Job summary
Are you looking for an exciting and varied role where you will be able to work across a range of settings, as part of a well-established and supportive multi-disciplinary team? The Hillingdon Community Learning Disability Team have a Band 8A role available for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist. Psychology is a valued part of the team and you would be joining an 8A psychotherapist, and Assistant Psychologist, who have strong connections to Learning Disabilities Services across the trust and in the NW London region.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the delivery of high-quality psychological services for adults with learning disabilities, their families, and carers.
You will play a key role in providing specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention, as well as consultation and training to colleagues across health and social care.
In CNWL, psychological professions have a strong sense of leadership and a distinct professional identity. There is an emphasis on Continuing Professional Development and developing your skills in line with your career progression goals. As a Trust, we are committed to staff development and will work with you to identify your development goals and support you to access training to enhance your role.
Main duties of the job
The psychology provision within the Hillingdon Community Learning Disability Team includes assessing for learning disability, assessing service-users' psychological needs, developing formulations to help individuals, families and systems to understand their needs and difficulties, and offering intervention at the appropriate level for the person referred (individual, family, system). As part of the multi-disciplinary team, psychologists also routinely work jointly with other professionals within and external to the service, to improve the quality of life and care for the person referred.
About us
Here at CNWL we encourage our psychological professions staff to pursue leadership opportunities in senior roles. Various prominent leadership roles within the Trust are currently held by Psychologists including: Director of Strategy and Integration, Chief Information Officer, 3 Clinical Directors. We try to facilitate the development of our psychological professions staff across all areas.
What we can offer you:
CNWL is recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ in line with our values, our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.
A Trust committed to staff personal development, with a trust wide culture change and leadership programme that has staff wellbeing at its core.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Deliver specialist psychological assessments and interventions for adults with learning disabilities accessing the Hillingdon Community Learning Disability Team including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
Provide consultation, supervision, and training to multidisciplinary colleagues functioning as a lead specialist in Learning Disability
Contribute to service development, research, and audit activities.
Work collaboratively with families, carers, and partner agencies to promote person-centred care.
Support the team in embedding trauma-informed and evidence-based practice.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Deliver specialist psychological assessments and interventions for adults with learning disabilities accessing the Hillingdon Community Learning Disability Team including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
Provide consultation, supervision, and training to multidisciplinary colleagues functioning as a lead specialist in Learning Disability
Contribute to service development, research, and audit activities.
Work collaboratively with families, carers, and partner agencies to promote person-centred care.
Support the team in embedding trauma-informed and evidence-based practice.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in Applied 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.
- Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice related to Learning Disability or autism 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 in Positive Behaviour Support, Functional Analysis or Applied Behaviour Analysis
- Further training in systemic or family therapy
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in Learning Disability
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in Learning Disability
- Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training
- 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
Desirable
- Experience of working with a multidisciplinary team in the context of highly emotive or distressed behaviours
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for people with Learning Disabilities/autistic people
- 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.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of Positive Behaviour Support,
Skills
Essential
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
- 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
Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in Applied 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.
- Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice related to Learning Disability or autism 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 in Positive Behaviour Support, Functional Analysis or Applied Behaviour Analysis
- Further training in systemic or family therapy
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in Learning Disability
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in Learning Disability
- Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training
- 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
Desirable
- Experience of working with a multidisciplinary team in the context of highly emotive or distressed behaviours
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for people with Learning Disabilities/autistic people
- 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.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of Positive Behaviour Support,
Skills
Essential
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
- 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).
