Principal Clinical Psychologist - Brent LD Service

Job responsibilities

1. To lead the multi-disciplinary CAMHS-LD team for children and young people, within the clinical governance structures and protocols of the service.
2. To provide highly specialist psychology service to children with learning disabilities and their families across all sectors of care; providing highly specialist psychological assessments for children with learning disabilities and their carers referred to the service, 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, including frontline workers in health, education, social services and the voluntary sector.
3. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of emotional and behavioural disorders in children, young people and families with a co-existing LD diagnosis, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
4. To work to prevent placement breakdown, and far more effective rehabilitation of children and young people back into their families where appropriate.

Please see comprehensive job description.

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) in clinical psychology, or counselling psychology, as accredited by the BPS. Training should include specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
• HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist: Clinical Psychologist or Counselling Psychologist.
• Post-qualification training in Supervision

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training etc.
• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice especially relevant to complex CAMHS. In particular, additional training in a therapeutic approach developed/recommended for working with people with neurodevelopmental differences, including Learning Disabilities.

EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity around mental health concerns across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of working with people with learning disabilities and their networks
• Substantive post-qualification experience of working within a multidisciplinary specialist CAMHS team and of proving specialist CAMHS assessment and intervention.
• Substantive post-qualification experience of delivering evidence-based treatment using a range of modalities in a number of cultural contexts.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of providing supervision and consultation

Desirable

• Experience of assessing and providing interventions to young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental differences (e.g. Learning Disabilities).
• Experience of the use of a range of diagnostic tools and outcome measures
• Experience of teaching and / or training to professionals within and outside of health settings.
• Supervised experience of evidence-based treatment in relation to children with mental health concerns.
• Experience of working with interpreters.
• Experience of working with other agencies, including Education, Social Care and the voluntary sector and of the process of commissioning services .
• Familiarity with and skills in the implementation of Quality Assurance for EHCNAs for SEND.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Substantive knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration, in particular as applied to complex problems including cognitive behavioural methods.
• Substantive knowledge of the theoretical evidence base for understanding, formulating and providing interventions for mental health concerns experienced by children and young people
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information including diagnoses and formulations to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Well-developed skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance and as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Substantive experience of assessing mental health risk and safeguarding concerns.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In particular, knowledge and experience of the Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) process.

Desirable

• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist neuropsychological assessment and CAMHS interventions for mental health and behavioural concerns within the context of LD.
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
• Knowledge of CAMHS legislation
• Knowledge and experience of research methodology
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Experience of planning and delivery of group treatments.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of leading or taking a lead role within CAMHS, CAMHS-LD or NHS services.

OTHER

Essential

• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour. In particular: oUnderstands and able to implement and promote the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the post. oUnderstands and can apply confidentiality and information sharing policy and procedures

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).