Principal (Applied) Psychologist in Milton Keynes

We care for you as much as you care for others. There’s a place for you at CNWL. We’re passionate about delivering first‑class patient‑centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

Milton Keynes CAMHS is a Tier 3 specialist multi-disciplinary service, incorporating the Single Point of Access (referrals), Core CAMHS (with a mood and anxiety pathway), and an ADHD pathway. The Principal Psychologist will join a Lead Consultant Psychologist and a Consultant in Looked After Children team, and Senior Psychologists as well as Family, Arts, CBT and EMDR therapists in delivering specialist psychological care to a diverse range of young people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties and their carers and networks.

Main duties of the job:

• To develop, co‑ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a psychology service to children and young people (CYP) with mental health difficulties, and personally provide highly specialist clinical input, predominantly in core CAMHS but also across the whole service.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in CAMHS.
• To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychological staff within CAMHS.
• To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
• To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service.

Person specification:

• Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
• Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post‑qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent).
• Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
• Post‑doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice particularly DBT.

Experience:

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in crisis or acute mental health settings.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
• Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
• Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.

Knowledge:

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies.
• Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.

Skills:

• To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues.
• To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers.

Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self‑harming or aggressive behaviour.