Job summary
An exciting opportunity for the position of a band 8a Highly Specialist Clinical / Counselling/ Forensic Psychologist has arisen within the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) at Westminster CAMHS. This involves being part of a highly skilled and dynamic multi-disciplinary team working with a range of mental health disorders and complex trauma cases, in supporting young people and families.
This is a 9 month fixed-term contract covering maternity leave for 3 days. The post holder would need to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays due to service needs. (There will be consideration to extend this post to 12 months if funding is available, however there is no guarantee of this)
You will be responsible for the supervision of junior, trainee and assistant Psychologists. You will assist with the coordination of specialist psychological assessments, clinically support neuro developmental assessments (including ADOS) and offer consultation with the wider team with mental health assessments and best practice treatment for children, young people and families with a wide range of mental health needs. Support will be provided as part of the service supervision structure and a clear job plan will ensure you are well supported with clear expectations of the role.
Interviews to be held on Thursday 24th October 2024
Main duties of the job
Within this role, psychology is a strongly established and valued provision within the team, where specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention is highly valued, especially around complex trauma diagnosis and formulations.
The post holder will provide a highly specialized psychology service to families and young people referred to the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT). This includes conducting specialist assessments, developing and implementing treatment plans, coordinating care, and managing risks. A key responsibility will be to offer clinical supervision and consultation, functioning as the lead specialist in psychology within the ETT. This involves supervising Band 7 psychologists, CBT therapists, and Assistant Psychologists.
The post holder is expected to work autonomously, adhering to the guidelines and codes of conduct set by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). They will also be guided by the service's principles, policies, and procedures.
As Co-Lead of the ETT, the post holder will collaborate with the clinical/professional lead to set team goals and determine the best strategies to achieve them. They will contribute to fostering a psychologically safe environment that supports staff, service users, and carers from diverse backgrounds.
About us
Westminster CAMHS is a large, well established and dynamic team with opportunities for varied MDT work. There is a strong multi disciplinary culture in the team and you will contribute to change management in the service. You will hold significant experience working in CAMHS services and have a sound understanding of mental health challenges facing children and young people. You will have significant knowledge and skills of working with moderate to severe mental health presentations and be ready to join a highly dynamic and experienced team of clinicians.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is not an exhaustive list (see JD & PS)
Clinical and Client Care
Conduct highly specialized psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions for clients in the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) pathway. This includes evaluating individuals for single and complex trauma presentations, emotional and behavioural disorders, offending behaviour, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Collaboration with social services and other networks is required, emphasizing a systemic and trauma-informed approach.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, environmental and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
Deliver culturally appropriate psychological interventions for carers or families of referred clients, as needed, to ensure comprehensive support.
To develop and implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups. These interventions should be grounded in a trauma-informed approach, utilising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), third-wave approaches such as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and incorporating systemic principles.
To be able to undertake generic and specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments of children and families referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests
Assess and monitor risk by developing and implementing effective risk management plans tailored to individual needs.
Act as a care coordinator, taking responsibility for initial assessments, conducting risk assessments, and formulating and reviewing care plans. As the lead professional, participate in multi-network meetings to contribute to clinical and trauma-informed case formulations.
Co-lead the ETT pathway, serving as a reference point for the rest of the team. This includes supporting the formulation of complex cases, making care plan decisions, overseeing data performance, and promoting team well-being, among other responsibilities.
To participate in the clinical Duty rota and initial CAMHS assessment clinics / specialist assessments as required.
To contribute directly and indirectly to the development and review of an evidence based psychologically-based framework and offer, guided guidelines and principles, to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is not an exhaustive list (see JD & PS)
Clinical and Client Care
Conduct highly specialized psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions for clients in the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) pathway. This includes evaluating individuals for single and complex trauma presentations, emotional and behavioural disorders, offending behaviour, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Collaboration with social services and other networks is required, emphasizing a systemic and trauma-informed approach.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, environmental and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
Deliver culturally appropriate psychological interventions for carers or families of referred clients, as needed, to ensure comprehensive support.
To develop and implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups. These interventions should be grounded in a trauma-informed approach, utilising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), third-wave approaches such as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and incorporating systemic principles.
To be able to undertake generic and specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments of children and families referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests
Assess and monitor risk by developing and implementing effective risk management plans tailored to individual needs.
Act as a care coordinator, taking responsibility for initial assessments, conducting risk assessments, and formulating and reviewing care plans. As the lead professional, participate in multi-network meetings to contribute to clinical and trauma-informed case formulations.
Co-lead the ETT pathway, serving as a reference point for the rest of the team. This includes supporting the formulation of complex cases, making care plan decisions, overseeing data performance, and promoting team well-being, among other responsibilities.
To participate in the clinical Duty rota and initial CAMHS assessment clinics / specialist assessments as required.
To contribute directly and indirectly to the development and review of an evidence based psychologically-based framework and offer, guided guidelines and principles, to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist: Clinical Psychologist or Counselling or Forensic Psychologist
- Post-graduate doctoral level training (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) in Clinical psychology or Counselling Psychology, as accredited by the BPS. Training should include specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies (including CBT 2nd & 3rd wave; TF-CBT etc.) and lifespan developmental psychology.
