Job summary
We are seeking to recruit an experienced Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychologists to lead the therapies provision in the Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities North East London team (FIND NEL). FIND offers specialist forensic consultation and care for service users in the community with learning disabilities and/or autism who are at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system; an explicit focus is on supporting the timely discharge of service users from the forensic inpatients units into the community.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide clinical leadership in the FIND team, and specifically in relation to a team of therapists (including Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Arts Therapists, Drug and Alcohol Practitioners, and Family Therapists) as well as other clinical staff. At the strategic level, the post involves developing relationships across a wide system of services, and collaborating with both inpatient forensic services, and learning disability and autism community services, and other relevant community organisations. Direct clinical work involves providing specialist and comprehensive psychological assessments and psychological interventions to a number of identified service users and their families through individual and group interventions. A significant proportion of the work also involves consultation to partner organisation, as well as training and educational activities. The postholder would join a large and dynamic psychology department in the Forensic Directorate, covering medium and low security, as well as several forensic community teams. The department has excellent links with the North Thames Clinical Psychology training courses and other academic institutions, and teaching, training and research activities are actively encouraged. We actively support and fund wide-ranging CPD activities.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- Post Graduate Doctoral level training in Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychology or equivalent accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
- Evidence of CPD in accordance with BPS recommendations
- Either: Recognized qualification or training in psychotherapy supervision or Clinical supervision training for doctoral clinical /counselling psychology trainees.
- Registered as a practitioner psychologist by the HCPC.
Desirable
- Additional specialist training in intellectual disability or Autism Spectrum Disorders.
- Formal training in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
- Post Qualification Training in a Psychotherapy Modality: e.g. DBT, CFT, EMDR, CBTp, CBT for trauma or Schema Therapy.
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience of working with service users with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Intellectual Disability and of assessing for Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Intellectual Disability
- Experience of providing specialist psychological assessments and treatment interventions to patients with complex problems, including severe mental illness, personality disorder, substance misuse, offending behaviour and/or dual diagnosis
- Providing specialist psychological assessment and intervention across a range of care settings including community and inpatient.
- Experience of devising and implementing PBS plans.
- Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- Representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary and inter agency care.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies when working with people with autism or learning disabilities
- Skills in delivering psychological interventions in individual and group formats, adapted to meet the needs of the individual or group
- Ability to identify risk relevant to forensic work. Skills in risk assessment and risk management
- Knowledge of the evidence base for psychological interventions with a (forensic) learning disability or autism client group.
- Ability to adapt psychological therapies to client's needs, taking into account specific communication difficulties.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- Post Graduate Doctoral level training in Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychology or equivalent accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
- Evidence of CPD in accordance with BPS recommendations
- Either: Recognized qualification or training in psychotherapy supervision or Clinical supervision training for doctoral clinical /counselling psychology trainees.
- Registered as a practitioner psychologist by the HCPC.
Desirable
- Additional specialist training in intellectual disability or Autism Spectrum Disorders.
- Formal training in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
- Post Qualification Training in a Psychotherapy Modality: e.g. DBT, CFT, EMDR, CBTp, CBT for trauma or Schema Therapy.
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience of working with service users with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Intellectual Disability and of assessing for Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Intellectual Disability
- Experience of providing specialist psychological assessments and treatment interventions to patients with complex problems, including severe mental illness, personality disorder, substance misuse, offending behaviour and/or dual diagnosis
- Providing specialist psychological assessment and intervention across a range of care settings including community and inpatient.
- Experience of devising and implementing PBS plans.
- Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- Representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary and inter agency care.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies when working with people with autism or learning disabilities
- Skills in delivering psychological interventions in individual and group formats, adapted to meet the needs of the individual or group
- Ability to identify risk relevant to forensic work. Skills in risk assessment and risk management
- Knowledge of the evidence base for psychological interventions with a (forensic) learning disability or autism client group.
- Ability to adapt psychological therapies to client's needs, taking into account specific communication difficulties.
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).
