Band 8c Consultant Psychologist Lead for Clinical Health Psychology

Job responsibilities

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

Qualifications

Essential

• *The Graduate Basis for Registration (further to completion of an honours degree in psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society, or, in the case of courses that are not accredited or where the first degree is not in psychology, by completion of the Society's Qualifying examination, or completion of a Society accredited Conversion Course).
• *Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical psychology (the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), the completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• *Registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable

• *Post-doctoral training in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice.

Experience

Essential

• *Assessed considerable experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist including in the designated function with which this post is concerned.
• *Experience of very highly specialist psychological assessment and individual and group-based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
• *Experience of the professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists, Psychology Assistants, graduate and undergraduate students and other grades of staff within a psychology service.
• *Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
• *Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• *Relevant post-qualification experience, and formal training in supervision, enabling the post holder to independently supervise clinical psychology trainees in accordance with relevant criteria adopted by local University Clinical Psychology Training Course criteria.
• *Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for the psychological care and treatment of referred clients, and of working within a multidisciplinary context wherein carries responsibility for the psychological aspects of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• *Experience of representing psychology within a multidisciplinary context.

Desirable

• *Experience of the multi-professional management of teams or services within the designated speciality.
• *Formal post qualification training in relevant management skills.
• *Experience of representing the profession in local policy forums.
• *Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• *Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• *Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' clients.
• *Highly developed and advanced knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific 'difficult to treat' groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• *Advanced level knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
• *Evidence of leadership and management skills

Additional Criteria

Essential

• *Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience.
• *Skills in the use of highly complex methods of psychological assessment commensurate with doctoral level training, including specialist clinical interviewing, behavioural observation, complex psychometric testing, and specialist neuropsychological testing.
• *Able to use psychometric tests and psychological equipment in accordance with standardised timing, stimulus presentation and response monitoring requirements.
• *Advanced skills, commensurate with doctoral level training and post qualification training and experience, in the formulation of highly complex problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with highly complex presenting problems. Able to deliver established/evidenced based psychological therapy to fidelity.
• *Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging.
• *When communicating with patients, carers and colleagues, has the high-level interpersonal skills necessary to obtain and convey highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information in emotionally charged and extremely emotive settings, in a manner that addresses and overcomes psychological resistance, hostility, antagonism, and problems of motivation and engagement, as well as barriers to understanding arising from cognitive, cultural or linguistic factors.
• *Ability to respond safely to physical aggression and to promote personal safety and the safety of others, drawing on training in de-escalation and breakaway where provided.
• *Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
• *Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• *Ability to plan, organise and provide teaching and training on relevant psychological topics, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• *Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.
• *Knowledge of relevant legislation and DoH policy and implementation guidelines, and of the implications of such documentation for clinical practice and professional management, in relation to mental health in general and the client group with which this post is concerned,
• *Evidence of continuing professional development consistent with expected standards of the British Psychological Society and relevant subdivisions (Division of Clinical Psychology, Division of Counselling Psychology).
• *Familiarity with the ethical and professional standards expected of Clinical Psychologists as laid down in the collated BPS 'Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines' (1998) and HCPC Code of Ethics and conduct.
• *Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• *Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated disabilities.
• *Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and the ability to 'hold' the stress of others.
• *Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism, and to reflect on and manage own emotions and those of others, when faced by highly distressing material, problems and circumstances (e.g. when dealing with family breakdown, sexual abuse) on a frequent basis.
• *Is a 'team player' and has demonstrated ability to work and deliver to team and organisational objectives

Desirable

• *Ability to travel between hospital sites.
• *Personal experience of mental health problems.

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).