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialized areas of psychological practice especially relevant to complex CAMHS. In particular: oCYP-IAPT Therapy Training oSecond wave Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)- BABC accredited oThird wave CBT therapies (incl. DBT, CF-T, ACT, CBT-P) oTrauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) / EMDR oADOS-2/ 3Di Assessments oSystemic Therapy formulation experience Post-qualification training in Supervision
- Post-qualification training in Supervision
Previous experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole lifespan and presenting with the full range of clinical severity and complexity around mental health concerns across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and/or the threat of physical abuse.
- Substantive post-qualification experience of working within a multi-disciplinary specialist CAMHS team and of proving specialist CAMHS assessments and interventions.
- Substantive post-qualification experience of delivering evidence based treatment using a range of modalities in a number of cultural contexts.
- Supervised experience of evidence based treatment in relation to children with mental health concerns and difficulties, as well as difficulties linking to PTSD and C-PTSD; psychosis; emerging PD traits; attachment/relational difficulties, etc.
- Experience of working with interpreters.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision and clinical consultation.
Desirable
- Experience of assessing for Neurodevelopmental disorders incl. ASD and ADHD.
- Experience of providing CBT and other modalities of therapies to young people with trauma; Autistic Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental differences (e.g. Learning Disabilities).
- Experience of teaching and / or training to professionals within and outside of health settings.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Doctoral-level knowledge of clinical psychology, including advanced understanding of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, neuropsychology, and proficiency in multiple psychological therapies.
- Knowledge and skills in complex psychological assessment, intervention, and management methods, often requiring sustained and intense concentration, particularly for complex problems using cognitive behavioural methods.
- Knowledge of the theoretical evidence base for understanding, formulating, and delivering interventions for mental health issues experienced by children and young people.
- Well-developed skills in effectively communicating complex, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information, including diagnoses and formulations, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers, and professional colleagues within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to both professional and non-professional groups.
- Ability to identify and use mechanisms of clinical governance to support and maintain clinical practice, even when regularly exposed to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of other specialised psychological CAMHS or family treatments
- Knowledge of developmental trauma theories and adverse childhood experiences approach.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Experience of planning and delivery group treatments.
- Knowledge of legislation relevant to clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group, mental health, and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with specific knowledge and experience of the Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) process.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist: Clinical Psychologist or Counselling or Forensic Psychologist
- Post-graduate doctoral level training (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) in Clinical psychology or Counselling Psychology, as accredited by the BPS. Training should include specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies (including CBT 2nd & 3rd wave; TF-CBT etc.) and lifespan developmental psychology.
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialized areas of psychological practice especially relevant to complex CAMHS. In particular: oCYP-IAPT Therapy Training oSecond wave Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)- BABC accredited oThird wave CBT therapies (incl. DBT, CF-T, ACT, CBT-P) oTrauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) / EMDR oADOS-2/ 3Di Assessments oSystemic Therapy formulation experience Post-qualification training in Supervision
- Post-qualification training in Supervision
Previous experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole lifespan and presenting with the full range of clinical severity and complexity around mental health concerns across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and/or the threat of physical abuse.
- Substantive post-qualification experience of working within a multi-disciplinary specialist CAMHS team and of proving specialist CAMHS assessments and interventions.
- Substantive post-qualification experience of delivering evidence based treatment using a range of modalities in a number of cultural contexts.
- Supervised experience of evidence based treatment in relation to children with mental health concerns and difficulties, as well as difficulties linking to PTSD and C-PTSD; psychosis; emerging PD traits; attachment/relational difficulties, etc.
- Experience of working with interpreters.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision and clinical consultation.
Desirable
- Experience of assessing for Neurodevelopmental disorders incl. ASD and ADHD.
- Experience of providing CBT and other modalities of therapies to young people with trauma; Autistic Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental differences (e.g. Learning Disabilities).
- Experience of teaching and / or training to professionals within and outside of health settings.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Doctoral-level knowledge of clinical psychology, including advanced understanding of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, neuropsychology, and proficiency in multiple psychological therapies.
- Knowledge and skills in complex psychological assessment, intervention, and management methods, often requiring sustained and intense concentration, particularly for complex problems using cognitive behavioural methods.
- Knowledge of the theoretical evidence base for understanding, formulating, and delivering interventions for mental health issues experienced by children and young people.
- Well-developed skills in effectively communicating complex, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information, including diagnoses and formulations, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers, and professional colleagues within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to both professional and non-professional groups.
- Ability to identify and use mechanisms of clinical governance to support and maintain clinical practice, even when regularly exposed to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of other specialised psychological CAMHS or family treatments
- Knowledge of developmental trauma theories and adverse childhood experiences approach.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Experience of planning and delivery group treatments.
- Knowledge of legislation relevant to clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group, mental health, and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with specific knowledge and experience of the Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) process.
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.
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).
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.
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).
