Specialist Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Job responsibilities

Clinical

• To provide specialist psychological assessments and diagnosis of adults with learning disabilities 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, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with the adult with a learning disability, their family, carers and other involved people.
• To develop psychological formulations of presenting problems or situations that integrate information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors.
• To be able to develop and implement a range of psychological interventions for adults with Learning Disabilities, their families and carers, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
• To evaluate and make 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 adult with a learning disability, their family or carers.
• To produce reports in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment outcome in a way that does justice to the complexity of the problems described, but that are understandable to the recipients of the reports, and referrers. The post demands periods of concentrated effort both mental (therapy and verbal mediation and written communication) and physical (administration of psychometric assessment, therapy and report writing).
• To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee clinical psychologists, within the framework of the services policies and procedures.

Professional

• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users, and manage and maintain a caseload in line with service guidelines.
• To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to a shared formulation, diagnosis and treatment options.
• To promote psychologically based frameworks of understanding and care to the benefit of the service users, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
• To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to service users information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care.
• To assist in the management of the team caseload with regard to prioritising cases in terms of appropriateness, urgency and risk.
• To work in partnership with other disciplines and to maintain links with statutory and non-statutory and primary care agencies as appropriate.
• To gain additional specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology and/or the service (as agreed with the Lead Psychologist) in accord with CPD.
• To maintain skills and knowledge of child and adult protection procedures from the Local Safeguarding Board.
• To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work as appropriate. To organise and deliver teaching and training to clients, carers and others as appropriate.
• To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant psychologists and to act as placement supervisor for doctoral clinical psychology trainees, taking clinical responsibility for the supervisees work.
• To be able contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and other applied psychologists, as appropriate.
• To undertake, within NCH&Cs PDP and Clinical Governance policies, CPD through teaching, clinical supervision, discussions, visits, study days, courses and relevant reading as agreed with Lead Psychologist and Health Team Manager.
• To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s).
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To undertake appropriate research including, where appropriate, making ethics and/or funding applications.
• To undertake service orientated and clinically relevant research as agreed by NCH&C and Lead Psychologist.
• To provide advice to other professionals as required on research design and methodology including complex audit and clinical and service evaluation to help develop service provision.
• To prepare research reports for dissemination in peer-reviewed journals or at local or national conferences, as appropriate.
• To contribute to the development and promotion of best practice in psychology across the service, 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 maintain and develop the profile of psychology within the Trust, regionally and nationally as appropriate during all professional contacts with families, carers, colleagues and the public.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to adults with learning disabilities, mental health/learning disability.
• To work in accordance with Trust policies and procedures, The BPS Code of Conduct and DCP Professional Practice Guidelines and to be aware of changes in these. To maintain an up to date knowledge of all relevant legislation and local policies and procedures implementing this.

Research & Development

• May be required to undertake surveys or audits, as necessary to own work; may occasionally participate in R&D, clinical trials or equipment testing.

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctorate in clinical / counselling psychology as accredited by the BPS, or a BPS / HCPC Statement of Equivalence.
• Registered with the HCPC

Desirable

• Member of the BPS as a Clinical / Counselling Psychologist
• Membership of the BPS Division of Psychology.
• Registered as a Chartered Psychologist.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention of adults across a range of care settings, with particular reference to those adults with developmental problems and learning disabilities.
• Experience in the processes for safeguarding vulnerable adults.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary settings.
• Experience of carrying out research

Desirable

• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary settings

skills, abilities and knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in adults with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders, severely challenging behaviours and mental health problems.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, psycho-logical formulation, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Planning and organising skills for caseload management.
• Skills in self-management, including time-management.
• Ability to identify and employ knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group.
• Skills in providing consultation to professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology.

Desirable

• Knowledge of documents that guide practice and provision of services to adults with learning disabilities.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of attachment theory
• Knowledge of contemporary issues in the Clinical Psychology Profession.
• Training in diagnostic assessment of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (e.g. DISCO, ADOS & ADI).

personal and people development

Essential

• Ability to create and deliver presentations and training programmes
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.

Desirable

• Experience of supervising others.
• Experience of teaching / training others
• Supervisor training to be a supervisor of doctoral psychology trainees or willing to undertake training.

Other

Essential

• Must hold a full and valid driving license and have access to a vehicle
• Able to communicate effectively using the English language

Experience

Essential

• Experience in the processes for safeguarding vulnerable adults.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary settings.
• Experience of carrying out research

Desirable

• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary settings

Personal attributes/Behaviours

Essential

• Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from vulnerable adults and their families.
• Able to contain and work with organisational stress.
• Interpersonally calm and able to defuse difficult, volatile situations.
• Able to tolerate ambiguity and to take decisions in situations of incomplete information.
• Ability to exercise appropriate levels of self-care and to monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.
• Good organisational skills
• Commitment to evidence-based practice and clinical excellence.

communication

Essential

• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information, including contentious and highly distressing information, to clients and their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

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).