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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical
 As the lead psychologist for the HTT you will provide specialist psychological 
assessments of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, 
interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of 
sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report 
measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semistructured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the 
client’s care.
 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 of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
 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.
 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.
 To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, 
treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by 
psychologically based care plans.
 To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other 
professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and 
treatment plan.
 To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a 
psychologically based framework for understanding and care of clients of the 
service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the 
dissemination of psychological research and theory.
 To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and 
to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of 
risk assessment and management, including responsibilities within the policies 
and clinical duties to safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
 To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex information 
concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under 
their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both 
uni- and multi-disciplinary care. This will require being able to convey this to 
clients, families and colleagues with a range of understanding and knowledge 
so will require the ability to be flexible, adaptive and simple but yet retain a 
sophisticated understanding and approach. This communication is likely to 
take place in situations which are highly emotive and with people who may 
also have concurrent and/or associated physical health conditions.
 To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and 
appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the treatment 
team.
Leadership
 To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical and/or counselling 
psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, 
competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health 
care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such 
competencies.
 To provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical professional 
supervision to qualified clinical staff attached to the service.
 To provide advice, consultation and clinical supervision to other clinical 
members of the service for their provision of psychologically based 
interventions to help improve clients’ functioning.
 To provide pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and/or counselling 
psychology as appropriate.
 To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional pre- and postgraduate training and clinical supervision.
 To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client 
group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Management responsibilities
 To exercise delegated responsibility for managing the psychological resources 
available to the HTT, whether in the form of additional qualified and 
unqualified graduate psychology staff, or in the form of psychological 
materials employed in the assessment and treatment of patients.
 To exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological 
practice within the service.
 To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing 
process and as a member of interview panels for assistant, trainees and 
qualified psychologist and other clinical staff.
 To provide day to day management of the psychology staff within the service.
 To be an authorised signatory for staff related expenses.
 Liaise with the budget holder to agree best use of funds and be responsible 
for reviewing and monitoring usage.
 To contribute to the overall management and functioning of the service.
Research
 To take the psychology lead, as a senior clinician, in the evaluation, monitoring 
and development of the team’s operational policies, through the deployment 
of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit and ensuring 
incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of 
high quality care.
 To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence 
based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
 To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff 
undertaking research.
 To initiate project management, including complex audit and service 
evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service to help develop and 
improve services to clients and their families.
Communication
 To maintain registration with the Health Professions Council as a Clinical 
Psychologist.
 To ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest 
professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and 
external CPD training and development programmes.
 To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology 
within the service area and contribute across the service by exercising 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.
 To maintain and promulgate 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, Health 
Professions Council and Trust policies and procedures.
 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.
For further details / informal visits contact:
Name
Dr Sharon Lines
Job title
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]