Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

The post-holder will be a qualified fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with a passion for working in this area. As part of the QNIC recommended structure for inpatient CYP units, we are recruiting for these psychology posts into our Kent & Medway Adolescent Hospital MDT. The post holder will work very closely with Children and Young People's Mental Health Services across inpatient and community in Kent NELFT, the Kent and Sussex provider collaborative and other stakeholders. The Kent NELFT DBT Service offers specialist DBT assessments and interventions to YP and their families who are referred. The postholder will take a lead in liaison with all CYPMHS services to ensure clear transitions for young people entering and leaving inpatient services; linking with the DBT Service and where appropriate supporting the transition to Adult Services. The post holder will be part of the delivery of a highly specialist therapeutic service to CYP in the unit. They will be part of the inpatient clinical team and take on a leadership role whilst being accountable to the Head of Service and Assistant Director for inpatient/home treatment and crisis services.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

The postholder will join a thriving psychological professions team across comprehensive CAMHS (inpatient and community). We have strong links with our local psychology training institute and on-going NHSE training for workforce expansion and upskilling.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI

Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Our Values 2025 – 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

We are kind.

We are respectful.

We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment of children and young people with complex emotional, mental health and social needs, including children with diagnoses of learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental difficulties. The post holder will utilise highly specialist clinical knowledge of particular relevance to this client group.

Assessments to be based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests (WISC & WAIS), behavioural assessments, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews. This may include assessment as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Case formulation will lead to intervention plans involving evidence-based interventions (FBA, PBS, CBT etc.), taking account of the need to engage clients who may have additional communication and learning needs.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for clients, their families and care systems. To monitor and evaluate client progress during both uni- and multi-disciplinary care and to be responsible for adjustments and refinements to psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, considering current theoretical and therapeutic models and also highly complex factors concerning developmental difficulties, chronic illness, and historical processes that have affected the young person, family or care system.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients.

To provide specialist psychological advice and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to client's formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. This would include the dissemination of psychology research and theory.

To act, where appropriate, as multi-agency coordinator for the planning and review of care plans for children involved with complex, multi-agency systems.

To undertake risk and management assessment of clients and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk.

To offer clinical supervision as required within the multi-disciplinary team.

To have an understanding of the 2014 Children and Families Act in regards to children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

To be flexible and responsive to the changing needs and priorities of the multi- disciplinary team.

To work in line within the context of CYP IAPT and iThrive principles, using evidence based psychological models of treatment and routine outcome measures.

Responsible for holding own caseload and for providing assessment and therapeutic interventions to address the mental health needs of children, young people and their families. This is delivered through regular contact within therapeutic sessions.

Responsible for maintaining service standards within own practice, including clinical governance and clinical risk assessment, and within the neurodevelopmental Pathway.

Responsible for creating and maintaining client records and notes.

Provision of specialist advice, within boundaries of own role, skills and knowledge.

Contribute professional opinion to relevant legal decision-making processes (e.g. child protection arrangements, domestic violence and abuse cases)

The post holder will receive supervision according to individual need