Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Psychologist to join an expanding Clinical Health Psychology Department in Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (fixed term basis).
The post holder will continue to develop and lead the Long COVID psychology service, including the provision of psychological assessment, intervention, consultation and supervision.
The post holder will work with adults whose functioning and quality of life has been impacted by Long COVID, working from an interdisciplinary perspective to offer interventions based on comprehensive biopsychosocial formulations.
Long COVID services are expected to be reconfigured to a service focussed on the management and rehabilitation of needs associated with post-acute infection syndromes. Including but not exclusive to Post-COVID, CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia. The post-holder will contribute to local reconfiguration discussions and play a key role in shaping the role of psychology in new service models.
There is a local commitment for continued funding of a Clinical Health Psychology post in reconfigured services, so funding beyond the initial 18 months of employment may be possible.
The ideal candidate would have previous clinical experience with people living with Long COVID syndrome, or other transferable skills from related long term physical health conditions. Plus a desire to actively shape the psychological role and remit within the reconfiguration of services for this patient group.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will continue to deliver a high quality, specialist Long COVID clinical psychology service at CHFT. They will take a specialist lead clinical role, and will work as an integral part of the Long COVID pathway providing consultation and supervision to other professional colleagues. An important element of the role is the ongoing development of the service and therefore experience in this area is important. The post holder will be a valued part of a growing Clinical Health Psychology Department and contribute to supervision, line management and trust wide developments as required.
About us
We are a growing Clinical Health Psychology Department with good relationships across CHFT. We are committed to developing excellent quality care that aims to meet psychological needs of patients who are treated within CHFT. We develop services in a patient focussed way and compassionate care is at the heart of our Department. We actively encourage and support CPD, supervision, service-related audit and research. As a newly established department, there is significant scope to work creatively in the continuation of new trust wide developments and be part of shaping our culture.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for a full outline of the main responsibilities of this role. This includes the following:
1. To provide a highly specialist Long COVID service to patients within the Calderdale and Huddersfield area.
2. To work closely with colleagues in health to provide highly specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessment, formulation and therapy, taking full professional responsibility and exercising completely autonomous judgement, in matters of professional practice.
3. To offer advice and consultation on patients psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other non-professional carers
4. To have strategic oversight of the implementation, evaluation and measurement of the development of the Long COVID psychology service.
5. To offer consultation, advice and disseminate psychological ideas to the wider Long COVID.
5. To make a contribution to the general management, governance and supervision of the wider Clinical Health Psychology Service as agreed.
6. To work autonomously in the execution of these duties and within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Clinical Health Psychology Department and Trust policies and procedures.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for a full outline of the main responsibilities of this role. This includes the following:
1. To provide a highly specialist Long COVID service to patients within the Calderdale and Huddersfield area.
2. To work closely with colleagues in health to provide highly specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessment, formulation and therapy, taking full professional responsibility and exercising completely autonomous judgement, in matters of professional practice.
3. To offer advice and consultation on patients psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other non-professional carers
4. To have strategic oversight of the implementation, evaluation and measurement of the development of the Long COVID psychology service.
5. To offer consultation, advice and disseminate psychological ideas to the wider Long COVID.
5. To make a contribution to the general management, governance and supervision of the wider Clinical Health Psychology Service as agreed.
6. To work autonomously in the execution of these duties and within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Clinical Health Psychology Department and Trust policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Training
Essential
- Psychology conferring eligibility for chartership by the British Psychological Society and registration with the HCPC
- successful completion of postgraduate training in psychological practice (e.g. psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapy
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Essential
- Further training in a specialised area of clinical practice through formal post-doctoral training (diploma or equivalent)
- a combination of specialist short courses together with an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice as assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equivalent level to a postgraduate diploma
- Registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with Health and Care Professions Council (or other domain title as agreed), or a psychotherapist with relevant body for e.g. AFT or BACP
- 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 patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
Desirable
- Completion of formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees.
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)
Essential
- Assessed significant experience and competencies from working as a qualified practitioner psychologist/psychotherapist including significant post qualification experience within the designated specialty where the post is located.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient 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.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings
- Qualified experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams and supervising healthcare staff
- Experience of supporting families of patients with long term conditions
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
- Experience of working in medical multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Experience of representing psychology in meetings with service planners/commissioners to plan the patient pathway across community and acute services.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for specific difficult to treat groups. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
Desirable
- Experience of conducting neuropsychological assessments
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
- Knowledge of specialist therapy models (such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [ACT], Compassion Focused Therapy [CFT] and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing [EMDR]) and their application with people with physical health conditions.
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Training
Essential
- Psychology conferring eligibility for chartership by the British Psychological Society and registration with the HCPC
- successful completion of postgraduate training in psychological practice (e.g. psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapy
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Essential
- Further training in a specialised area of clinical practice through formal post-doctoral training (diploma or equivalent)
- a combination of specialist short courses together with an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice as assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equivalent level to a postgraduate diploma
- Registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with Health and Care Professions Council (or other domain title as agreed), or a psychotherapist with relevant body for e.g. AFT or BACP
- 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 patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
Desirable
- Completion of formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees.
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)
Essential
- Assessed significant experience and competencies from working as a qualified practitioner psychologist/psychotherapist including significant post qualification experience within the designated specialty where the post is located.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient 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.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings
- Qualified experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams and supervising healthcare staff
- Experience of supporting families of patients with long term conditions
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
- Experience of working in medical multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Experience of representing psychology in meetings with service planners/commissioners to plan the patient pathway across community and acute services.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for specific difficult to treat groups. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
Desirable
- Experience of conducting neuropsychological assessments
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
- Knowledge of specialist therapy models (such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [ACT], Compassion Focused Therapy [CFT] and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing [EMDR]) and their application with people with physical health conditions.
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).
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
