Principal Clinical Psychologist

Job responsibilities

The full Job Description is attached in additional Information section

Scope and range

The post holder will be primarily responsible for the teams delivery of safe and compliant delivery of autism assessments as part of the assessment team.

The post holder will work closely with the service manager to achieve targets and key performance indicators for both assessment and post diagnostic services. The post holder will provide clinical leadership for the delivery and reach of autistic support across the CMHF, collaborating and supporting other clinical leaders develop and integrate the delivery of adapted interventions to mainstream mental health services.

The aim of the Post Diagnostic Autism service is to steer people with a diagnosis of Autism, to services and support that will help them navigate their way through life. It will facilitate connections with people and enduring support networks that will prevent acute episodes of poor mental health and reduce unhelpful and unnecessary hospital admissions

Service Delivery

The post holder will be clinically responsible for delivering an effective autism assessment multi-disciplinary team. They will have responsibility to deliver a team model that meets NICE guidance and optimises the team resources.

The post holder will work collaboratively with the Service Manager providing highly specialised clinical input to the development of the service model, responding to growing and changing needs.

The post holder will, where clinically indicated, provide highly specialist diagnostic assessment and will ensure formulation and intervention f those people with a diagnosis of ASC who access the service, with the support of the PASS practitioners

o Assessment: Gathering, interpreting, and integrating data from a variety of sources including previous professional reports, psychometrics, range of psychological tools and direct assessment methods with the individual, family members and others involved in their care to provide diagnosis.

o Formulation: Drawing upon and selecting the most appropriate psychological model from an in-depth knowledge of a range of theoretical positions and evidence of efficacy, the post holder will

o Intervention: Take a specialist and senior clinician role in the organisation, delivery, adaptation, development, evaluation of interventions for adults with ASC aimed at preventing or reducing highly complex and persistent mental health/behavioural problems. In doing so to a) draw upon an in-depth knowledge of a range of psychological models, theories, interventions and their evidence base and b) maintain a number of provisional hypotheses c) monitoring efficacy and outcome and altering the intervention accordingly d) support professional staff and organisations supporting the person and their family

The post holder has full freedom to act within this designated area working within professional ethics and adhering to Trust policies and is accountable for his/her own professional actions.

The post holder will plan both individual consultations and group sessions within a designated clinical setting or within the persons home.

The post holder is responsible for referring or supporting other Livewell mental health services to refer to the Devon Additional Autism Intervention Team (DAAIT) where the complexity of a persons needs requires support over and above that of local services.

Implementation of policy

The post holder will be clinically responsible for reviewing the efficacy and output of the service, ensuring that it meets the needs of those accessing its support. By evaluating feedback and outcomes, the post holder will, in conjunction with the Service Manager, adapt and amend operational practice.

In addition to developing clinical practices within the team, the post holder will advise and influence the practices of mainstream services, via consultancy and training in order that those services are able to make reasonable adjustments to practice and delivery to accommodate the needs of people with Autism.

The post holder will be part of the the teams contribution to the Autism Partnership Board and

Communication andRelationships

The post holder will be responsible for communicating complex and sensitive information to clients, families and other colleagues that may be contentious in a highly skilled and sensitive manner. This information could be communicated in emotive, contentious and hostile circumstances. Communication could occur in in face to face situations, in meetings, in written reports and formal legal contexts e.g. court reports.

The post holder will be available to provide clinical leadership and support across the assessment and post diagnostic teams.

The post holder will communicate with the Service Manager in relation to operational issues related to the delivery of their service responsibility

The post holder will communicate with relevant LSW boards in relation to service developments within the service, at the request of the Service Manager

The post holder will access clinical and professional supervision from LSW Lead Psychologist

The post holder will communicate with other service providers across the city and peninsula (including Devon Partnership Trust)

The post holder will communicate with external agencies in relation to consultancy and training.

The post holder will hold delegated responsibility to represent the autism services at commissioning and strategic meetings.

The post holder will be required to chair multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings that will include service users, families and a range of stakeholders.

