Principal Clinical Psychologist in Specialist Neuro-developmental Team

Job responsibilities

Please see JD (Job Description) and PS (Personal Specification) for full details of role requirements.

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

• oPostgraduate (Doctoral) Training in Clinical Psychology leading to Practitioner Psychologist Registration with the HPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• oPost-doctoral training in supervision

Desirable

• oManagement training.
• oPost qualification training in working with children and young people with learning disabilities
• oTraining in formal assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders including ADOS
• oPost qualification training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.

Experience

Essential

• oSubstantial post qualification experience within the specialty of child and adolescent clinical psychology, in particular within a learning disability setting, and assessed experience of working at an equivalent to Band 8a level in child and adolescent mental health.
• oExperience 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.
• oExperience of liaison and joint work with other statutory, including Social Services and Education, and voluntary agencies, including crisis management.
• oExperience of the application of psychology and delivering services in different cultural contexts
• oExperience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision.
• oExperience of assessing chidren and adolescents for therapy including risk assessment.
• oExperience of providing interventions to patients with complex problems.
• oExperience of delivering NICE-compliant psychological interventions to young people with eating disorders.
• oExperience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• oExperience of providing clinical supervision.
• oExperience of using clinical outcome measures.

Desirable

• oExperience of management responsibilities.
• oService development experience.
• oExperience of implementing ROMS across a service.
• oExperience of receiving expert clinical supervision in conducting cognitive assessments with adolescents presenting with complex mental health needs.
• oExperience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologist
• oExperience of representing the profession in policy and academic forums.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Masters or Doctorate level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the health and welfare of children and adolescents and mental health.
• Specialist knowledge: Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Positive Behavioural Reinforcement, and adapting therapy to working with young people with learning disabilities and ASC.
• Specialist knowledge - Complex Cases: Highly developed knowledge of severe child and adolescent mental health problems, including comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment, systems of psychiatric classification and intervention.
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies for complex presentations in adolescence e.g., psychosis, OCD, eating disorders, severe depression, neuro-developmental disorders and their assessment, dual diagnosis.
• Communication & Relationship skills: A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to adolescent clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
• Able to use highly specialist skills of empathy and diplomacy to overcome significant barriers to understanding and acceptance often in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere.
• Able to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Analytical & Judgmental skills: Able to draw upon a broad theoretica 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 initiate, flexibly plan, organise and prioritise a broad range of complex activities or programmes over time.
• Competence and confidence in the selection and administration of cognitive and neuropsychological test equipment.
• Information resources: Able to record and report on clinical information as required.
• Competent in use of advanced IT packages in addition to word processing, e.g., SPSS
• Ability to develop content and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Research & Guidance: Masters or Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis and qualitative research techniques.
• Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to the client group.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for clinical practice with this client group.
• Cultural awareness: Aware of the potential impact of discrimination & disadvantage on mental health.
• Able to provide a cultural competent service.
• Flexibility: Able to be flexible and adapt approach according to need.
• Able to accommodate disruption to plans owing to the often crisis nature of the Acute working environment.
• Supervision: Formal training in Clinical supervision
• Record of providing training and supervision to others to widen the availability of CBT.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.

Desirable

• oCompetent use of other IT packages e.g. PowerPoint, Excel and Access.
• oAble to innovate on the basis of theoretical knowledge.
• oAbility to run psychoeducation groups for parents - ideally using remote access video links
• oFormal training in Management Skills
• oCrisis management and skills for promoting helpful reflection amongst the clinical team.

Personal

Essential

• oEnthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
• oAble to manage effectively frequent exposure to highly distressing/highly emotional circumstances and exposure to traumatic circumstances.
• oAble to contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others.
• oAble to manage effectively verbal aggression from service users, families, etc. and the risk of physical aggression. Respectful approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals.
• oAble to give guidance, to negotiate and handle confrontation effectively and professionally.
• oAble to respond calmly and flexibly to rapid changing priorities.

Desirable

• oA commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both multi-professional and uni-professional audit, and a wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.
• oHighly Specialised academic interest to stimulate a thoughtful and reflective Psychology Team and to encourage research confidence and awareness within the wider organisation.
• oAbility to demonstrate leadership and management skills.

Other

Essential

• oAble to work to professional guidelines.
• oAbility to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers, other young people and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• oAbility to identify and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• oAbility to articulate and interpret clearly the role of the profession of clinical psychology based upon a good understanding of the framework of government and national professional policy.

Desirable

• oRecord of having publicly presented or published evidence from research, audit or clinical experience for peer review and at conference.

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).