Senior Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of specialist psychological care to clients with complex mental health conditions, which may include challenging behaviours.

To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families.

To provide advice, guidance and clinical supervision to less experienced colleagues within the designated psychology service and to other members of the multidisciplinary team.

To undertake formal research as an integral part of the job.

To be pro-active in continual service improvement within own area.

To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental ill health and any associated disabilities.

To maintain minimum standards in accordance with local Payment by Results developments and, in conjunction with colleagues, develop outcome measures to provide an empirically measured standard for delivery of own and supervisees psychological provision.

To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider organisation

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1.1 Provides specialist psychological assessment of clients with complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources.

1.2 Formulates plans for specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers.

1.3 Adhere to the Community Psychologys Operational policy, working in-line with the services procedures on clinical delivery and attendance.

1.4 Implements a range of specialist psychological therapies for individual clients, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required.

1.5 Evaluates therapy options and makes decisions about treatment.

1.6 Responsible for recognising the potential for, or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk.

1.7 Undertakes risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

1.8 Liaises regularly with other professionals involved with the clients case, ensuring any concerns regarding welfare or risk to self or others is passed on in a timely manner.

1.9 Provides specialist psychological advice, supervision, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to clients diagnosis, formulation and intervention plan.

1.10 To participate in formal research, as and when required.

1.11 To build links with local universities, representing the service when required and assist in providing clinical placements to Psychology doctorate students.

1.12 Develop positive working relationships with other local Psychology services, liaising with other Psychology professionals and promoting the service in a professional manner.

Administrative Responsibilities.

2.1 - Required at times to undertake administrative tasks in relation to own work.

2.2 - Uses Microsoft Office applications on a daily basis.

Responsibility for information systems.

3.1 - Responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient/client records using SYSTMONE in accordance with the organisational and professional record keeping standards.

3.2 - Writes reports for other members of the multidisciplinary team and external parties regarding patient/client related matters.

3.3 - Uses psychometric testing and associated software packages.

3.3 - May use software packages for statistical analysis.

Responsibility for Planning/Organising & Strategic/Business Development

4.1 - Organises own workload on a day-to-day basis, prioritising work as appropriate.

4.2 - Assists in the allocation of work to assistant and trainee psychologists.

4.3 - Plans individual patient/client care and acts as care co-ordinator/lead practitioner, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a multidisciplinary care package appropriate for the clients needs.

Policy Development

5.1 - Ensures that new or revised policies and procedures are communicated effectively to assistant, trainee and newly qualified psychologists and put into practice.

5.2 - Pro-active in identifying and proposing changes to local procedures and working practices in own area and plays a significant role in implementation.

Service Development, Project Management

6.1 - Pro-active in identifying and proposing safety, quality and service improvements within own work area.

6.2 - Participates in the development, monitoring and evaluation of service improvements in own area.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical / counselling psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• HCPC registration as a clinical/counselling psychologist
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification showing evidence of supervised practice in an evidence-based psychological therapeutic model
• Registration with BPS
• Trained in clinical supervision (within agreed timescale)

Experience

Essential

• Must have experience/interest in working with serious mental illness cohorts
• Multi-disciplinary team working

Desirable

• Experience of CBT, DBT, EMDR and other evidence-based therapies
• Experience of group therapy
• Experience of research and audit

Skills & Attributes

Essential

• Communicate complex and highly sensitive information effectively, to a wide range of people
• Adapt creatively the evidence base for interventions in mental health for clients with communication difficulties / learning disabilities.
• Provide (within agreed timescale) effective teaching, training and clinical supervision
• Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake care co-ordination/lead practitioner responsibilities
• Utilise psychometric tests competently
• Able to work in accordance with the organisations values and ethos.
• Able to engage with vulnerable people and work effectively in highly distressing and challenging circumstances .
• Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
• Able to use own initiative and make decisions independently
• Committed to continual quality and service improvement
• Self-aware and committed to professional and personal development. Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision

Desirable

• Skills in using multimedia materials in presentations

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Navigo Health and Social Care CIC

Address

3-7 Brighowgate

Grimsby

DN32 0QE

Employer's website

https://navigocare.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)