Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Working within a highly specialised clinical area, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and 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.

To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management 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.

To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and, when clinically necessary, across sub-teams, employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and their evidence base and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

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

To provide specialised therapeutic intervention to young people and families in the Enhanced Sub Team, including indirect consultation and liaison with other professionals and agencies.

To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to a 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.

To act as a Lead Professional, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, co-ordinating the work of others involved with care, arranging clients care reviews as required and communicating effectively with the client, his/her family and all others involved in care; and to monitor progress during the course of multi-disciplinary interventions.

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

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

To develop and provide specialised clinical psychology services to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of clients of Kensington and Chelsea CAMHS across the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Person Specification

Traing and Qualifications

Essential

• 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
• Registration with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist, domain of clinical psychology

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice especially relevant to complex CAMHS

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration, in particular as applied to complex problems including cognitive behavioural methods.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both 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 psychologyhology
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HPC and recommended by the BPS.

Desirable

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat group such as individuals suffering from complex PTSD
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.

Other

Essential

• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers & staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multimedia materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Experience

Essential

• 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, 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 the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of working with children, adolescents, their families, and the professional network of relevance to their care.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching, training on the use of standard CBT approaches and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist

Desirable

• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
• Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Research interest in any topic relevant to the specific service

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

KCCAMHS

1B Beatrice Place

Kensington and Chelsea

W8 5LP

Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)