Job summary
We are seeking applications from Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Practitioner Psychologists or Psychotherapists for a full-time permanent role (part-time would be considered) in the National Adult ADHD and Autism Psychology Service (NAAAPS). This is an exciting opportunity to make a valuable contribution to improving the wellbeing of service users with neurodevelopmental conditions.
NAAAPS is a specialist psychology and psychotherapy clinic providing assessments and short to medium term interventions for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or Autism Spectrum conditions (ASC).
There are great opportunities for service development, teaching, training and the supervision of others within this role. The service also offers opportunities to undertake research. A wide range of CPD opportunities are available and the post holder will be supported to develop skills in their areas of interest.
Previous experience with this population is desirable but not essential. Applications from Psychological Practitioners with transferable adult mental health experience are welcomed.
In keeping with our obligations under the new Coronavirus Regulations 2021 the successful candidate will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination status againstCovid-19
Main duties of the job
- To provide a highly specialist psychology service to the National Adult ADHD and Autism Psychology Service (NAAAPS), a specialist psychology service for adults with neurodevelopmental conditions, including specialist assessment, treatment, training to other staff, 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.
- To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a specialist in adult neurodevelopmental and complex mental health services.
- To undertake service evaluation, audit and research.
- To work as an autonomous professional within registration body 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.
- To contribute to psychological expertise within the wider multi-agency context
Agile and flexible working:
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage.
About us
NAAAPS is one of several adult neurodevelopmental pathways services which also include the National Adult ADHD and Autism diagnostic clinics, the 'Three Borough' (Croydon, Lambeth and Lewisham) Adult ADHD and Autism Service and the National Autistic Unit (inpatient); the pathways work together closely.
NAAAPS is a national service and also takes referrals from around London and the South East. Clinical responsibility is maintained by the secondary care service with which close liaison is required. Consultation to, and supervision of, interventions delivered by local community mental health professionals are important parts of the work. The client group is highly heterogeneous, ranging from those requiring psychoeducation and post-diagnostic support to those with significant associated mental health difficulties, long-term involvement with services and complex presentations.
NAAAPS is providing a combination of in person and remote therapy. Most meetings take place remotely and flexibility to work from home is desirable. The post-holder will also be expected to provide face to face sessions at the Maudsley Hospital where necessary and appropriate.
Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KR1 Clinical and Client Care
- To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the adult neurodevelopmental services.
- To select, administer and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests requiring skilled manipulation of test material), structured observations, clinical interviews for adults with neurodevelopmental difficulties and to interpret and integrate this highly complex data. This may involve assessment and treatment of serious mental health difficulties, personality disorders and at times offending behaviour.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions in order to inform referrers, service users, their families and professional network.
- To select and deliver specialist evidence based therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical models, monitoring outcome and modifying or adapting interventions as necessary based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and their network.
- To promote psychological support for carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients.
- To work as an autonomous professional within professional guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues, taking into account sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
KR 2 Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning
- To contribute to the effective working of the service and to a psychologically informed framework for the neurodevelopmental pathways services.
- To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to a diverse population.
- To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
- To advise other members of the neurodevelopmental pathways services on specialist psychological/psychotherapeutic care of clients.
- To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To liaise with the service/s MDT and other professionals
KR 3 Policy and service development
- To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
- To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of this client group.
KR 4 Care or management of resources
- To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.
- To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
- To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.
KR 5 Management and supervision
- To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners with support from a more senior practitioner.
- To supervise trainee applied psychological practitioners and CBT therapists within own area of specialism.
- To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To provide supervision for the psychological and/or psychotherapeutic work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
KR 6 Teaching and Training
- To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions and staff as appropriate.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the adult neurodevelopmental services by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychological therapies and ADHD/Autism/mental health/personality disorders and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
- To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
- To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 8 Research and development
- To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits.
- To initiate and carry out appropriate research as agreed
- To provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service.
- To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
- To identify aspects of own service which could be improved and initiate and contribute to the service development through participating in and leading on appropriate projects
KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
- To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological therapist according to professional body and Trust guidelines.
- To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with professional body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and professional Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
- To comply with professional Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics/Standards of Proficiency, and ensure professional development in line with these.
- To adhere to Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
KR10 General
- To travel to home visits, community placements, psychology meetings, as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
- To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
- To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc) and to support others involved in such situations through Trust-wide approaches including Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KR1 Clinical and Client Care
- To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the adult neurodevelopmental services.
- To select, administer and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests requiring skilled manipulation of test material), structured observations, clinical interviews for adults with neurodevelopmental difficulties and to interpret and integrate this highly complex data. This may involve assessment and treatment of serious mental health difficulties, personality disorders and at times offending behaviour.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions in order to inform referrers, service users, their families and professional network.
- To select and deliver specialist evidence based therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical models, monitoring outcome and modifying or adapting interventions as necessary based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and their network.
- To promote psychological support for carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients.
- To work as an autonomous professional within professional guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues, taking into account sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
KR 2 Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning
- To contribute to the effective working of the service and to a psychologically informed framework for the neurodevelopmental pathways services.
- To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to a diverse population.
- To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
- To advise other members of the neurodevelopmental pathways services on specialist psychological/psychotherapeutic care of clients.
- To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To liaise with the service/s MDT and other professionals
KR 3 Policy and service development
- To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
- To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of this client group.
KR 4 Care or management of resources
- To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.
- To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
- To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.
KR 5 Management and supervision
- To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners with support from a more senior practitioner.
- To supervise trainee applied psychological practitioners and CBT therapists within own area of specialism.
- To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To provide supervision for the psychological and/or psychotherapeutic work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
KR 6 Teaching and Training
- To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions and staff as appropriate.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the adult neurodevelopmental services by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychological therapies and ADHD/Autism/mental health/personality disorders and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
- To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
- To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 8 Research and development
- To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits.
- To initiate and carry out appropriate research as agreed
- To provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service.
- To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
- To identify aspects of own service which could be improved and initiate and contribute to the service development through participating in and leading on appropriate projects
KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
- To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological therapist according to professional body and Trust guidelines.
- To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with professional body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and professional Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
- To comply with professional Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics/Standards of Proficiency, and ensure professional development in line with these.
- To adhere to Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
KR10 General
- To travel to home visits, community placements, psychology meetings, as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
- To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
- To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc) and to support others involved in such situations through Trust-wide approaches including Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
- Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (relevant to Neurodevelopmental Conditions) through formal post-qualification 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 a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
- Completed training course in clinical supervision and/or accredited to supervise qualified psychological practitioners in relevant discipline.
- Registered with the professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in adult mental health and complex presentations.
- Experience of supervising assistants 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.
Skills
Essential
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and to sensitively manage a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- 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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
- Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (relevant to Neurodevelopmental Conditions) through formal post-qualification 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 a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
- Completed training course in clinical supervision and/or accredited to supervise qualified psychological practitioners in relevant discipline.
- Registered with the professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in adult mental health and complex presentations.
- Experience of supervising assistants 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.
Skills
Essential
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and to sensitively manage a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- 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.
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).
