Job summary
We are looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic, Band 8B Principal Clinical Psychologist to join our Intensive Support Team (IST) for adults with learning disabilities, in Peterborough. This team offers you a unique opportunity to show case your experience and expertise in working with adults with learning disabilities, who need psychological support when they find themselves in a crisis, where the role requires working within complex systems and with a number of partners.
Our team supports adults with learning disabilities with a diverse, and challenging range of complex needs. Our goal is to support our service users to remain in their community when in crisis, by offering additional mental health support, psychological therapy, and treatment. We support the transition of service users to allow them to return from out of area placements and work closely with services supporting young people to prevent them having to leave Peterborough unnecessarily.
We are looking for a Clinical Psychologist to work with our multidisciplinary team. If you are successful, you will be providing Positive Behaviour Support (applied behavioural analysis, formulation, and functional analysis) and trauma informed care. A key part of your role will be supporting the wider team to develop their psychological understanding of people's difficulties through consultation, supervision, and training. As a team we are passionate about development an providing the best possible care for our service users.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for implementing psychological assessments and providing therapeutic interventions. As mentioned above, you will be supporting the wider team to develop psychological understandings of people's difficulties through consultation, supervision, and training. Supervision of an assistant psychologist and doctoral trainees on placements will also be an exciting part of the role.
You will be supported by the Consultant Clinical & Forensic Psychologist. Professionally CPFT psychologists have a wide and active range of supervision and research groups which will be available to you. CPFT has an active research interest group with many local, regional ,and national collaborations. The trust has strong links with the UEA Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Programme and the University of Cambridge. There will be both supervision, teaching/lecturing and examination opportunities with both universities.
We are a small team who are dedicated to supporting the development of our staff. If you are successful, you will have access to CPD opportunities, as appropriate to the role, and will have the opportunity to arrange a flexible work schedule to ensure a work/life balance that suits you.
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at
Job description
Job responsibilities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
1. As an autonomous practitioner manage a highly complex case load, including planning and implementing appropriate interventions based on the referral evaluation, assessment, diagnoses, treatment, and monitoring of individuals identified needs of adults with a learning disability.
2. As a senior clinician, to support the service and team manager & Consultant Psychologist in the development of a high quality, responsive service, including leading on an area of service development in line with service plans. To include advise on those aspects of the service where psychological and other organisational matters need addressing.
3. As a senior clinician, to support the Lead Psychologist in the development of a high quality, responsive service, including leading on an area of service development in line with service plans. To include advising on those aspects of the service where psychological and other organisational matters need addressing. Designing and conducting service development activities in line with local & national priorities.
4. To provide professional leadership and management to psychology staff including Assistants and Trainees, including recruitment, reflective practice, supervision, appraisal, and professional development particularly mandatory training as delegated by the consultant Psychologist/ team manager. Managing operational aspects such as the waiting list.
5. To lead in multi-disciplinary/ multi-agency working within the CPFT and with Key partners. Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with colleagues, other agencies, people who use services, and their families, Promoting partnership with people in other health and social care settings,
6. To work within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team(s).
7. To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research. Designing and conducting clinical audit and research, maintaining current knowledge of research findings and development within the learning disability field,
8. Undertaking psychological assessments, formulation, therapeutic interventions, and consultation to support people with specific needs, challenging behaviour, dementia, autism, mental health issues, and psychological and emotional difficulties, to maintain the skills needed for living an ordinary life, undertaking assessments and developing and implementing plans within the Positive Behaviour Support framework.
9. Acting as an advocate and ensuring that there is proper regard for peoples dignity, choice, self-esteem, and racial, cultural, sexual, and religious needs and preferences,
10. Being responsible for assessing and managing clinical risk, including in a crisis, or safeguarding situation,
If you are interested in this exciting post please contact either Deborah Hunt, Consultant Clinical & Forensic Psychologist D or Sallyanne Broughton, Team Manager IST to arrange a phone call, TEAMS call or visit.
Person Specification
Education Qualification
Essential
11. oDoctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS
12. oRegistration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
13. oEvidence of supervisory and risk management training
Desirable
14. oPost-qualification training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
Experience
Essential
15. oDemonstrable post qualifying experience within a Community MDT.
16. oExperience of working with adults with Learning Disability
17. oCare Co-ordination in CPA/Case Management
18. oExperience in providing clinical supervision.
19. oExperience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including community and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
20. oExperience of working with people who show behaviour which challenges
21. oExperience of developing and delivering training
Desirable
22. o Experience of developing service user and carer involvement
23. oRecord of having published in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
24. oSkills in the use of complex, methods of psychological assessment, psychological formulation, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
25. oKnowledge of Positive Behaviour support and its application to practice.
26. oKnowledge of advanced clinical risk assessment methods (HCR20)
27. oDoctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology/counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
28. oDoctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, MHA and MCA Knowledge.
29. oUnderstanding of research and audit processes
30. oUnderstanding of Clinical governance
31. oAwareness of current trends legislation and guidance in support for people with learning disabilities and their carers
32. oKnowledge of treatment strategies
33. oKnowledge of the Enabling approach to support people meet their full potential
Personal Qualities
Essential
34. oAbility to use own initiative.
35. oAbility to work as part of MDT.
36. oAbility to work under pressure and cope with stress.
37. oAbility to encourage and facilitate good teamwork.
38. oAbility to manage conflict.
39. oAbility to deliver health education training.
40. oAbility to contribute to service development and ability to manage change.
Other
Essential
41. oAbility to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
42. oExcellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling effective working within the Multi-Disciplinary Team.
43. oAble to tolerate ambiguity and to take decisions in situations of incomplete information.
44. oAbility to exercise appropriate levels of wellbeing and to monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.
45. oMotivated towards personal and professional development with a strong CPD record.
46. oAble to tolerate prolonged periods of sitting.