Principal Clinical Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibility

• To be responsible for a caseload and to work autonomously as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide assessments and consultations for children and adolescents with eating disorders.
• To provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the CAMHS Eating Disorders Team, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including 5 psychological 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 and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients complex 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 evidence based psychological interventions including CBT for individuals, carers, families and groups, employed individually and in synthesis, co-working with other team members/disciplines as appropriate, 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 highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group. This evidence-based approach includes monitoring outcomes, modifying and adapting interventions drawn from a range of theoretical models.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility within HCPC guidelines for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with referrers and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
• To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan, facilitating the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the teams to the client.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
• To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
• To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, ensuring provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, taking responsibility for initiating, planning and review of the clients care, including the child/adolescent, their family/carers, referring agents and others involved in the network of care.
• To formulate a range of treatment options based on an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence e.g. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for Eating Disorders.

Leadership, Training and Staff Management Responsibility

• To clinically and/or professionally supervise Assistant Psychologists, trainees & CBT therapists within the Eating Disorders Team as appropriate and as agreed with professional leads and operational managers
• To lead and contribute to teaching and training programme for all professionals working in the CAMHS Eating Disorders Team. This is to include organising and facilitating teaching to other members of the team and contribute to the teaching programme. To provide consultation internally and externally
• To provide clinical/professional supervision to assistant psychologists and clinical/counselling psychologists within the MDT and across quadrants as agreed by appropriate operational managers and professional/consultant leads and to provide clinical supervision to other disciplines within the MDT as agreed with Operational Manager and Professional Lead for Psychological Services (CAMHS)
• To participate in supervision and to identify own supervision needs. To undertake any other duties or responsibilities as directed by the Psychological Therapy Lead &/or Team Manager
• To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
• To examine independently and critically all aspects of work to ensure they comply with the British Psychological Societys and HCPCs Ethics and Code of Conduct, and Trust policies and procedures.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.

Service Development and Improvement

• To ensure the continuous development of the CAMHS Eating Disorders Team through taking a lead role on appropriate projects.
• To encourage the involvement of service users and their relatives in the evaluation of the service provision
• To be aware of the Trusts vision and long-term strategic aims and to ensure the CAMHS Eating Disorders Service and staff are moving towards these
• To contribute to clinical strategy development and contribute to the clinical governance agenda
• To contribute to service development projects within own service area and other relevant agencies as required. This can involve contributing to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the service operational policies or other organizational issues, by initiating and using ones professional skills in research, service evaluation, outcome measures and audit.
• To undertake projects in support of service modernisation and organisational priorities
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and to provide advice and supervision to other staff towards the same.
• To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
• To contribute and participate with in-service training within the Eating Disorders Team e.g. multidisciplinary team meetings/ Audit Meetings/ Research Projects etc.
• To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the service provided by the multi-disciplinary team; including the collection and use of service user feedback and clinical outcomes information.
• To liaise with other agencies and service providers in relation to the provision of psychological services and service developments, as agreed with the appropriate operational manager and Professional Leads.
• To identify unmet needs of the service and bring these to the attention of senior clinicians/managers.
• To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research
• To initiate project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service to help develop and improve services to clients and their families
• To take the psychology lead, as a senior clinician, in the evaluation, monitoring and development of the teams operational policies, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit and ensuring incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high quality care.
• Keep abreast of national and international research findings and policy developments, disseminate and promote the application of these to clinical care and service developments
• To read and disseminate information about mental health provision from evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice and to derive and publish evidence from clinical practice
• Anticipate and identify key strategic issues, developing joint working across care groups, taking into account relevant internal and external factors. Analyse, synthesise and present knowledge and information, including complex issues and concepts, to a range of audiences and stakeholders in order to influence key decisions
• To collaborate with the Senior Psychological Therapy staff, Consultant Psychiatrists and Service Managers in planning psychological therapy services to the speciality
• To initiate relevant service planning, evaluation and quality assurance activities occurring within the relevant fields and to participate in other such activities as agreed and commensurate with the grade
• To consult and liaise with the operational managers and professional leads regarding Clinical objectives and directives.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

Essential

• Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS or fully completed training as a counselling psychologist
• In-depth post registration experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with Eating Disorders and a range of complex psychological needs
• Full registration with the Health Professionals Council
• Experience in neuropsychological assessment
• Training in Clinical Supervision

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice including CBT
• Related academic qualifications to masters or doctorate level

Areas Of Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Assessed experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children/adolescents with a wide range of presentations of varying severity including Eating Disorders, typically this would involve a minimum four years' experience
• Experience of working with moderate to severe mental health problems with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training within Child and Adolescent Mental Health, through a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a clinical / counselling psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an agreed alternative
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision, including supervision of clinical/counselling psychology trainees
• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team and inter-agency collaboration
• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical/counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, child and adolescent mental health and a range of therapeutic models
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management with clients with eating disorders & complex problems, including specialised psychological interventions for difficult to treat groups (eg multiple mental health and/or physical health problems)
• Ability to demonstrate an area of special interest/skill and experience in an evidence based therapeutic intervention
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and HCPC
• Well -developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively and well, 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
• Able to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment
• Able to plan own workload and co-ordinate with other relevant staff in the delivery of clinical service
• Able to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multi -disciplinary context
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical / counselling psychology
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice in relation to children/adolescents & Eating Disorders
• Experience of working within a multi -cultural framework
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non -professional groups
• Well -developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in eating disorders & difficult to treat groups within
• Good presentation and teaching skills and ability to use multi -media materials for formal presentations to large groups
• Experience of working as a senior member of a multi -disciplinary team and/or Herts -wide CAMHS service and/or with wider professional networks
• Familiarity with computing technology, including keyboard skills, and use of word - processing, e -mail, and internet software
• Experience of leading the development and provision of a psychological therapy service within a CAMHS MDT
• Experience and knowledge o f CYP -IAPT

Desirable

• Experience of having published in either peer reviewed academic or professional journals and/or books

Communication Skills

Essential

• Ability to work with children and young people whose behaviour is personally challenging
• Ability to work and communicate highly sensitive, contentious information effectively in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere, and to overcome barriers to acceptance/psychological resistance
• Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships and boundaries with young people
• Ability to provide a therapeutic environment which contributes to young people's healthy development
• Ability to think clearly and express self
• Ability to assess reports and clinical information and provide clear and concise information tailored for different audiences
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations
• Able to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multi -disciplinary environment and also as a lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to verbal and sometimes physical aggression

Analytical Skills

Essential

• Able to prioritise work, to operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and an unpredictable work pattern which requires regular revision of plans
• 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

Physical Skills

Essential

• Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995)
• IT skills; include use of Microsoft Office and Outlook

Physical, Mental & Emotional Effort

Essential

• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Ability to travel and work flexibly across Hertfordshire CAMHS sites
• Able to sustain the intense concentration necessary for client assessment and formulation, group and individual therapy sessions, interviews
• Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations
• Ability to recognise signs of stress and seek the appropriate support
• Ability to work in highly emotive situations
• Ability to work towards goals agreed at Individual Appraisal with the Service Manager

General

Essential

• Ability to comply with relevant professional standards and current developments
• Ability to assess clinical information and provide clear and concise information tailored for different audiences; report writing skills
• Flexible and positive approach to changing circumstances
• Desire for self-development

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

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

CAMHS Eating Disorders Team

15 Forest Lane

Radlett

WD7 9HQ

Employer's website

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)