Knowledge

Essential

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of theory and practice of specialised psychological assessment and therapies in specific difficult to treat groups. In this case people with Autism Spectrum Conditions.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, both qualitative and quantitative as practiced within the field of clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation, policy and documentation and its implications for clinical and professional practice in relation to adults, and in particular Autism Spectrum conditions
• Knowledge of IT systems used in health care systems.
• Evidence of continuing professional practice as recommended by the BPS and HCPC

Desirable

• Highly developed knowledge of models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, neuropsychology and complex trauma, and how these relate to individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions.
• Advanced knowledge of complex systemic consultation within a multi-agency setting

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of 5 years post qualification and at least two year at band 8a. Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course of presenting with the full range across the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism.
• Experience of working directly with individuals on the Autism Spectrum and their families.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients psychological care and treatment, and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of consultation to organisations and groups and psychological practices and processes.
• Experience of preparing and delivering consultation and training to a wide audience of varying skill and ability.
• Experience of providing clinical leadership on service development.
• Experience of receiving and delivering professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of acting as clinical lead to a specialised targeted team delivering services to people and their carers.
• Experience of assessing for ASC using a structured assessment tool (e.g. ADOS).
• Experience of delivering consultation and training (esp. on Autism Spectrum Conditions) and devising systems of input with limited resources and prioritising appropriately
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.

Skill

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment and intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Complex clinical formulation skills.
• A high level ability to effectively communicate both a written and oral level complex ,highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients and their families, carers and a wide range of professional persons within and outside of the NHS.
• Skills in providing training and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to design and deliver complex training packages to a wide variety of audiences.
• Competence in high level research, evaluation and audit.

Desirable

• Ability to clinically lead in a specialised area. To include clinical leadership of a multi-disciplinary team, designing service delivery in collaboration with the clinical team manager, and in conjunction with multi- agency partners.
• Ability to work flexibly across settings and teams.
• Ability to be adaptive and responsive

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of 5 years post qualification and at least two year at band 8a. Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course of presenting with the full range across the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism.
• Experience of working directly with individuals on the Autism Spectrum and their families.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients psychological care and treatment, and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of consultation to organisations and groups and psychological practices and processes.
• Experience of preparing and delivering consultation and training to a wide audience of varying skill and ability.
• Experience of providing clinical leadership on service development.
• Experience of receiving and delivering professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of acting as clinical lead to a specialised targeted team delivering services to people and their carers.
• Experience of assessing for ASC using a structured assessment tool (e.g. ADOS).
• Experience of delivering consultation and training (esp. on Autism Spectrum Conditions) and devising systems of input with limited resources and prioritising appropriately
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.

Qualifications

Essential

• Postgraduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained before 1996)
• Professional Registration with HCPC

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of clinical psychology
• Additional qualification in assessment for individuals on the Autism Spectrum

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of 5 years post qualification and at least two year at band 8a. Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course of presenting with the full range across the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism.
• Experience of working directly with individuals on the Autism Spectrum and their families.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients psychological care and treatment, and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of consultation to organisations and groups and psychological practices and processes.
• Experience of preparing and delivering consultation and training to a wide audience of varying skill and ability.
• Experience of providing clinical leadership on service development.
• Experience of receiving and delivering professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of acting as clinical lead to a specialised targeted team delivering services to people and their carers.
• Experience of assessing for ASC using a structured assessment tool (e.g. ADOS).
• Experience of delivering consultation and training (esp. on Autism Spectrum Conditions) and devising systems of input with limited resources and prioritising appropriately
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of 5 years post qualification and at least two year at band 8a. Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course of presenting with the full range across the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism.
• Experience of working directly with individuals on the Autism Spectrum and their families.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients psychological care and treatment, and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of consultation to organisations and groups and psychological practices and processes.
• Experience of preparing and delivering consultation and training to a wide audience of varying skill and ability.
• Experience of providing clinical leadership on service development.
• Experience of receiving and delivering professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of acting as clinical lead to a specialised targeted team delivering services to people and their carers.
• Experience of assessing for ASC using a structured assessment tool (e.g. ADOS).
• Experience of delivering consultation and training (esp. on Autism Spectrum Conditions) and devising systems of input with limited resources and prioritising appropriately
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.

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).