Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

Job overview

The Whole Family Service is a highly specialist CAMHS which works with families who might have a complex relationship with help. The service uses creative and flexible approaches to engage families whose multiple difficulties mean they might not be able to access a traditional clinic-based service.  The service is co-located across local authority services to enable effective partnership working and facilitate coordination amongst professional networks.

The service is comprised of two teams, the Whole Family Team with Perinatal Specialist (WFT-P) and the Whole Family Team (WFT). The WFT-P is a highly specialist service offering psychological therapy to families during pregnancy and with babies, toddlers and children up to the age of 5 years. The WFT is based with Camden local authority social care teams such as safeguarding and family help (previously children’s services), alternative education provision (e.g. SEMH school, PRUs), youth justice, early help and the adolescent prototype team. The teams offer both direct assessments, interventions and consultation to other professionals and comprise of Psychology, Systemic Family Therapy, Child Psychotherapy and Psychiatry, Mental Health Nurses, and Senior Practitioners.

Main duties of the job

The post holder would be expected to spend their time in the WFT supporting the team clinical delivery of a high standard by attending team referral meetings, providing supervision, and attending weekly clinical team and business meetings.

The post holder will be based between 5 Pancras Square, the local authority head office, and an allocated specialist Camden service as a link worker.

The post holder will hold a complex caseload within the multi-disciplinary team, undertaking a range of clinical assessments and offering highly skilled treatments or therapies that are outcome focused and evidence based, using appropriate therapeutic modalities.

You will provide consultation to external agencies such as GPs/schools/Local authorities.

The post holder will communicate complex information in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, at times dealing with service users who may be hostile or present challenging behaviours.

You will maintain a high standard of clinical records, producing and maintaining good communications with referrers and other professionals involved, liaising with the referrers where appropriate, including liaison with local services and participating in outreach meetings

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• The post holder will hold their own complex caseload within the team including responsibilities for risk management and clinical governance, planning and prioritising these
• Undertake clinical assessments of service users/patients and offer highly skilled treatment or therapy using appropriate therapeutic modalities
• Work with team manager on intake and referral coordination
• Provide consultation to external agencies as required such as GPs/schools/Local authorities
• Review cases where patients have impasses, complaints, or disputes with their clinical care
• Delegated responsibility for investigating complaints and processing Freedom of Information requests
• To ensure, where appropriate, agreed standardised assessment questionnaires are completed with clients as per team protocol and to systematically collect data on caseload as required by the team manager