Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Task and Responsibilities
Clinical:
1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to CAMHS 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 clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
2. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s 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; considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
5. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.
6. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies.
7. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation, and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multi-disciplinary care.
Leadership
1. To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
2. To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience of practitioner (clinical / counselling) psychology over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed.
3. To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff’s psychological work, as appropriate.
4. To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant/graduate psychologists and, as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of trainee clinical psychologists.
5. To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of relevant healthcare staff, as appropriate.
6. To contribute to external and internal training programmes within CAMHS
Management responsibilities
1. To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
2. To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
3. To manage the workloads of assistant and graduate psychologists, within the framework of the team/service’s policies and procedures.
4. To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists.
Research
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 audit or research as appropriate within the service, Directorate, or multi-centred research across Trusts and to supervise research and audit projects.
3. To utilise theory, literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other members of the service, Directorate and the Trust.
4. To contribute to the evaluation, monitoring and development of the multi-disciplinary specialist CAMHS.
General
1. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the postholder’s professional and service manager(s).
2. To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a 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.
3. 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 and Trust policies and procedures.
4. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.