Job overview
This is a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic and dynamic Clinical Psychologist to provide clinical assessments, interventions and service developments at a senior level in a tertiary neuropsychology outpatient service.
You will provide specialist assessment and intervention to adults who have neurological disorders and/or experience functional neurological disorder, and who have cognitive and psychiatric needs. You will work in a dynamic outpatient service alongside CBT therapists, physiotherapy, neuropsychiatrists and neurologists. There are opportunities in this senior role to become involved in consultation, and contribute to service developments in cross cultural neuropsychological work and understanding autistic cognition, with the supervision of the consultant clinical neuropsychologist.
Opportunities are also available for you to enhance neuropsychological expertise by undertaking further professional development and work in other parts of the neuropsychiatry service.
You will work with an already established multidisciplinary team who are highly specialised and dedicated to the service users they work with. The role benefits from excellent educational opportunities within the Trust and via links with the IoPPN at KCL, in addition to a Trust-wide Staff Support Service and networks to help you connect with others within SLaM.
Main duties of the job
1. To provide specialist neuropsychological assessment to service users with neurological, functional neurological disorders and psychiatric symptoms.
2. To provide evidence-based interventions for cognitive and emotional difficulties associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
3. To enable other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
4. To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in the neuropsychology service.
5. To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
6. To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
7. To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
8. Supervision and support for the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology and/or training in evidence-based intervention for Functional Neurological Disorder can be made available by the Trust, where appropriate.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
9. To provide a specialist neuropsychological assessment service to service users with neuropsychiatric presentations, liaising closely with multi disciplinary colleagues in the pathway.
10. To provide highly specialist neuropsychological culturally appropriate formulations and interventions for clients in the neuropsychiatry outpatient service including guiding neuropsychological assessment and intervention for people with neuropsychiatric presentations
11. To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
12. To liaise with colleagues from CBT, physiotherapy, neuropsychiatry and neurology to ensure consistent formulation and intervention across the outpatient MDT.
13. To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
KR 2 Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning
14. To co-ordinate (and chair) meetings to ensure a consistent approach across the MDT and to further own and colleagues' continuous professional development.
15. To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically informed framework for the brain injury and functional neurological disorder MDTs within the Lishman Unit.
16. To take a lead in further developing the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
17. To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
18. To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
19. To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
20. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
KR 3 Policy and service development
21. To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.
22. To identify any aspects of the outpatient neuropsychology service which could be improved and propose changes to practices or procedures that affect those services and may also affect other services.
23. To initiate and implement service development projects, as agreed with clinical/professional lead.
24. To participate in the ongoing implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines) across relevant services.
25. To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4 Care or management of resources
26. To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
27. To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
KR 5 Management and supervision
28. To provide clinical leadership to more junior psychologists, assistant psychologist and other professionals, as appropriate.
29. To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists.
30. To supervise jointly with the consultant neuropsychologist, trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism.
31. To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
32. To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
KR 6 Teaching and Training
33. To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
34. To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Outpatient neuropsychology serviceby maintaining an active awareness of current developments in neuropsychology and FND and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
35. To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
36. To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
37. To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry, in those parts of the service for which the post-holder has leadership responsibility.
KR 8 Research and development
38. To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits
39. To initiate and carry out appropriate research.
40. To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to the neuropsychology outpatient services.
41. To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
42. To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
43. To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’.
44. To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
45. To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these.
46. To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
47. To ensure that all psychology and psychotherapy staff for whom the post-holder has leadership responsibility, maintain professional standards and continuing professional development.
KR10 General
48. To be able to undertake a portion of the role as on-site work at the Maudsley Outpatients Department, Denmark Hill
49. To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
50. To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations relevant to the Lishman unit MDTs such as aggressive behaviour emerging from brain injury or psychological trauma, or team dynamics elicited by prominent maladaptive personality styles and to support others involved in such situations.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
51. •Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. (A/I) Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; Counselling psychologist: MSc and PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology; Forensic psychologist: MSc in Forensic Psychology plus completion of the British Psychological Society’s Qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2)
52. •Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training in neuropsychology and intervention for Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma
53. •Completed training course in clinical supervision. (A/I/R)
54. •Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. (A/I)
Desirable criteria
55. •Having completed, or working through the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology or parallel route to entry on the Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN)
56. •Having completed or working through training in area of psychological practice relevant for treatment of FND, such as CBT for FND, MBCT or other evidence-based approach.
Experience
Essential criteria
57. •Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in adult neuropsychology. (A/I)
58. •Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in brain injury and FND. (A/I)
59. •Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training. (A/I)
60. •Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. (A/I)
61. •Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects. (A/I)
Desirable criteria
62. •Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books (A/I/R)
63. Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area. (A/I)
Knowledge
Essential criteria
64. •Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for individuals with brain injury and individuals with FND (A/I/R)
65. •Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment. (A/I/R)
66. •Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics (A/I/R)
67. •Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities. (A/I/R)
68. •Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care. (A/I/R)
69. •Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis. (A/I/R)
Skills
Essential criteria
70. •To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
71. •To liaise with the outpatient MDT to ensure a consistent approach with regard to service users who may present highly challenging behaviour or emotive dynamics on account of brain injury, trauma and/or maladaptive interpersonal styles. (A/I/R)
72. •To select and administer specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ. To guide junior psychologist to do the same.
73. •To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
74. •To be expert in the skilled administration of psychometric tests, including skilled manipulation of test materials; and to be able to supervise others in administration of psychometric tests. (A/I/R)
75. •Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data. (A/I/R) •
Desirable criteria
76. Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups (A/I/R).
Abilities
Essential criteria
77. •Ability to demonstrate leadership and work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I/R)
78. •Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate. (A/I/R)
79. •Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings (A/I/R)
80. •Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these. (A/I)
81. •Ability to manage physical aggression directed at self, including use of physical interventions as prescribed by Trust policies. (A/I)
82. Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self. (A/I)
83. •Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour. (A/I) •