Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

Job overview

To provide a clinical psychology service to clients of the team providing specialist psychological assessment, intervention and treatment. Supervising qualified clinical psychologists, psychological therapists and trainee clinical psychologists, and offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other, non-professional carers. Working autonomously within professional guidelines and within the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures. Utilising research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.

NB Although the post holder will initially be based in the Bexley CLDT, they will work with service users in Oxleas Learning Disability Directorate, who may originate from Greenwich, Bromley or Bexley. The post holder will be based within the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley or Greenwich.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the 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 clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems and other relevant issues, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, 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 individual, family or group.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a practitioner psychologist and maintain this registration, including maintaining the standards of conduct, performance and ethics required by the Council.
• 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 postholder’s professional and service manager(s).
• To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology, forensic and related disciplines.
• 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, the requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council and Trust policies and procedures.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relevant areas particularly (1) adults with learning disabilities and (2) mental health.