Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist in Eating Disorders

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work within the CNWL eating disorders service. We are offering a permanent full time Senior Psychologist post within the Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

This position involves providing specialist therapies to clients across all sectors of care, although the majority of the work will be working with the inpatient staff and patients.

This includes the provision of highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, whilst also offering advice and consultation on clients' psychological care to colleagues and to other non-professional carers. The post holder will be responsible for line management and clinical supervision to attached supervisees while working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the teams' policies and procedures. In addition, the post will require skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team and service. The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing assessment and treatment to adults with eating disorders.

About us

The post holder will be based at the Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service and will provide clinical and other services across the inpatient, day patient and outpatient programmes. Depending on service need, you may be expected to work flexibly across both sites (Chelsea and Harrow-on-the-Hill. Service provision within this scope may at times involve travelling to different sites within the catchment area.

Date posted

08 September 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£58,698 to £65,095 a year per annum HCAS inclusive

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-G-ED-0316

Job locations

1 Nightingale Place

London

SW10 9NG

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical:

To provide specialist assessments of clients referred to the team, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources (including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care).
To diagnose patients eating and related psychiatric problems.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems. To employ methods based upon evidence of efficacy across inpatient, day patient and outpatient settings.
To be responsible for implementing psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. This occurs within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.

To integrate (with the psychological formulation) an understanding of the medical aspects of the eating disorders and associated medical conditions.

To liaise with other clinicians involved in the patients care, in order that appropriate physical checks and interventions are carried out to ensure the patients physical safety.
To understand the role of relevant physical treatments (e.g. nutrition, pharmacology).
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
To provide specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the treatment team.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients, and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multi-disciplinary care.
To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
To lead on psychological thinking and psychological treatment provision in our inpatient ward and day programme.

Teaching, training, and supervision 1. To receive regular clinical and operational supervision from the teams Lead Psychologist and where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues. 2. To attend Staff Group with other colleagues in the service.

To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision.
To provide line management to attached band 7 therapists.
To provide clinical supervision to band 7s and other MDT staffs psychological work, as appropriate.
To provide clinical placements for appropriate trainees, ensuring that they acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
To provide professional and clinical supervision of trainees and assistants.
To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of other professionals, as required by the head of specialty.
To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
To manage the workloads of those you line manage and supervise, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.
To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of candidates for posts in the multidisciplinary team.
As negotiated and within time constraints, the post holder will be expected to attend relevant clinical meetings of local adult mental health services for individual patients.
To attend and contribute to the regular professional meetings of the Adult Psychology Specialty and other Departmental meetings.

Research and service evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To undertake appropriate service development research and provide research advice to other staff and clinical trainees undertaking research.
To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.
To familiarise themselves with, and to comply with, the Trusts requirements on research governance.

IT responsibilities (other than those used for research)

The post holder will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data and provide this to the Service Manager/Head of Speciality when necessary.
The post holder will engage in relevant computer and IT training as required.
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that those clinicians who they are responsible for/ supervise engage in relevant computer and IT training as required, and will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data.

General

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service managers.
To contribute to the development and articulation of evidence-based and evidence-generating clinical practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner. To take part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of psychological treatment of eating disorders and related disciplines.
To 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 relevant professional body and with Trust policies and procedures.
To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical:

To provide specialist assessments of clients referred to the team, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources (including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care).
To diagnose patients eating and related psychiatric problems.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems. To employ methods based upon evidence of efficacy across inpatient, day patient and outpatient settings.
To be responsible for implementing psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. This occurs within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.

To integrate (with the psychological formulation) an understanding of the medical aspects of the eating disorders and associated medical conditions.

To liaise with other clinicians involved in the patients care, in order that appropriate physical checks and interventions are carried out to ensure the patients physical safety.
To understand the role of relevant physical treatments (e.g. nutrition, pharmacology).
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
To provide specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the treatment team.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients, and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multi-disciplinary care.
To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
To lead on psychological thinking and psychological treatment provision in our inpatient ward and day programme.

