Principal Practitioner Psychologist

Job responsibilities

Clinical1. To provide highly specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the Transcend Service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, forensic history, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, psychodynamic, adult attachment and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and other involved in the clients care.

2. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of clients complex mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficiency, across the full range of care settings.

3. To be responsible for implementing a range of specialised psychological interventions for individuals and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models, legal obligations and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individuals, family or group.

5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients who problems are managed bypsychologically based standard care plans.

6. To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals which contributes directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

7. To provide directly and indirectly, a psychologically grounded framework of understanding to guide care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

8. To ensure that comprehensive risk assessments on all patients within the service are carried out in line with Local Division policy. To contribute to multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment of complex cases, and to share advice and recommendations.9. To communicate and record 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 multidisciplinary care.

10. To revise and manage the referral process and waiting list.

11. To clinically lead on assessment, intervention, evaluation and risk assessment.

12. To line manage psychological professions within the Transcend service, as appropriate

Teaching, Training and Supervision1. To deliver regular clinical and professional supervision to psychologycolleagues.2. To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to psychological/nursing needs as agreed with the Divisional Lead for Psychological Professions.3. To apply and continue to develop skills in the area of professional postgraduate teaching, training supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work as appropriate.4. To provide professional clinical supervision of student and trainee staff and to line manage psychological professions within the Transcend service, as appropriate.5. To contribute to the pre and post qualification teaching of clinicalpsychological/nursing service staff, as appropriate, including thedevelopment of reflective practice interventions, enhanced by PhD. Study outcomes.6. To provide advice consultation and training to MDT staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate

Management, Recruitment and Service Development1. To line manage psychological services staff working within the Transcend service.2. To develop and apply professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit to enhance development, evaluation and monitoring of themultidisciplinary teams operational policies and services.3. To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological/nursing and/or organisational matters need addressing.4. To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of new staff.

Research and Service Evaluation1. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.2. To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.3. To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop serviceprovision.4. To contribute to the dissemination of any work undertaken by promoting the evidence base and by publishing the work in accredited journal and speaking at relevant conferences/workshops

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training (or equivalent) that confers HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Post-graduate training and learning in the specific area of specialist knowledge and expertise.
• Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC
• Formal training in supervision of others.

Desirable

• Training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychological interventions.
• leadership qualification

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

• Substantial post-qualification experience of working therapeutically with clients presenting with gender dysphoria and complex comorbidities including autism, interpersonal difficulties, and trauma.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a range of care settings as appropriate to the specialty, including A&E, outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Knowledge of IT systems including word processing, email and any local systems
• Experience of delivering clinical supervision to qualified and unqualified psychological professions.

Desirable

• Experience of teaching and training
• Experience of the application of psychological assessments and therapies in different cultural contexts
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g., autistic people, personality disorder, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities etc.)
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Experience of leading on service development projects

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, complex, highly technical and/or 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
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended professional bodies. Knowledge of legislation in relation to client group
• Ability to sit in a constrained position when working with clients
• Ability to sustain intense levels of concentration responding and participating as required
• Ability to self-reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately
• Ability to cope and deal with highly distressing emotional circumstances
• Ability to cope with unpleasant working conditions
• Willing and able to work flexible hours in order to meet the needs of the service
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material challenging behaviour
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
• Must have enhanced DBS status

Desirable

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework

Values

Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

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.

UK Registration

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