Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The postholder is expected to work in an environment which may be highly emotive and mentally and physically demanding, particularly when working with parents/birthing people and babies. They must be able to work to the demands of a clinical therapeutic environment on an individual and group therapeutic basis. They are expected to maintain the highest degree of professionalism at all times.
Clinical:
To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client's

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client's mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients' formulation, diagnosis and treatment

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary

Please see job description for full details.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Professional accreditation/registration with HCPC or BABCP or UKCP or BACP, or eligible for Chartered membership of British Psychological Society as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist .
• Postgraduate level training in psychological theory and practice.

Desirable criteria

• Specialist training in a core therapeutic approach.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups that reflect the full range of clinical complexity and severity
• Experience of working in NHS with clients with complex needs.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with people with mental health problems.
• Experience of working with women during the perinatal period.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for people with complex needs. Ability to provide group and individual interventions.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.