Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

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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.

Documents to download

• Job description (PDF, 328.4KB)

• Important Additional Information For Candidates (please read carefully) (PDF, 160.6KB)

• Privacy Notice for Staff (PDF, 268.6KB)

• Staff Benefits (PDF, 2.5MB)

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.

• Registered with Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist, * Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

• Advanced Diploma in CBT (for Psychosis or SMI)

• HEE approved training in Family Interventions for Psychosis., * Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups presenting 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 cognitive behaviour therapy with clients experiencing psychosis.

• Experience of working with families.

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of delivering Family Interventions for Psychosis

• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts., * Highly developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.

• Highly developed skills in the effective communication, orally and in writing, of complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings (including clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues), both within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.

• Highly developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.

• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

• Evidence of CPD as recommended by BPS.

• Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.

• Ability to provide a culturally competent and non- stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.

• Ability to co-ordinate the recording and reporting of clinical information as required

Desirable criteria

• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of third wave CBT approaches and at least one other specialised psychological therapy.

• Knowledge of NICE approved Family Interventions.

• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Effort and Environment

Essential criteria

• Ability to remain in constrained positions for substantial proportion of working time.

• Ability to concentrate intensively for substantial periods of time during service user contact, teaching/supervision sessions, team meetings, preparing written work etc

• Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and able to contain the stress of others.

• Ability to manage effectively frequent exposure to highly distressing/emotional circumstances

• Ability to manage effectively verbal aggression and abuse from patients, carers etc., and the risk of physical aggression.

Other requirements

Essential criteria

• Ability to identify and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviours.

• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.

• 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 work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor, and in multi- disciplinary and team settings.

• Demonstrate respectful approach to patients, carers, colleagues, other professionals and professional contacts. Willingness to negotiate and ability to handle confrontation effectively and professionally.

Desirable criteria

• Personal experience of mental health problems.

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.