Job overview
Are you an experienced clinician looking for a new challenge and the opportunity to join a service at a time of exciting change?
We are looking for applications from highly motivated and enthusiastic Band 7 Clinical or Counselling Psychologist who are committed to delivering patient-focused care and treatment.
We are keen to invest in the development of new practitioners joining our service to enhance their knowledge, skills, clinical practice, leadership and confidence in working in this area. We are therefore looking for applicants who either have experience in Adult mental Health or have a good foundation of transferable skills and an interest to develop in this area.
This is a six session (three day) post, working within an energetic and supportive Psychology service and working as an integrated part of Queens Park and Paddington (QPP) Community Mental Health Hub in North Westminster.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide a range of short and medium term interventions to clients with severe and enduring problems, aimed at preventing deteriorating ill health. Formulation and assessment will be used to enable clients to understand their difficulties and as a means to offer evidence based interventions.
As psychologists we enjoy excellent relationships with our multi-disciplinary colleagues and work alongside each other in helping our clients
The post holder will be flexible, robust and resourceful and able to manage the challenges of working in an environment which can be demanding. You will be contributing and developing the level three interventions and the psychosocial programme that we provide in North Westminster, as well as well as consulting to the wider team.
We provide individual treatments such as ACT, DBT and Schema therapies, as well as group and individual interventions such as Grounding, coping skills and Tree of life as part of our psychosocial program.
Supervision is highly valued in supporting clinical work and the post holder will be expected to make use of the reflective spaces provided.
Working for our organisation
We especially welcome applications from candidates with the valuable experience of the diverse social and cultural communities the Trust serves as we are seeking to ensure our psychology staffing has greater diversity and better represents local communities. The successful candidate will be supported to develop their career and flourish as a valued member of the psychology staff group. There are also a number of support systems within the Trust including staff peer networks.
We prioritise collaboration within our team and with our community partnerships, so we are hoping to find candidates who have the required communication and interpersonal skills that will allow them to thrive when working within their own team and with external partner organisations, in order to provide a meaningful service to the diverse populations we serve.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification on this advert for further info.
1.To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complexdata 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 clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
2.To formulate and implement plans for the 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 based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
3.To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
4.To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
5.To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
6.To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
7.To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the services, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
8.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.
9.To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
10.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.
Teaching, training, and supervision
1.To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
2.To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience of clinical psychology including specialist experience and skills relevant to adult clinical, as agreed with the Head of Adult Psychology Services for Westminster.
3.To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff’s psychological work, as appropriate.
4.To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant/graduate psychologists and, as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of individual cases for trainee clinical psychologists.
5.To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology, as required by the Head of Specialty.
6.To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work. Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience. AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience. Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct. Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.
Vaccination
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
1. Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
2. Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the
3. Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.