To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision.
To provide line management to attached band 7 therapists.
To provide clinical supervision to band 7s and other MDT staffs psychological work, as appropriate.
To provide clinical placements for appropriate trainees, ensuring that they acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
To provide professional and clinical supervision of trainees and assistants.
To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of other professionals, as required by the head of specialty.
To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
To manage the workloads of those you line manage and supervise, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.
To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of candidates for posts in the multidisciplinary team.
As negotiated and within time constraints, the post holder will be expected to attend relevant clinical meetings of local adult mental health services for individual patients.
To attend and contribute to the regular professional meetings of the Adult Psychology Specialty and other Departmental meetings.

Research and service evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To undertake appropriate service development research and provide research advice to other staff and clinical trainees undertaking research.
To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.
To familiarise themselves with, and to comply with, the Trusts requirements on research governance.

IT responsibilities (other than those used for research)

The post holder will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data and provide this to the Service Manager/Head of Speciality when necessary.
The post holder will engage in relevant computer and IT training as required.
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that those clinicians who they are responsible for/ supervise engage in relevant computer and IT training as required, and will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data.

General

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service managers.
To contribute to the development and articulation of evidence-based and evidence-generating clinical practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner. To take part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of psychological treatment of eating disorders and related disciplines.
To 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 relevant professional body and with Trust policies and procedures.
To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology or an equivalent subject relevant to mental health.
D. Clin. Psych in clinical psychology/counselling psychology.
Doctoral level training in an applied clinical field that includes models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology. This must be accredited by the relevant professional body.

Desirable

Training in additional therapy models such as cognitive analytic therapy, EMDR, dialectical behaviour therapy
Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
Training in EMDR

EXPERIENCE

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
Substantial post-qualification experience of working within a relevant therapeutic framework, with patients who present with problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. This should include specialist training/experience.
Substantial supervised post-qualification experience of delivering evidence-based therapy for the eating disorders and common comorbid conditions.
Provision of supervision (peer, individual or group) to trainees and assistants working in a mental health setting.
Experience working with individuals who have personality disorders.
Experience in working on an eating disorder inpatient ward.

Desirable

Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
Experience of the application of therapy in different cultural contexts.
Supervised experience of delivering other treatments for the eating disorders, including cognitive analytic therapy, motivational work and/or dialectical behavioural therapy methods.
Provision of supervision to clinicians and trainees working with the eating disorders.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

Knowledge of the theoretical and evidence base for understanding, formulating and treating the eating disorders and comorbid personality pathology.
Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of mental health.
High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one other specialised psychological therapy.
Training in supervision of trainees and assistants.
Evidence of continuing professional development, as recommended by the relevant professional body.
Maintaining a high degree of professionalism and commitment to ongoing therapy in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.

Desirable

Knowledge of the theory and practice of therapy in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Publication and presentation of clinical research in the field of the eating disorders or associated areas of mental health.
Knowledge of theory and practice of personality disorders treatment and therapy

Other

Essential

Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

Desirable

Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology or an equivalent subject relevant to mental health.
D. Clin. Psych in clinical psychology/counselling psychology.
Doctoral level training in an applied clinical field that includes models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology. This must be accredited by the relevant professional body.

Desirable

Training in additional therapy models such as cognitive analytic therapy, EMDR, dialectical behaviour therapy
Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
Training in EMDR

EXPERIENCE

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
Substantial post-qualification experience of working within a relevant therapeutic framework, with patients who present with problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. This should include specialist training/experience.
Substantial supervised post-qualification experience of delivering evidence-based therapy for the eating disorders and common comorbid conditions.
Provision of supervision (peer, individual or group) to trainees and assistants working in a mental health setting.
Experience working with individuals who have personality disorders.
Experience in working on an eating disorder inpatient ward.

Desirable

Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
Experience of the application of therapy in different cultural contexts.
Supervised experience of delivering other treatments for the eating disorders, including cognitive analytic therapy, motivational work and/or dialectical behavioural therapy methods.
Provision of supervision to clinicians and trainees working with the eating disorders.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

Knowledge of the theoretical and evidence base for understanding, formulating and treating the eating disorders and comorbid personality pathology.
Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of mental health.
High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one other specialised psychological therapy.
Training in supervision of trainees and assistants.
Evidence of continuing professional development, as recommended by the relevant professional body.
Maintaining a high degree of professionalism and commitment to ongoing therapy in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.

Desirable

Knowledge of the theory and practice of therapy in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Publication and presentation of clinical research in the field of the eating disorders or associated areas of mental health.
Knowledge of theory and practice of personality disorders treatment and therapy

Other

Essential

Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

Desirable

Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).