke etc; work conflict and stress).
- Capacity to use reflection to guide clinical practice.
- Trained to supervise doctoral clinical psychology trainees and psychology assistants.
- Have experience of teaching/training and presenting good practice and research findings at both local and national levels.
- Doctoral level knowledge and expertise in research methods for audit and evaluation, including complex multivariate data analysis, to meet the clinical governance agenda
- Be accountable for own professional actions and the interpretation of agreed guidelines, Government Frameworks, Trust and BPS guidelines and policies, taking responsibility for the maintenance and development of own professional skills base
- Competence and keyboard skills required in the use of basic IT and complex data management systems (including SPSS, Access and EXCEL), word processing and presentation packages and reviewing literature from psychological/medical databases.
- A valid driving license or other demonstrable means of mobility
Key result areas:
Clinical
- Direct clinical intervention through the application of a range of psychological theories and models to analyse, understand and interpret complex situations and behaviours in order to formulate solutions and treatment which is tailored to individuals needs. This requires the capacity to engage in intense concentration for prolonged periods of time.
- In collaboration with senior psychologists and the multi-disciplinary team develop and deliver highly specialist programmes of psychological assessment and intervention (including advice and consultancy to other professionals) tailored to meet the needs of individuals and families with a broad range of the most complex psychological difficulties in managing and adjusting to their condition in order to improve their psychological and/or physical wellbeing.
- Although the postholder acts autonomously and is professionally accountable for their own practice, in common with all clinical psychologists, receives regular clinical supervision in accordance with good practice guidelines.
- Being referred the most complex cases for which standard therapeutic approaches may not be appropriate and which other colleagues cannot deal with. For example, stroke patients may have significant barriers to communication, sensory loss and cognitive difficulties.
- Effective communication of highly complex, contentious, delicate and often unwelcome information to patients, families and colleagues, within a highly emotive atmosphere, in a rapidly changing context. This involves working alone with patients who may be in a highly emotional or distressed state and could present with physically and verbally challenging behaviour (and assessing and managing patients with sensory and/or cognitive impairment). This requires a high level of interpersonal and communication skills. This may require confronting rigidly held unrealistic beliefs and expectations.
- Provide highly specialised advice and consultation on care, therapy, and psychological aspects of physical health to multidisciplinary teams, staff groups, patients and carers. This may involve such things as motivating patients who could lack insight into their difficulties.
- Respond to requests for consultation on staff and organisational issues
- Responsibility for managing own time, planning of patients clinics and patient/carer groups. Organising the workload of doctoral clinical psychology trainees and psychology assistants.
- Use of neuropsychological/psychometric assessment tools requiring dexterity, speed and accuracy, with narrow margin for error. Interpretation of assessment results, requiring the use of analytical and reasoning skills. This could involve considering complex inter-related issues, such as possible effects of on-going treatment, physical health, mood and anxiety levels.
- Responsibility for maintaining clear and accurate patient records in the department and in hospital health care records, including writing and word processing letters and reports to outside medical and other referrers.
- To contribute to the local responses to major incidents and civil emergencies in order to ensure high quality psychological care of people involved in such events.
- Although the post holder acts autonomously and is professionally accountable for their own practice, in common with all Clinical Psychologists undertakes regular guided reflective practice with a (senior) colleague in accordance with good practice guidelines (often referred to as clinical supervision).
Policy and Service Development
- Implement policies and service developments in line with government directives.
- Identify service needs, setting up new initiatives which will enhance patient care outcomes.
- Work closely with the lead psychologists for stroke and neuro rehabilitation to shape those services, especially as regards psychological aspects of care delivery.
Teaching/training
- Clinical supervision of band 7 psychologist and doctoral clinical psychology trainees.
- In depth knowledge and experience of psychological aspects of health care and teaching methods.
- Deliver specialist psychology teaching/training to doctoral clinical psychology trainees and psychology colleagues.
- Teaching psychological aspects of physical health to other healthcare professionals within specialist services.
Research and development activity
- To regularly undertake applied clinical research and audit programmes, using a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies with the aim of improving health outcomes of patients their families and carers. This utilises reflective scientist- practitioner and doctoral level research skills.
- Supervision of Assistant Psychologists and Clinical Psychology Trainees in research and development.
- Offer consultation to other professionals with reference to research or audit-based activity.
Communications and working relationships
Required to work closely with:
- Head of Clinical Health Psychology Department and other psychology colleagues locally and nationally.
- Head of speciality for Neurology Psychology and Stroke services.
- Multidisciplinary teams (stroke units, neurology team), consultant medical colleagues.
Required to liaise with:
- Trust staff
- Partners in health and social care in the community
- National and regional special interest groups
- Voluntary organisations e.g. carer organisations
CPD
- Participate in current Trust performance/development review systems (e.g. IPDR)
- Responsibility for maintenance and development for own professional skills base.
- Remain abreast of recent developments in relevant areas of psychology through personal study, attendance at workshops and conferences.
- Actively participate in local and national special interest groups.
