Job summary An exciting opportunity has arisen for a 0.6 WTE Senior Clinical Psychologist to join the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing a psychological therapy service for the adult HIV service. Supported by a wider team, this post carries with it an opportunity to work somewhat independently, as the sole Clinician providing therapeutic input into this specialist area. There will be opportunities for direct clinical work alongside consultation and liaison with the wider MDT. In addition, this post carries with it opportunities to link with charities and external organisations relating to the care and treatment of this patient group. Please note that this vacancy will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received, which may be before the closing date on Wednesday 23rd April 2025. Main duties of the job An exciting opportunity has arisen for a 0.6 WTE Senior Clinical Psychologist to join the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing a psychological therapy service for the adult HIV service. Supported by a wider team, this post carries with it an opportunity to work somewhat independently, as the sole Clinician providing therapeutic input into this specialist area. There will be opportunities for direct clinical work alongside consultation and liaison with the wider MDT. In addition, this post carries with it opportunities to link with charities and external organisations relating to the care and treatment of this patient group. About us The Department of Clinical and Health Psychology is a large team made up of Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, Counsellors and CBT Therapists. This post sits within the Medicine Section, alongside other Clinicians working into different specialities for other long term health conditions. Working within this section provides opportunities to work closely with other Clinicians and participate in a wide range of other activities related to supporting and enhancing patient experience. In joining the Department you will also have access to regular clinical supervision, access to training and CPD opportunities including engagement with Special Interest Groups (SIGs). We also maintain close links with the Leeds Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training programme, from which there are often other opportunities to participate in such as contributing to teaching, provision of placements and recruitment of the future workforce. Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions. Date posted 27 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 8a Salary £53,755 to £60,504 a year Contract Permanent Working pattern Part-time Reference number C9298-ATH-405 Job locations St. James's University Hospital Beckett Street Leeds LS9 7TF Job description Job responsibilities JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY To provide a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychology service to adult patients, across all sites and sectors of care by: a) Providing highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, b) Offering advice and consultation on patients psychological and neuropsychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other non-professional carers, c) Using research skills for audit, policy and service development and leading on research projects within the area served by the team/service d) Working autonomously in the execution of these duties and within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Psychology Teams, Department and Trust policies and procedures.. PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Clinical: 1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients care. 2. To formulate, develop and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patients psychological problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings. 3. 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. 4. To evaluate and make 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, family or group. 5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans. 6. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. 7. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of people under the medical services, across settings and agencies serving the patient group. 8. 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, with particular reference to deliberate self-harm. 9. To act as care co-ordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA (or its equivalent in the acute physical health care setting) including patients, their carers referring agents and others involved in the network of care. 10. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care. Teaching, training, and supervision 1. To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a more senior clinical/counselling psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues 2. To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical/counselling psychology and the service (as agreed with the Lead Psychologist and Head of Department) up to two sessions per week. 3. To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work as appropriate. 4. To provide professional and clinical supervision of doctoral trainee and graduate/ assistant psychologists. 5. To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical, health and/or counselling psychology, as appropriate. 6. To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the patient group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate. Management, recruitment, policy and service development 1. To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team, specialty and department operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit. 2. To advise both the service and the Lead Psychologist on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing. 3. To manage the workloads of assistant graduate psychologists and doctoral trainee clinical psychologists, within the framework of the team/specialty and Department policies and procedures. 4. To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant / graduate psychologists. Research and service evaluation 1. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members. 2. To undertake, as a major component of the post, appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research, and to disseminate appropriate material via presentation and publication. 3. To lead on research projects within the area served by the team/service. 4. To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision. 5. To provide appropriate research supervision of doctoral trainees and graduate assistant psychologists. SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS i) PHYSICAL EFFORT: The following physical skills are needed in this clinical post: a) highly-developed skills in psychometric assessment. This involves manipulating of complex test materials, attention to detail for precise and accurate placement of test materials and timing and recording of patients responses, acute observational and sensory skills to assess and record a patients behaviour and make comparisons with standardised test norms. It includes the ability to co-ordinate all of these activities whilst establishing rapport with a patient, maintaining their interest and motivation to carry out the assessment. Assessment sessions may be up to 2-3hrs in length. In addition the post requires: b) keyboard skills In this post the psychologist is engaged in clinical work for more than 50% of the time. In clinical sessions with patients the post-holder is required to sit in restricted positions for lengthy clinical assessments or psychotherapeutic sessions (up to 3-4hrs). b) Test equipment weighing c. 3 kilos has to be lifted and moved short distances in the majority of clinical sessions. There are requirements to move case notes/test equipment between clinic locations. This involves moving loads of c 8 kilos twice per week. ii) MENTAL EFFORT: This post requires the psychologist to work with distressed and emotionally distraught patients. Over 50% of the post is in clinical work with patients. Psychotherapeutic work with distressed patients requires intense listening and concentration over long periods of time, the psychologist actively attending to what is said, making complex clinical judgements concerning the relevance of what is said and making decisions about how to respond to the patient in line with best evidence based practice. iii) EMOTIONAL EFFORT: Psychologists, by the nature of their work, deal with highly distressing material. They work for much of their time in emotionally demanding environments. This clinical post deals with this type of material for the majority of clinical sessions i.e. over 50% of the time. Some patients will have histories of severe emotional, physical or sexual abuse and some will be severely depressed and suicidal. Others will have experienced traumatic incidents. There may also be conversations around issues about dying and the end of life. The work of the psychologist involves listening to the patients/relatives account of their experiences, carrying out a detailed assessment of their psychological problems and working psychotherapeutically with them to help them overcome and deal with their problems. iv) WORKING CONDITIONS: In this post there will be some exposure to patients who are intimidating and/or physically aggressive. The Department has a system of panic alarms which can be used and a departmental policy and procedure for dealing with aggressive or violent patients. The Department works closely with mental health services when required. Job description Job responsibilities JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY To provide a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychology service to adult patients, across all sites and sectors of care by: a) Providing highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, b) Offering advice and consultation on patients psychological and neuropsychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other non-professional carers, c) Using research skills for audit, policy and service development and leading on research projects within the area served by the team/service d) Working autonomously in the execution of these duties and within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Psychology Teams, Department and Trust policies and procedures.. PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Clinical: 1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients care. 2. To formulate, develop and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patients psychological problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings. 3. 