Clinical Psychologist/Counselling Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical:

To provide specialist psychological 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 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, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, 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 lead and supervise the Hub DBT offer and clinical supervise the Hub CEN workers. The role will include oversight of the Hub CEN offer.

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, family or group.

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 psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

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.

Teaching, training, and supervision

To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues. To receive supervision in DBT and to attend DBT consult.

To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical/counseling psychology and/or the service as agreed with the professional psychology manager.

To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work as appropriate.

To provide professional and clinical supervision of trainee and assistant clinical psychologists.

To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology, as appropriate.

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 valuation 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 assistant and trainee clinical psychologists, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.

To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant / graduate psychologists.

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 research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.

To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

IT responsibilities

To maintain professional and personal records on computer, as appropriate

To enter data onto local Trust IT systems and databases, as appropriate

To utilize IT methodologies, such as e-mail and the internet, to access clinical and professional information and to communicate with colleagues.

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 postholders professional and service manager(s).

To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology 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 British Psychological Society, The Health Professions Council and 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 and qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counseling psychology as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• DBT British Isles Training to the level of Foundation and Upgrade sufficient to enable accreditation
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Desirable

• Post-Graduate Diploma in DBT Accredited DBT Therapist.
• Additional training in other psychotherapies such as CBT, CBTp, FI, DBT, MBT, CAT, EMDR and ACT

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist in a CMHT or similar complex care service working with patients with complexity and co-morbidity
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience delivering adherent DBT

Desirable

• Experience of representing Psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings.
• Experience of supervising other mental health staff.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

• 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, highly technical, and 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 nonprofessional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, as practiced within the field of clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation and policy in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.

Desirable

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialized psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialized psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
• Post-qualification training and accreditation in CBT or other evidence-based psychological therapies
• Knowledge and experience of implementing evidencebased psychological therapies for people with trauma and complex emotional needs.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Hathaway House

7F Woodfield Road

London

W9 2BA

Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)