Clinical / Counselling Psychologist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILTIES

1. To manage the psychology waiting list and the psychology provision at one of the Havens’ sites, which offers medical care and other follow up services including counselling and psychology, to those who have been raped and sexually assaulted.  
2. To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the Havens, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients and other professionals involved in the patient’s care. 
3. To formulate plans for psychological treatment and/or management, drawing upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy and including CBT models of PTSD and complex trauma. Adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses. 
4. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals as appropriate for problems such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour, relationship difficulties, sexual dysfunction and other psychological sequelae of sexual assault. Therapy approaches will include specialised PTSD therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR, systemic approaches, psychosexual therapy, communication skills training in the context of reducing vulnerability and risk.  
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients from the Havens CYP Therapies Service, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the patient’s care including the MPS and CPS on a regular basis. 
6. When necessary, provide crisis intervention for those suffering severe emotional and psychological reactions to sexual assault and those who are expressing suicidal thoughts or harm related to others or themselves. Providing appropriate psychological therapy and support to ‘cold case’ clients referred by the Sapphire Team. 
7. To undertake risk identification and management for relevant individual patients and to provide both general and specialist advice on psychological aspects of risk identification and management to the clinical team 
8. To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients and to monitor and evaluate progress. 
9. To provide an environment that is non-judgemental, sensitive and confidential and to ensure the integrity of the psychologist/client relationship by being a member of a professional organisation e.g. HCPC abiding by their Code of Ethics. 
10. To attend regular clinical supervision. 

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITES: 
1. To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the relevant professional body, e.g. HCPC and Trust policies and 
procedures. 
2. The post holder must maintain the confidentiality about clients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the Code of Confidentiality or Personal Health Data, the professional body Code of Conduct and Trust Policy. 
3. To maintain accurate statistics and record action in the client’s medical record. 
4. To contribute to the maintenance and update of Haven protocols, where appropriate. 

TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: 
1. To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical/counselling psychologist. 
2. To continue to gain wide post-qualification experience of clinical/counselling psychology including specialist experience and skills relevant to sexual assault, 
sexual health, risk and trauma, as agreed with the Lead Clinical Psychologist.  
3. To participate in the teaching of other health professionals, students and new members of staff. To participate in public education, e.g. GPs, medical students, 
postgraduate doctors, universities, community based groups and other professional groups or bodies requesting teaching and training. 
4. To provide professional and clinical supervision of trainee and assistant 
psychologists and as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of individual cases for trainee clinical psychologists. 
5. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues relation to the specific client group. 
6. To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the service area and contribute across the service by exercising the skills of a 
reflexive and reflective practitioner and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of psychology and related disciplines. 

OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITES  
1.  To ensure Havens and King’s policies are adhered to at all times. 
2. To carry out the role in accordance with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) Code of Ethics.  

GENERAL  
1. To ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and 
external CPD training and development programmes. 
2. To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the service area and contribute across the service by exercising the skills of a 
reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current 
developments in the field of clinical/ counselling psychology and related disciplines.  
3.To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self
governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the BPS, HCPC and Trust policies and procedures.  
4. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific patient groups, clinical psychology and mental 
health. 
5. The post holder must maintain the confidentiality about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the Code of Confidentiality or Personal 

Health Data, the BPS Code of Conduct, the DCP Guidelines for Professional Practice and Trust policy.

1. The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in 
addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post. 
2. To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations. 
3. To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff. 
4. To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues. 
5. The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements of 
this role. These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control and in local policies and procedures which will be made clear 
during your induction and subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all times.  

FORENSIC INTEGRITY STANDARDS  
As a member of staff at the Havens the post holder also has a responsibility for and contribution to make towards ensuring the highest standards of forensic integrity and specifically to ensure that forensic DNA decontamination standards are met at all times and must therefore be familiar with the forensic and DNA decontamination 
standards of the service. The post holder may also be required to provide a DNA elimination sample in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure for upkeep 
and maintenance of the Havens’ Contamination Elimination Database (CED). 
This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will 
change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.