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. 4. To evaluate and make 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, family or group. 5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans. 6. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. 7. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of people under the medical services, across settings and agencies serving the patient group. 8. 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, with particular reference to deliberate self-harm. 9. To act as care co-ordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA (or its equivalent in the acute physical health care setting) including patients, their carers referring agents and others involved in the network of care. 10. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care. Teaching, training, and supervision 1. To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a more senior clinical/counselling psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues 2. To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical/counselling psychology and the service (as agreed with the Lead Psychologist and Head of Department) up to two sessions per week. 3. To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work as appropriate. 4. To provide professional and clinical supervision of doctoral trainee and graduate/ assistant psychologists. 5. To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical, health and/or counselling psychology, as appropriate. 6. To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the patient group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate. Management, recruitment, policy and service development 1. To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team, specialty and department operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit. 2. To advise both the service and the Lead Psychologist on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing. 3. To manage the workloads of assistant graduate psychologists and doctoral trainee clinical psychologists, within the framework of the team/specialty and Department policies and procedures. 4. To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant / graduate psychologists. Research and service evaluation 1. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members. 2. To undertake, as a major component of the post, appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research, and to disseminate appropriate material via presentation and publication. 3. To lead on research projects within the area served by the team/service. 4. To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision. 5. To provide appropriate research supervision of doctoral trainees and graduate assistant psychologists. SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS i) PHYSICAL EFFORT: The following physical skills are needed in this clinical post: a) highly-developed skills in psychometric assessment. This involves manipulating of complex test materials, attention to detail for precise and accurate placement of test materials and timing and recording of patients responses, acute observational and sensory skills to assess and record a patients behaviour and make comparisons with standardised test norms. It includes the ability to co-ordinate all of these activities whilst establishing rapport with a patient, maintaining their interest and motivation to carry out the assessment. Assessment sessions may be up to 2-3hrs in length. In addition the post requires: b) keyboard skills In this post the psychologist is engaged in clinical work for more than 50% of the time. In clinical sessions with patients the post-holder is required to sit in restricted positions for lengthy clinical assessments or psychotherapeutic sessions (up to 3-4hrs). b) Test equipment weighing c. 3 kilos has to be lifted and moved short distances in the majority of clinical sessions. There are requirements to move case notes/test equipment between clinic locations. This involves moving loads of c 8 kilos twice per week. ii) MENTAL EFFORT: This post requires the psychologist to work with distressed and emotionally distraught patients. Over 50% of the post is in clinical work with patients. Psychotherapeutic work with distressed patients requires intense listening and concentration over long periods of time, the psychologist actively attending to what is said, making complex clinical judgements concerning the relevance of what is said and making decisions about how to respond to the patient in line with best evidence based practice. iii) EMOTIONAL EFFORT: Psychologists, by the nature of their work, deal with highly distressing material. They work for much of their time in emotionally demanding environments. This clinical post deals with this type of material for the majority of clinical sessions i.e. over 50% of the time. Some patients will have histories of severe emotional, physical or sexual abuse and some will be severely depressed and suicidal. Others will have experienced traumatic incidents. There may also be conversations around issues about dying and the end of life. The work of the psychologist involves listening to the patients/relatives account of their experiences, carrying out a detailed assessment of their psychological problems and working psychotherapeutically with them to help them overcome and deal with their problems. iv) WORKING CONDITIONS: In this post there will be some exposure to patients who are intimidating and/or physically aggressive. The Department has a system of panic alarms which can be used and a departmental policy and procedure for dealing with aggressive or violent patients. The Department works closely with mental health services when required. Person Specification Skills & behaviours Essential Ability to exercise the full clinical responsibility for patients psychological care and treatment within the clinical specialty and to co-ordinate the psychological care provided by others. Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings. Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other Desirable Ability to provide emotional support and professional mentorship to multi-disciplinary team members. Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for specific difficult to treat groups Experience Essential Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings. Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of pr Desirable Experience of working within activity and waiting list targets Experience of working in medical multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care. Experience of working with adults with chronic illness and their families. Qualifications Essential Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psycholo Further training in a specialised area of clinical practice through formal post-doctoral training (diploma or equivalent) or a combination of specialist short courses together with an evidenced portfo Completion of (or completion by the time of starting the post) formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees. Desirable Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology. Person Specification Skills & behaviours Essential Ability to exercise the full clinical responsibility for patients psychological care and treatment within the clinical specialty and to co-ordinate the psychological care provided by others. Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings. Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other Desirable Ability to provide emotional support and professional mentorship to multi-disciplinary team members. Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for specific difficult to treat groups Experience Essential Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings. Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of pr Desirable Experience of working within activity and waiting list targets Experience of working in medical multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care. Experience of working with adults with chronic illness and their families. Qualifications Essential Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psycholo Further training in a specialised area of clinical practice through formal post-doctoral training (diploma or equivalent) or a combination of specialist short courses together with an evidenced portfo Completion of (or completion by the time of starting the post) formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees. Desirable Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology. Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). Employer details Employer name Leeds Teaching Hospitals Address St. James's University Hospital Beckett Street Leeds LS9 7TF Employer's website https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)