Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

•        hold and manage a caseload of complex clients independently and be accountable for all clinical decisions. This will include the assessment, diagnosis and development of specialised programmes of care. The post holder will need to exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the planning and prioritising of their own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients within the bounds of the clinical service. They will work within professional guideline/policy and exercise local responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service.

•        provide a highly specialist neuropsychological assessment (including risk assessment) and intervention service. This will include taking the lead responsibility for carrying out and integrating complex data from expert neuropsychological and psychological assessments of adults with complex disabilities using assessment measures (e.g. standardised tests, direct and indirect observation, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with client, family and professionals), and where necessary adapting assessments and intervention techniques to the needs of individual patients on an ongoing basis.

•        be responsible for neuropsychological formulation and interpretation of gathered data on cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and psychosocial functioning. The post holder will take the lead responsibility for the skilled and sensitive presentation of complex and often highly emotive information, neuropsychological and psychological findings to patients and to their families in a sensitive and supportive manner, often during times of distress, which can cause barriers to receiving information. This information will also be relayed to the rehabilitation teams and other professionals through detailed written reports, case conferences and clinical interviews.

•        use well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively complex technical and/or clinically sensitive information for patients and other professional colleagues, both orally and in writing. Patients and families will require feedback to be tailored to their individual level of understanding and the different options/opinions about psychological and other treatments available explained comprehensively to and with them.

•        Will formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment/intervention/care package, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework, and employing the latest evidence-based information and methods of proving efficacy across service. The post holder will implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different exploratory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses. The post holder will also need to consider the views of the clients, relatives/carers and other health professionals where opinions may differ.

•        will provide intervention which may be on an individual or group basis and which requires a high level of communication and therapeutic skill, demonstrating a capacity to interact sensitively with clients and families at all times. The post holder will develop and evaluate treatment plans and goals for each client, make decisions about interventions/treatment options evaluating both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual/groups and the way different neuropsychological deficits affect the cognitive, emotional and social behaviours of the person with a brain injury/amputation and their significant others.

•        take lead responsibility for developing and delivering psychological and social interventions to those experiencing psychological difficulties (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders, aggression, adjustment difficulties, behaviour difficulties), ideally with expertise in a number of approaches (e.g., including behavioural, cognitive behaviour therapy, positive psychology, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, humanistic and systemic interventions). The post holder will be able to devise, deliver and evaluate specialist psychological assessment and treatment interventions, including supervising/consulting to members of staff regarding decisions about appropriate intervention.

•        will need to carry out highly specialist assessment of patients’ mental capacity working with the MIDT professionals and other agencies where appropriate. The post holder will need to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment, and to support decision making in the patient’s best interest.

•        administer, score and collate data on highly specialist psychometric assessment measures/tests including physical manipulation of test materials to specified protocols, input and interpretation of data. The post holder will need to ensure all tests are carried out according to strict guidelines. They will also need to communicate the results of these assessments to referrers, clients whose understanding may be impaired and families when appropriate.

•        The post holder will be required to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information requiring empathy and reassurance to clients, carers, families and professionals in a manner overcoming barriers to understanding (patients will often have communication cognitive difficulties as well as emotional difficulties accepting the information being provided). The post holder will need to work with other colleagues to ensure patients who have communication disorders have access to information and services to enable them to make informed decisions about their care, including utilisation to interpreter services as appropriate.