Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist - Aylesbury

Job overview

We are looking for an 8a Clinical / Counselling Psychologist to join the Buckinghamshire Adult ASD and ADHD Services

We are eager to hear from psychologists who are keen to work in autism and ADHD diagnosis and intervention. You will have knowledge and experience of working with this client group, a desire to provide a high-quality service and be a part of our enthusiastic team.  This would also be an ideal opportunity for someone about to qualify, or recently qualified, looking for a band 7-8a preceptorship development opportunity.

The successful applicant will join a small but supportive and skilled multi-disciplinary team. Roles in the team include psychiatry, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, nursing and psychology, including an embedded Reasonable Adjustments Service. We will provide opportunities for training in autism and ADHD diagnosis and will support you to develop your skills in therapeutic work with autistic people and those with ADHD. You will work closely with an experienced consultant clinical psychologist who will provide supervision and support as you progress in your career. In addition, the team has close links with CMHTs, inpatient wards, Social Care and other mental health services.

We welcome conversations, or visits to our modern purpose-built base at The Whiteleaf Centre, in Aylesbury.

Main duties of the job

This will be an interesting and varied role. The 8a Clinical / Counselling Psychologist will provide autism diagnostic assessments and assessments for ADHD as well as assisting with triage and waiting list management.

In addition, the psychologist will provide psychological assessments and interventions, in group and individual formats, using CBT, ACT, CFT and other relevant models.

The post holder will also be working with the patients and teams towards co-produced service growth and development as well as being involved in supervising trainees and assistant psychologists.

In the post you will receive expert clinical supervision and management support and will have access to a wide range of CPD activities alongside a strong network of psychological therapists in Buckinghamshire. There are excellent opportunities for service development, service evaluation/research and teaching/training. The service has close links with the Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research and regularly has trainees doing clinical placements and research.

We are happy to support flexible working hours to fit with work life balance aspirations and external commitments.

For further details or to arrange an informal visit please contact:

Dr Rebecca Mitchell, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and ASD Lead

[email protected] / 01865 901620

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data, from a variety of sources including psychological 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, as appropriate and commensurate with competencies. To plan and implement 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 of proven efficacy. To implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, 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 complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group. To be responsible and accountable for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.

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

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.