Principal Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or CBT

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a clinical / counselling psychologist or CBT therapist to lead the psychology team within our Neuropsychiatry Service. The Neuropsychiatry Service, based at St George’s Hospital is a regional outpatient service that provides assessment and treatment for adults over the age of 18 with neurological illness or head injuries who have associated psychiatric problems.

The service offers assessment and treatment for patients with:

• Psychiatric and psychological consequences of neurological conditions, e.g. stroke, head injury, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis or movement disorders.
• Functional neurological disorders, including somatoform and dissociative or conversion disorders, e.g. functional non-epileptic attacks, non-organic movement disorders.
• Organic psychiatric illness, e.g. early onset dementia, schizophreniform disorders with organic brain changes.
• “Grey zone” disorders which straddle neurology and psychiatry, difficult to diagnose or various rare syndromes.

Main duties of the job

The post holder’s main role will be to take a lead role in the strategic planning and delivery of psychological interventions within the Neuropsychiatry Service, to provide clinical supervision and training to members of the psychology team, and to offer specialist psychological therapy (CBT, incl. trauma-focused CBT, and EMDR) to patients referred to the service. The service currently offers both individual and group psychological treatments. The current post would be suitable for someone looking to develop professional management and leadership skills as well as highly specialist clinical skills in the specialist area of neuropsychiatry.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Working within a highly specialised Neuropsychiatry Service, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and where appropriate to the professional, 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 plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy. To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, reflecting the current evidence-base for the treatment and management of functional neurological disorder and other neurological conditions with associated mental health difficulties, 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.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the psychological treatment of relevant clients, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals and external agencies contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists, psychotherapists other professionals and external agencies on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

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Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.