Intensive Psychosis Services 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

3.1 Financial responsibility 

The post holder will hold no financial responsibilities.  

3.2 Responsibility for Human Resources 

To provide professional and clinical supervision to trainee psychologists on placement and jointly line manage with the relevant DClinPsy Universities.  

To provide professional and clinical supervision to other psychologists of a lower grade including clinical associates in psychology and assistant psychologists where appropriate.  

To provide specialist consultation, training and supervision, where appropriate, to other health and social care staff working within NLFT Mental Health services. 

To provide teaching and training regarding the psychological needs of the target population to other members of the multi-disciplinary team. 

To provide informal and appropriate spaces for staff including treatment planning, case formulation and including management of challenging behaviour and risk behaviour, staff reflective practice and staff consultation  

3.3 Responsibility for Administration 

To screen psychology referrals from colleagues and community units 

To plan and organise their own workload. 

To ensure that all clinical and other related records are kept up to date in line with Trust policy.  

3.4 Responsibility for IT and Digital Systems/Services  

To advise on adaptations needed to support service users making use of remote IT and digital systems used in their care. 

To work as a senior clinician within the service, providing an advanced level of psychological expertise in assessment advice and treatment of highly complex service users. 

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments using interview, formal psychometric and other assessment methods as appropriate. 

To formulate and devise psychological treatment and management plans for referred service users with a range of problems of severity and complexity, including those with challenging behaviours. 

To provide specialised psychological treatment to relatives and carers when appropriate 

To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of service users with complex needs  

To carry out direct and indirect risk assessments and management plans in line with MDT care planning.  

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the psychological assessment and treatment in accordance with policies of the service. 

To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users, who may have highly complex needs and exhibit challenging behaviours. 

To liaise with other health and social care staff, from a range of agencies, in the care provided to service users. 

The postholder will be responsible for the delivery of psychological assessment and treatment, and ensure that safe, evidence based, effective, culturally competent care is delivered in a timely manner to service users. 

To contribute to the development of the service.  

To lead on the development and provision of psychology services 

Utilise evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual, family and group work and work with other team members. 

Undertake appropriate research and provide research support to other staff undertaking research. 

To lead on, participate in and contribute to clinical audit, QI and service evaluation with colleagues within the service, to help evaluate and improve service provision, proposing changes to working practice and procedures for their own work area as required. 

All staff are responsible for their continual compliance with CQC standards and outcomes. 

The postholder must be aware of, and work in line with, the Trust’s Safeguarding Adults and Children procedures. 

Receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical or counselling psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues as indicated and negotiated with line manager. 

Participate in an agreed programme of training and continuing professional development and maintain an active engagement with current developments in psychological practice in areas related to the post. 

Maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and service user group. 

To undertake such other duties and responsibilities, appropriate to the grade of the post, as may be agreed with Lead psychologists and other Divisional leads.  

All staff are required to be appraised by their line managers at least once a year, following the first year in service, at a personal development review meeting where progress made over the last year is discussed and agreed. Focus on the following year’s departmental and personal objectives will be identified, discussed and agreed. Where necessary, help and support will be provided and development opportunities agreed in line with service provision and knowledge and skills competency framework.