Job summary
We are seeking an experienced, enthusiastic, self-motivated Psychologist for the Lead Psychologist position in our dynamic, multi-disciplinary community learning disabilities service. The service provides specialist health and social care services for adults with learning disabilities across City and Hackney.
The role will involve acting as the manager and day to day lead for psychological therapies within the service, representing psychology within the service, and both managing and supervising more junior members of the psychological therapies and behavior specialist team. Psychology works across each of the care programmes within the service, with a specific focus on mental health and challenging behavior, in addition to providing assessment and training, and supporting service and organisational development.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality comprehensive specialist clinical psychology service to the service users of the LD Service. They will also ensure that all members of the multidisciplinary team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding clients through the provision of advice, consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge and theory.
The post holder will provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and therapies, specialist risk assessments and advice on risk management, and the provision of psychological advice and consultation to others involved in service user care. The clinical work is undertaken in a range of settings including inpatient, outpatient and the clients own home. They will also provide specialist advice to other professions and carers, including statutory, charity and third sector services where appropriate to do so.
The post holder will have line management responsibilities and will have responsibility to manage and co-ordinate the workload of qualified psychologists, assistants, trainee psychologists and other psychological practitioners within their area. As such, they may be required to undertake disciplinary, capability or sickness processes as necessary. The post holder will provide professional and clinical supervision to the other Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, Behavior Analyst and other psychological practitioners working in the service.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent (statement of equivalence or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral clinical psychology trainees.
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more relevant specialist areas of psychological practice.
- Leadership Training
- Quality Improvement (QI) Training
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist including substantial post-qualification experience working in a multi-disciplinary team for people with a learning disability.
- Well-developed experience of assessment, formulation and treatment with people (and families/carers) with a learning disability.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts, including working with interpreters.
- Experience of the assessment of capacity to consent and providing consultation to capacity assessments across a range of issues pertinent to people with learning disabilities.
- Research and audit experience.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- Experience of supervising professional and clinical practice of qualified and unqualified staff.
- Experience of liaison and joint work with other statutory agencies, including crisis management.
- Identification of need and development of services to meet need.
Desirable
- Management skills.
- Experience in leading on service development projects.
- Experience of managing service change
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised areas of psychological practice with adult clients with learning disability.
- Knowledge and skills in the implementation of Positive Behaviour Support for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. complex needs, self-harm, dual diagnosis, and persons with additional disabilities etc).
- Knowledge of relevant evidence base, best practice and legislation in relation to the provision of psychological therapies and psychological informed interventions for adults with learning disabilities.
- High level of expertise in neuropsychological assessment of in adults with impairment in cognitive functioning and/or learning disabilities in the context of diagnostic assessments of learning disabilities and dementia baseline and follow-up assessments
- Working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, Best Interests and DOLS legislation.
- Communication & Relationship skills: Able to provide & receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a range of relationships and settings. Able to use highly specialist skills of empathy to overcome barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Analytical & judgemental skills: Able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations. Able to compare and select from a range of treatment options, based on formulation.
- Planning and organisational skills: Able to plan, organise and priorities own workload.
- Ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor, and in multi-disciplinary and team settings.
- Physical skills: Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills
- Information resources: Able to record and report on as required clinical information. Competent in use of basic IT packages - word processing, excel, e-mail and internet.
- Research & Guidance: Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis. Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to patient group
- Knowledge of legislation and its implications for clinical practice with this client group.
- Cultural awareness: Ability to provide a culturally-competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.
- Flexibility: Able to be flexible and adapt approach according to need. Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge
- Information resources: Competent use of other IT packages e.g. PowerPoint, Excel and Access.
Desirable
- Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge.
- Knowledge and experience of the assessment of autism in people with learning disabilities.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent (statement of equivalence or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist)
- HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral clinical psychology trainees.
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more relevant specialist areas of psychological practice.
- Leadership Training
- Quality Improvement (QI) Training
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist including substantial post-qualification experience working in a multi-disciplinary team for people with a learning disability.
- Well-developed experience of assessment, formulation and treatment with people (and families/carers) with a learning disability.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts, including working with interpreters.
- Experience of the assessment of capacity to consent and providing consultation to capacity assessments across a range of issues pertinent to people with learning disabilities.
- Research and audit experience.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- Experience of supervising professional and clinical practice of qualified and unqualified staff.
- Experience of liaison and joint work with other statutory agencies, including crisis management.
- Identification of need and development of services to meet need.
Desirable
- Management skills.
- Experience in leading on service development projects.
- Experience of managing service change
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised areas of psychological practice with adult clients with learning disability.
- Knowledge and skills in the implementation of Positive Behaviour Support for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. complex needs, self-harm, dual diagnosis, and persons with additional disabilities etc).
- Knowledge of relevant evidence base, best practice and legislation in relation to the provision of psychological therapies and psychological informed interventions for adults with learning disabilities.
- High level of expertise in neuropsychological assessment of in adults with impairment in cognitive functioning and/or learning disabilities in the context of diagnostic assessments of learning disabilities and dementia baseline and follow-up assessments
- Working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, Best Interests and DOLS legislation.
- Communication & Relationship skills: Able to provide & receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a range of relationships and settings. Able to use highly specialist skills of empathy to overcome barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Analytical & judgemental skills: Able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations. Able to compare and select from a range of treatment options, based on formulation.
- Planning and organisational skills: Able to plan, organise and priorities own workload.
- Ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor, and in multi-disciplinary and team settings.
- Physical skills: Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills
- Information resources: Able to record and report on as required clinical information. Competent in use of basic IT packages - word processing, excel, e-mail and internet.
- Research & Guidance: Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis. Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to patient group
- Knowledge of legislation and its implications for clinical practice with this client group.
- Cultural awareness: Ability to provide a culturally-competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.
- Flexibility: Able to be flexible and adapt approach according to need. Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge
- Information resources: Competent use of other IT packages e.g. PowerPoint, Excel and Access.
Desirable
- Able to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge.
- Knowledge and experience of the assessment of autism in people with learning disabilities.
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
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).
