Senior Psychologist in Woking

Join a service where psychological thinking is central to understanding and responding to complex needs. As a Qualified Psychologist, you will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based interventions, while supporting the wider multidisciplinary team to deliver psychologically informed care. Our motto, "Caring NOT Judging", reflects our commitment to understanding the person behind the behaviour and supporting recovery, wellbeing and social inclusion. You will also provide professional and clinical supervision to relevant colleagues and have opportunities to shape and improve the service through audit, research, quality improvement and service development. The post is Band 8a, 1.0 WTE, based at HMP Send.

Main duties of the job

• Provide a specialist psychology service to people with complex mental health and psychological needs within a secure setting.
• Manage a clinical caseload, undertaking specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based interventions.
• Undertake risk assessment, formulation and management, exercising autonomous clinical judgement in complex situations.
• Provide psychological consultation, advice and training to the multidisciplinary team and promote psychologically informed care.
• Provide professional and clinical supervision to assistant and trainee psychologists, junior psychologists, psychological therapists and other relevant colleagues.
• Contribute to clinical governance, service development, audit, research and quality improvement.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, prison services and partner agencies to support effective care and risk management.
• Demonstrate strong communication, leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work autonomously, prioritise a complex workload and work effectively within a multidisciplinary environment.

You will be joining a close-knit, supportive and collaborative healthcare team, working alongside Primary Care, Mental Health and partner agencies to provide high-quality, compassionate care and achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients. Our Health and Justice services offer a unique and rewarding environment where you can make a real difference to people who may experience significant health inequalities. Our ethos of "Caring NOT Judging" is at the heart of how we work, with a strong focus on teamwork, respect, inclusion and psychologically informed care. We are committed to supporting your wellbeing and professional development.

Benefits include

• Regular clinical supervision, annual appraisal and personal development planning.
• Reflective practice, career development opportunities and access to a wide range of internal and external training.
• Opportunities to develop your clinical, leadership and specialist skills within Health and Justice services.
• Recognition through initiatives including our Hidden Gem recognition scheme and annual staff awards.
• Free use of the onsite leisure facilities - Gym and fitness classes as well as free parking for staff.

Job responsibilities

• Provide a high-quality specialist psychology service and work as a senior member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, supporting the assessment, treatment and management of people with complex psychological and mental health needs.
• Hold and manage a complex clinical caseload, taking autonomous professional responsibility for assessment, formulation, treatment planning, intervention and discharge.
• Undertake specialist psychological and, where appropriate, neuropsychological assessments using evidence-based assessment methods.
• Develop psychological formulations and deliver evidence-based psychological interventions to individuals, groups, families and carers.
• Undertake psychological risk assessment, formulation and management for individuals presenting with complex needs.
• Use advanced clinical judgement and analytical skills to make appropriate treatment and clinical management decisions in complex situations.
• Work collaboratively with service users, the multidisciplinary healthcare team, prison colleagues and partner agencies to deliver safe, effective and psychologically informed care.

Consultation, Supervision and Training

• Provide specialist psychological consultation, advice and guidance to colleagues and other professionals involved in the individual's care.
• Provide professional and clinical supervision to assistant and trainee psychologists, junior psychologists, psychological therapists and other relevant staff.
• Promote psychological thinking and psychologically informed practice across the wider multidisciplinary team through consultation, formulation, supervision and training.
• Contribute to the teaching, training and professional development of staff and psychology trainees.

Leadership and Service Development

• Contribute to the development and delivery of high-quality, accessible and psychologically informed services.
• Support the development, evaluation and monitoring of clinical pathways, operational policies and service delivery.
• Provide psychological expertise to service development and contribute to the leadership and governance of psychological practice.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to identify opportunities to improve patient care and outcomes.

Clinical Governance, Research and Quality Improvement

• Contribute to clinical governance, audit, service evaluation, research and quality improvement.
• Use psychological theory, research and evidence-based practice to support the continued development of clinical services.
• Undertake and contribute to audit, research and service evaluation projects and support the dissemination and implementation of findings.
• Maintain high standards of clinical documentation, confidentiality and professional practice.
• Maintain professional registration and continuing professional development, engaging in regular professional supervision and appraisal.

The postholder will be expected to work autonomously within professional guidelines while remaining an active and collaborative member of the wider healthcare team. The role requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong clinical leadership, resilience, reflective practice and the ability to work effectively with complexity and risk within a secure healthcare environment. Our ethos of Caring NOT Judging should underpin all aspects of practice, ensuring care is compassionate, respectful, inclusive and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, equivalent to that accredited by the BPS.
• Evidence of post-qualification specialist training, experience and developing expertise in a specialist area of clinical practice.
• HCPC Registration.

Desirable

• Pre- or Post-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• Reflective practice training and experience.
• Post-graduate training or experience in a forensic mental health setting.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Broad knowledge of models of assessment, management and treatment of children and young people in secure settings.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Ability to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours.
• An understanding of the social determinants of health inequalities and relevant psychological theory and practice.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology or equivalent for non-psychology professionals.
• Possesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise relevant to post.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. people with additional disabilities).
• Ability to write reports for varied audiences, including courts and purchasers of services.
• Can apply psychological knowledge creatively in developing new initiatives.

Previous Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Demonstrate specialist experience gained post-qualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours).
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of representing psychology within context of multidisciplinary care.
• Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service.
• Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities etc).
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• High level knowledge and skills in neuropsychology and evidence of further practice and/or training since qualification.
• Formal Training in Supervision of other psychologists.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

Desirable

• Experience of working in secure environments and/or forensic mental health.
• Experience of using a trauma informed approach.