Senior Clinical Psychologist

Job overview

Senior Clinical Psychologist B8a/B7 Preceptorship to 8A - Paediatric Epilepsy

Due to an exciting service development, we are seeking a Senior Clinical Psychologist to join a newly established Paediatric Epilepsy Psychology Service.

This is an opportunity to help develop a specialist psychology service embedded within the UHNM. The service supports children, young people and families experiencing psychological difficulties associated with epilepsy.

You will provide specialist psychological assessment and intervention, alongside consultation to multidisciplinary colleagues. There will be opportunities to contribute to service development, quality improvement and pathway development.

You will join a small, supportive and enthusiastic Paediatric Psychology Team with strong links across UHNM, Physical Health Psychology and CAMHS. High-quality care, collaborative working, clinical supervision and professional development are priorities.

We welcome applications from psychologists with experience primarily in mental health services, provided they demonstrate a strong interest in working with young people with physical health diagnoses, and an understanding of the impact these can have on mental health.

For newly qualified psychologists, a preceptorship pathway to Band 8a will be considered, with appropriate support, supervision and development opportunities.

Main duties of the job

Provides highly specialist psychological assessment of clients with Epilepsy based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources.

Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk.

Undertakes risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

Formulates plans for highly specialist psychological work and/or management of clients’ psychological distress, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers.

Implements the use of highly skilled psychological formulations for individual clients, carers, staff, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required.

Undertakes highly skilled evaluations and makes decisions about treatment options.

Provides highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to client’s diagnosis, formulation and intervention plan.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Facilitates decision-making by planning and mapping processes/interventions with members of the team to determine the most appropriate treatment modality or service for clients.

Communicates in a way which recognises difference and ensures that people feel included and their individual communication needs are met.

Communicates complex and sensitive information to clients during the course of psychological therapy where the atmosphere may be emotive, there may be barriers to understanding or the client may react in an antagonistic manner.

Shares information relating to psychological assessment and formulation with clients, carers and families in a responsive, empathic manner, taking into consideration the possible complexities of the family’s circumstances and the highly sensitive nature of the information.

Communicates effectively with all professionals involved in the client’s care including all members of the multidisciplinary team, general practitioners, Social Services, education providers, voluntary agencies, user/carer groups etc., to maximise the quality of service delivered to clients and their families and carers.

Analyses complex client information, derived 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 the client, family members and others involved in the client’s care.

Adjusts and refines psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

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.