Clinical Psychologist

Job summary

Are you passionate about improving the wellbeingof people with cancer and life limiting conditions?

Would you thrive working in a small and friendly team, withexcellent embedded admin support?

If so, we invite you to apply to join our Cancerand Palliative Care Psychology Service as a Clinical Psychologist or SpecialistPractitioner Psychologist.

As a result of career progression, a vacancy hasarisen in our team. The post is a halftime, band 7, permanent position, with scope for preceptorship to band 8a (subjectto demonstrating necessary competencies).We would welcome applications from enthusiastic, motivated andresourceful individuals with strong skills in delivering psychological therapy,and experience of working in physical health settings.

Our specialist service is part of the Department ofClinical Health Psychology. We are a growing service, with an ethos ofproviding excellent opportunities for professional support anddevelopment. We actively encourage supervision, CPD andservice-related research. We have goodacademic links to local DClinPsy courses, and regularly take trainees fromacross the region. We are also looking to develop and diversify the range ofclinical placements we offer within the department. Clinical supervision andsupport will be provided by experienced Clinical Psychologists orCounsellors/Psychotherapists within the Clinical Health Psychology Department.

Main duties of the job

In addition tothis summary, please familiarise yourself with the full job description andperson specification documents attached to this advert.

Applicantsmust be HCPC registered and hold a Doctorate level qualification in ClinicalPsychology, Counselling Psychology or Health Psychology.

Provision of Level3 and 4 psychological intervention to a range of patients with complex Oncologyor Palliative Care needs is the primary focus of this role. In addition to direct therapy work, you willbe working closely with medical and nursing teams, providing consultancy,education, clinical supervision and input to MDTs. You will also contribute to clinicalpsychology service development, audit and research.

The role is primarily based in an out-patient setting at Dewsbury Hospital. Clinical sessions at Pinderfields andPontefract Hospital may also be required.

About us

We provide care and support to over a million people inWakefield and Kirklees in their homes, community settings and across ourthree hospital sites at Pontefract, Dewsbury and Pinderfields (Wakefield).

Always striving for excellence, we are at the forefront ofinnovation and research, and we invest in teaching and the development of ourworkforce.

We live by our values of caring, improving, being respectfuland maintaining high standards. We listen and learn because we aim to make MidYorkshire the best place to work and receive care.

We value diversity and welcome talent and enthusiasmirrespective of age, disability, neurodivergence, sex, gender identity andgender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation,or other personal circumstances including providing unpaid carers support tosomeone with a health and care need. As ethnic minority groups, members of theLGBTQ+ community, and people with a disability/neurodivergence are currentlyunder-represented across the organisation, we encourage applications frommembers of these groups. We have policies and procedures to ensure allapplicants are treated fairly and consistently.

We are proud of our staff networks - who offer valuableguidance and feedback from those with lived experience.

We have a clear vision and you could be part of this Ifyou share our values and you want to make a difference to the lives of ourpatients and their families and carers, we would love to hear from you.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessment of patients based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests self-report measures, direct and indirect observation and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members/carers and others involved in the patients care.

Todraw upon a range of conceptual models and therapeutic frameworks to formulate, develop and implement specialised programmes of care for individuals, couples and groups.

To make skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options; taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and are relevant to the presenting problems. To refine psychological formulations by drawing upon different explanatory models of proven efficacy and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To manage situations where there may be a difference of opinion over decisions made in the patients best interests, taking the psychological impact on the patient into account.

To communicate in a sensitive and skilled manner information concerning assessment, formulation and treatment plan to the patient themselves, their carers, referral agents and where appropriate other involved professionals. This will involve providing sensitive information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills. It may necessitate great tact and sensitivity when patients, or their relatives are highly distressed.

To carry individual accountability for all clinical decisions and exercise responsibility and autonomy for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and intervention, communicating with the referral agent, members of the multidisciplinary team and others involved in the patients care.

To respect diversity. To treat everyone with dignity and respect and act in ways that acknowledge and recognise peoples expressed beliefs, preferences and choices.

To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the patients treatment plan.

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

Person Specification

Other

Essential

Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena. Interest in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by psychological services within the context of the multi-disciplinary team. The ability to work flexibly and with clinical autonomy in a multi-professional context and in an acute healthcare context. The ability to develop and use highly complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings. The ability to contain and work with organisational stress and the ability to contain the stress of others. Keyboard and IT literacy skills for the purpose of writing complex psychological reports, letters, as well as clinical programmes, which form part of treatment.

Knowledge and Awareness

Essential

Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology, counselling psychology or health psychology Knowledge of the theory and practice of psychological assessments and interventions. Awareness of own limitations.

Desirable

Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies. Doctoral / masters level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis.

Skills and AbiIities

Essential

Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management (including risk assessment and management) frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. The ability to communicate effectively in both written and oral formats, highly complex and clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups. The ability to plan, organise and flexibly manage own caseload, adapting to the changing priorities of a complex organisational environment and coordinating the work of professional colleagues. To be able to handle highly complex & sensitive information where there are significant barriers to understanding and acceptance. Provide effective teaching, training and clinical supervision for multi-disciplinary teams. Undertake complex multi-agency working and liaise with multiple systems. Utilise psychometric tests competently. Identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions and means of support for carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours. Utilise appropriate clinical governance mechanisms The ability to adapt creatively the evidence-base for interventions in mental health for patients with communication difficulties and or cognitive problems. Provide consultation to other professionals and non-professional groups.

Qualifications

Essential

Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996). With HCPC registration (or within six months of achieving HCPC registration) as a Clinical Psychologist. OR Specialist post graduate training to doctoral level that is accredited by a relevant professional body. Eg Counselling Psychology or Health Psychology. AND HCPC registration as Practitioner Psychologist (or within six months of achieving HCPC registration).

Desirable

Have undertaken post-qualification further training in a specialised area of psychological practice clinical supervision neuropsychology, CBT, CAT, DBT, CFT, group work, analytical therapy, systemic / family work etc. Experience of work in the area of Palliative Care or Oncology Training in Clinical Supervision

Personal Attributes

Essential

The ability to work in accordance with The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust values and behaviours. The ability to engage with vulnerable people and work effectively in highly distressing and challenging circumstances. The ability to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a number of teams; team working across multiple specialties and sites. The ability to use own initiative and make decisions independently. Ability to cope with the physical requirements of the job; being resilient to the distressing content of therapy sessions and the physical symptoms patients may be experiencing.

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with patients with physical health conditions and conducting specialist assessments and interventions, across the full range of care settings. Experience of applying psychological theory and practice, and tailoring assessment and interventions to individual needs, considering a range of physical and cognitive conditions. Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care. Experience of teaching, training, consultation. Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS or other governing bodies.

Desirable

Experience of the application of psychology / psychological therapy in different social and cultural contexts

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