Clinical psychologist

We have a one-year fixed term Band 7 post for a dynamic and creative clinical psychologist working in two innovative community learning disabilities teams (CLDT) – in the Bromley CLDT (0.4 wte) and the Bexley CLDT (0.6 wte). You will be working with other clinical psychologists, psychological therapists and multidisciplinary team members across the Bromley, Greenwich and Bexley boroughs, based at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup.

The learning disability psychology speciality has 27 wte clinical staff across three community learning disability teams. Group systemic supervision is provided to all psychologists in the service, along with individual supervision by experienced colleagues. The speciality encourages research, service evaluation and outcome measurement.

Main duties of the job

Provide a clinical psychology service to clients of the team, delivering specialist psychological assessment, intervention and treatment. Supervise assistant psychologists and offer advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to non‑psychologist colleagues and other carers. Work autonomously within professional guidelines and the service’s policies, utilising research skills for audit, policy and service development. Keep agreed information that allows an evaluation of the service, contribute to service development, routinely collect, review and feedback outcome data and ensure that activity targets are met.

Although based in the Bromley and Bexley CLDTs, the postholder will work with service users from all Oxleas Learning Disability Directorate boroughs (Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich) and may also undertake project work related to any of these boroughs.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessments using complex data from tests, self‑report measures, rating scales, structured observations and interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
• Formulate and implement plans for formal psychological treatment and/or management of clients’ mental health problems and other relevant issues, based on an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence‑based methods across all care settings.
• Implement psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, individually and in synthesis, adjusting formulations and maintaining provisional hypotheses.
• Evaluate and decide on treatment options, considering theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors influencing the client, family or group.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessment, treatment and discharge of clients managed by psychologically‑based standard care plans.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology
• Registration with HCPC
• Pre‑qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training or other applied psychology fields

Experience

• Specialist psychological assessment and treatment experience across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Experience working with a wide variety of client groups across the whole life course, presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
• Experience working within a neurodevelopmental team and/or an ASD diagnostic pathway.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Skills in complex psychological assessment, intervention and management requiring sustained concentration.
• Well‑developed communication skills, oral and written, for effectively conveying complex, technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, families, carers and professional colleagues inside and outside the NHS.
• Knowledge of specialised psychological therapies for difficult‑to‑treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with neurodevelopmental disabilities).

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. If you meet the minimum criteria for this role and have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme – please select this on your application form. Any information you provide about a disability or need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and only shared with colleagues supporting this request.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) and the 2020 Order, and a Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service will be required.