Principal Clinical Psychologist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic Clinical Psychologist (1.0WTE) to join the CYP Community Eating Disorders Service in a senior clinical role. Suitable applicants will have extensive experience in CAMHS settings and in supervision and consultation. They will have excellent knowledge and skills related to NICE concordant treatments for eating disorders and would most likely have worked in a specialist CAMHS eating disorders service at some point. However, applications will be welcomed from those who have expertise in working with young people who are on the autism spectrum or those with complex mental health presentations.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will hold a caseload, as well as contributing substantial therapeutic expertise in working with families where a young person has an eating disorder, as well as contributing to consultation with colleagues from other services. Part of the role will involve the development of multidisciplinary team members and providing supervision to staff members delivering eating disorder-focused family interventions (as agreed with the professional lead). Supported by the clinical and professional leads for the service, the post holders will play a significant role in implementing evidence-based interventions and in the development of the clinical model, particularly relating to adaptations for working with young people who may also be experiencing co-morbid difficulties with emotion dysregulation. There will also be opportunities to develop group approaches and to offer complex case reviews. An interest in teaching, service development, quality improvement, audit and research would be desirable.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Ensure the systematic provision of a high quality specialist psychological therapies service including clinical psychology and systemic family psychotherapy to children, young people and their families/carers within the designated clinical service area
• Providing ongoing consultation to other Tier 3 CAMHS services within the trust specifically formulating cases where there may be an element of disordered eating within the broader context of difficulties regulating emotions
• To work with the Leadership Team to develop service provision for young people with disordered eating alongside emotion dysregulation and / or neurodiversity.
• Supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by other psychology and psychotherapy (P&P) staff and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment by agreement with the CYP Community Eating Disorders Service Professional Lead for Psychology and Psychotherapies.
• Work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service area, working with the CYP Community Eating Disorders Service Professional Lead for P&P.
• To coordinate psychological assessment, treatment and therapy resources across the teams.
• Utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research. To propose and implement policy changes within the designated clinical service area
• Practice clinically within a designated setting, and by example will uphold high standards of psychological and psychotherapeutic assessment, treatment and care.
• Be a source of advice and guidance in relation to risk management and safeguarding.
• Be responsible for the clinical governance structures that support and guide multi-disciplinary colleagues providing psychological therapies in community settings in designated service areas. These governance structures include professional and clinical supervision, PADR processes, CPD and training needs, and recording standards.
• Directly provide clinical supervision to psychology and/or psychotherapy colleagues, and professional supervision to colleagues from a range of psychology and psychotherapy disciplines. Some supervision may be provided across borough boundaries.
• Have a significant role in ensuring that the quality of child mental health work provided in the community is reflected both in clinical records and in data collected that will include the CAMHS minimum data set and CYP IAPT measures. It will be important to contribute to efforts to maximise the benefits of the electronic clinical record system that the service has adopted, and to ensure that clinicians record risk in accordance with policy and guidance.
• Provide coordinated service leadership in designated areas in conjunction with Clinical Leads and Team Managers, advising on service developments.
• Coordinate with Team Managers and Clinical Leads in managing clinical performance concerns.
• Work to promote synergy and connection between local authority, third sector and health services so as to foster joined-up care and to maximise the benefit of available mental health resources for children, young people and their carers.
• Promote service user involvement in shaping services.
• Promote equality of access to healthcare and awareness of how social difference can influence treatment outcome and service user experience.

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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.