Clinical Psychologist

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the ND Team for the diagnostic assessment of ASD/ADHD, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and specialist neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

Where appropriate develop detailed formulations to inform and provide a psychological assessment report of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

Where appropriate be responsible for implementing a range of psychological assessments for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

Where appropriate make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about diagnostic presentation considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

Where appropriate exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the assessment of and discharge of clients whose problems are managed as a psychologically based standard care plan, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, and evaluation, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.

Where appropriate provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professional contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

Where appropriate act as assessment co-ordinator, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of an assessment, appropriate for the clients needs, arranging clients care reviews as required and communication effectively with the client, his/her family and all others involved in care.

Where appropriate communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation, and evaluation plans of clients under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni and multi-disciplinary care.

To provide advice to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.

To provide consultation about the psychological care of the client group to staff and agencies outside the Directorate and Trust.

Teaching, training and supervision

In common with all clinical psychologists to receive regular clinical supervision and professional management, according to good practice guidelines, from a senior clinical psychologist and where appropriate clinical supervision from other senior professional colleagues.

Where appropriate provide specialist clinical placements for trainee clinical and/or counselling psychologists, ensuring that they acquire the necessary clinical and research skills to doctoral level where appropriate, and competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good psychological practice, and contributing to the assessment and evaluation of those competencies.

To provide advice, consultation and training and clinical supervision to other members of the team for their provision of psychologically based interventions to help improve clients functioning.

Where appropriate provide pre and post qualification teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology as appropriate.

To continue to develop expertise in the area of professional pre and post graduate training and clinical supervision.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To participate as a clinician in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service for patients and their families within the ND Team.

To participate in the systematic governance of psychological practice within the ND Team.

To be support the implementation of service developments and projects within the ND Team.

Where appropriate take responsibility for managing the workloads of trainee, assistant and graduate psychologists and other professional staff as required within the framework of the services policies and procedures.

Where appropriate assess the clinical competence of trainees and provide formal feedback to the relevant university training body.

Research and service evaluation

Where appropriate be involved in the planning and implementing systems for the evaluation, monitoring and development of the locality service, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit and ensuring incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high quality care.

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work, work with other team members within the ND Team.

Where appropriate undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the ND Team.

Where appropriate use appropriate means of analysis for research data (e.g. use of computer packages such as Microsoft Excel, Access and SPSS) for departmental or service projects supporting other team members.

Where appropriate communicate research/audit findings in a professional manner through use of IT packages (e.g. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint) for the preparation of documentation.

Where appropriate support the implementation of project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service to help develop and improve services to clients and their families.

Information Technology

To maintain comprehensive clinical notes and consultation records as defined in the operational policy, utilizing both case files and the services electronic patient record system.

To utilize electronic patient record data for implementation of audit and service delivery purposes to inform service developments.

Professional

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programme, in consultation with professional and operational managers and within the KSF, BPS, and HPCP CPD best practice guidance and requirements.

To prepare for and attend an Annual Review/Personal Development Plan. Chaired by the Psychology professional line manager, and involving any relevant senior clinicians. To provide evidence of CPD undertaken e.g. in the form of a CPD log book. To collaboratively set aims and objectives and systematically monitor progress.

During the first two-three years in post to consolidate and develop clinical, research and supervisory skills through a structured CPD programme using the KSF framework. To aim to then function as a highly specialist practitioner, this may involve a banding review.

To maintain the highest standards of record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both children and families and mental health

To attend and contribute to Clinical Psychology meetings and the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of Psychopathology, Clinical Psychometrics and Neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Current registration with the health and Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist.

Desirable

• Training and experience in supervision of qualified staff

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a psychologist within CAMHS or Paediatrics.
• Training/experience of providing evidence based interventions.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and stressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of conducting risk assessments within complex clinical settings.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.

Desirable

• Experience of working with young people with ASD.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation and its complications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC.

Desirable

• Formal training in supervision of others.
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and severely challenging behaviours etc.)
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.

Desirable

• A commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both multi-professional and uni-professional audit, and a wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to articulate and interpret clearly the role of the profession of clinical psychology based upon a good understanding of the framework of government and national professional policy.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Record of having published in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).