Olive Branch Recruitment is working on behalf of a UK leading provider of specialist residential services to young people aged 16-30. Our client is currently looking for a Highly Specialist Psychologist to deliver direct and indirect interventions to young people aged 16-30, with complex mental health needs, living in specialist residential services.

The post-holder will provide clinical psychological assessment and treatment to clients with mental health disorders, including but not exclusively clients with emotionally unstable personality disorder and/or complex trauma.

The post-holder will work within and contribute to the therapeutic service model.

The post-holder will provide specialist support, guidance and consultation on clients' psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other, non-professional carers.

The post-holder will work closely within a multi-disciplinary team.

The post-holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service policies and procedures.

The post-holder will utilise research skills for audit, teaching, policy and service development.

CLINICAL

Provide psychological assessment and treatment to young people with severe and enduring mental health disorders. You will hold a small clinical caseload and with young people typically remaining in placement for at least 12-18 months, you will have the flexibility to provide intensive, integrative, and innovative interventions within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service policies and procedures.

Work closely and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team that values skills and knowledge from all specialisms, including clinical nurse specialists, consultant psychiatrists, psychologists and psychological therapists, and the residential team. This will include providing psychological theory and knowledge to support assessment, formulation and management of risk within a unique and innovative service model that supports young people to develop resilience and learn to manage their risk independently.

Ensure that psychological knowledge is integrated across the residential homes through training and consultation.

Develop excellent leadership and communication skills within the context of a complex multidisciplinary and multiagency system.

Work in an environment where innovative practice is encouraged with excellent opportunities to:

* utilise research skills for audit

* develop and deliver teaching and training

* contribute to policy and service development

* engage in CPD

To formulate and implement plans for psychological therapy and/or management of the young person's mental health based upon a comprehensive conceptualisation of the presenting difficulties, employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy whilst maintaining a flexible approach in considering what will best meet the individual's needs. The post holder will work across a range of settings including, health centres, hospitals, and home visits.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for young people, families, carers and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, modifying and refining psychological formulations considering new information drawing upon a range of explanatory theoretical backgrounds/models and upholding several provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have affected the young person, family or group.

To manage own caseload, exercising autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose difficulties are managed within a psychological framework, regular communication with the referral agent and others involved in the young person's care.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the young people, family and carer's formulations, diagnosis and intervention plans.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients within the service, across all settings and agencies providing services to young people and their families.

To undertake initial risk assessments for young people and to provide advice and guidance to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner both orally and in writing, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of young people and families under their care and to monitor progress during multi-disciplinary care.

To demonstrate awareness of potential communication difficulties and/or cultural considerations and, where appropriate, adapt professional practice, accordingly, involving identification of, and effective liaison with, appropriate support services (e.g. advocacy, family support, translators).

TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION

In common with all clinical psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision, in accordance with good practice guidelines, from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.

To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience of clinical psychology over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post holder is employed.

To develop skills in professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other staff (psychologists and non-psychologists) as appropriate.

To provide clinical supervision of trainee clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists and as appropriate, to supervise qualified clinical psychologists depending upon experience.

To offer independent clinical supervision to trainees with the agreement of line manager following the acquisition of sufficient clinical experience.

To contribute to the pre-and post-qualification teaching of clinical psychology.

To use multi-media materials to deliver presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with young people and their families across a range of settings, where appropriate. Including dissemination of research findings at local and national level.

To continue developing specialised clinical competencies through attendance at relevant post qualification training and at regional networks (e.g. SIG).

MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT, POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams' operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.

To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

To contribute to the management of the workloads of assistant psychologists, within the framework of the team/service's policies and procedures.

To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists.

RESEARCH AND SERVICE EVALUATION

To utilise theory, literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and in work with other team members.

To contribute to audit and service evaluation initiatives relevant to service provision developments.

To record clinical observations and information relevant to clients in accordance with service policy, ensuring accurate documentation of clinical activity and outcomes.

Take an active role, and/or lead on any research programmes that the client are involved in or may become involved with as appropriate to the post holder's knowledge base.

Provide advice and support to colleagues undertaking research/audit including research supervision.

PROFESSIONAL

To ensure the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in the internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with Line Manager.

To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology and adhere to the professional code of practice as drawn up by the Division of Clinical psychology of the British Psychological Society and adhere to the clients service policies and procedures.

To exercise the skills of reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the client group and mental health.

GENERAL
To maintain registration with the Health Professions Council as a Clinical psychologist.

To work within defined clinical areas, travelling as required to provide an accessible service, necessitating the means to transport yourself to other locations.

Ensure adherence to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) protocols to maintain a safe and hygienic environment for young people and staff