Job summary
Harrow Adult Mental Health is looking for a highly motivated and passionate Principal Psychologist to join our established therapies team. This post is offered within our innovative Adult Community Mental Health Hub (CMHH, Bentley House) which provides intervention to adults presenting with a range of secondary care mental health difficulties; including psychosis, Complex Emotional Needs and PTSD.
The successful candidate will play a leading role in supporting the psychology team to provide highly specialist psychological assessment, collaborative formulation with service users, and consultation to the wider team - to support the development of creative, personalised and multi-disciplinary care plans that help individuals under the care of the CMHH to move forward. They will also support the provision of specialist psychological intervention drawing on a range of evidence-based modalities.
The post-holder will take a leading role in the ongoing development of Harrow's Trauma-Informed Approaches (TIA) model for adult mental health services. Over the last year, our CMHH has rolled out TIA and trained the full MDT in Power Threat Meaning Framework formulation and Psychological Stabilisation interventions. This project builds on Harrow's innovative TIA work in acute services over the last six years; now published (Nikopaschos et al. 2023; In Press) and influencing National Policy (see NHSE Guidelines for Acute Inpatient Mental Health Care for Adults and Older Adults, 2023).
Main duties of the job
Bentley House CMHH works closely with the rest of the Harrow mental health system (including the Home Treatment and Inpatient teams) to provide holistic intervention to adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. The post holder will join an expanding therapies team, committed to providing highly specialist and trauma-informed psychological care. They will work closely with the full range of MDT professionals, including psychiatry, nursing, occupational therapy and peer support. They will play a key leadership role in supporting the psychology team to provide assessment and formulation, creative multi-disciplinary care plans, and psychological intervention that follows service users across the Harrow system.
The post-holder will be expected to work as a senior member of the MDT, including the provision of consultation, co-working, teaching, training, supervision and research as well as developing specific training to enhance the systematic provision of psychological interventions offered to service users by all members of the team within a 'stepped-care' framework. They will make a leading contribution to the learning culture of the team and wider service, and play an integral role in the further development and embedding of TIA.
Specialist supervision is offered in EMDR, DBT, NET, CBT, Open Dialogue, CAT, systemic and psychodynamic models.
About us
There's a place for you at CNWL.
We're passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient's own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.
Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We're always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we're hoping to find our future leaders and we'll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.
With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more - whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.
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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a psychology service to service users of Bentley House Community Mental Health Hub (CMHH) and personally provide highly specialist clinical input.
To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead psychology specialist
To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychologists within Bentley House CMHH.
To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
Please see attached Job Description for full details.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a psychology service to service users of Bentley House Community Mental Health Hub (CMHH) and personally provide highly specialist clinical input.
To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead psychology specialist
To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychologists within Bentley House CMHH.
To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
Please see attached Job Description for full details.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
- Experience of supervising assistant, trainee and qualified psychologists, and having completed the relevant training.
- Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
- Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects
- Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area.
Desirable
- Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books
Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in Clinical/ Counselling Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice, through formal postqualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
- Completed training course in clinical supervision.
- Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. (
Desirable
- Further training and or qualifications in other fields of applied psychology
Knowledge
Essential
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for adult mental health
- Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychological approaches to mental health difficulties, and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
- Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
- Experience of supervising assistant, trainee and qualified psychologists, and having completed the relevant training.
- Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
- Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects
- Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area.
Desirable
- Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books
Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in Clinical/ Counselling Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice, through formal postqualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
- Completed training course in clinical supervision.
- Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. (
Desirable
- Further training and or qualifications in other fields of applied psychology
Knowledge
Essential
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for adult mental health
- Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychological approaches to mental health difficulties, and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
- Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
