Job overview
1. Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of highly specialist psychological care to clients with highly complex mental health or learning disabilities which may include challenging behaviours.
2. To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families.
3. To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental health or learning disabilities.
4. To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust.
5. In line with the banding of the post and its service context to:
§Exercise supervisory/professional responsibility for other psychological therapists
§Provide leadership in multi-disciplinary training and development
§Provide leadership in service audit and development
§provide leadership in service evaluation and research
§Ensure that a psychological perspective is brought to service redesign and cultural change
Main duties of the job
1. Provide specialist psychological assessment of clients with complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources, which may include neuropsychological testing.
2. Undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
3. Formulate plans for specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients’ mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers.
4. Implement a range of specialist psychological therapies for individual clients, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required.
5. Provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other direct care staff in MDT
6. Provide clinical supervision to other direct care staff in MDT
7. Clinical supervision of Assistant Psychologists under the guidance of Consultant Applied Psychologist.
8. Participate in CQUIN and QIP projects, NICE benchmarking and compliance requirements as required within MDT
9. Participate in clinical audits as required within MDT
10. To keep abreast of current developments in this field through reading, attendance at appropriate training courses, and a range of other CPD activities.
Working for our organisation
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.
You will be working with two enthusiastic teams within Older Adult inpatient services in a new purpose built facility. Cedars ward is a functional assessment ward and Linden Ward is a dementia assessment unit. Both teams demonstrate a deep passion for working with both service users and their families to maximise recovery and wellbeing with collaboration at the heart of what they do.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Main Duties/Responsibilities
1.0.Clinical Responsibilities, Patient Contact
1.1. Provides specialist psychological assessment of clients with complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources, which may include neuropsychological testing.
1.2. 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.
1.3. 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.
1.4. Formulates plans for specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients’ mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers.
1.5. Implements a range of specialist psychological therapies for individual clients, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required.
1.6. Evaluates therapy options and makes decisions about treatment.
1.7. To liaise with other professionals working within the NHS, Social Inclusion and Health and the voluntary sector on matters relating to client care that have implications for the service
2.0.Supervisory/Professional Responsibility
2.1. Clinical supervision of Assistant Psychologists under the guidance of Consultant Applied Psychologist.
2.2. Will hold responsibility and accountability for their own actions, ensuring appropriate support and supervision is sought when required.
2.3. To keep abreast of current developments in this field through reading, attendance at appropriate training courses, and a range of other CPD activities, and to ensure that a log is kept of this in line with Psychology and Counselling service and HPC requirements.
3.0. Multi-Disciplinary Training and Development
3.1. Provides psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other direct care staff in MDT.
3.2. Provides clinical supervision to other direct care staff in MDT.
3.3. Provides training to other staff in MDT under the guidance of a more senior Applied Psychologist.
4.0. Service and Organisational Development
4.1. Participate in CQUIN and QIP projects, NICE benchmarking and compliance requirements as required within MDT
5.0. Service Redesign and Cultural Change
5.1. Bring an understanding of psychological change processes to own role within the MDT
6.0. Service Evaluation and Research
6.1. Participate in clinical audits as required within MDT
6.2. Undertake service evaluation and research in MDT
11. To undertake any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of this post in order to provide a quality (insert) service.
Person specification
Written Evidence
Essential criteria
12. Post-Graduate doctoral level training in applied Psychology (or it's equivalent) as accredited by the BPS
13. HCPC registration as An Applied Psychologist
14. Evidence of working as qualified applied psychologist within an older adult or related service
15. Evidence of continuing professional development