Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist: Child Development

Job Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the Cheyne Child Development Service (CCDS). We are looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate Clinical Psychologist to join the team.

This post will be based mainly at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, working in a well established team of clinical psychologists within the wider multidisciplinary child development team. There may be some requirement to work at our other clinical site at Parkview Centre for Health & Wellbeing in White City.

The work is varied and stimulating, covering both assessment and intervention, as part of a multidisciplinary team (paediatricians, speech and language therapists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, and music therapists). The post-holder will have the opportunity to contribute to service development initiatives. The post provides an opportunity to develop skills in neurodevelopmental assessments, and to take advantage of the excellent CPD offer within CNWL. The post holder will be line managed and clinically supervised by the lead consultant clinical psychologist for the CCDS.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high quality clinical psychology service for children with complex neurodevelopmental difficulties and their families. This includes both assessment and intervention work (individual and group). To offer advice and consultation to non-psychology colleagues, to ensure that issues relating to psychological car

e of the child and their family are addressed. To work in conjunction with parents, carers, statutory and non-statutory agencies to ensure a holistic approach to assessment and intervention. To offer clinical supervision to trainees on placement within the service and to contribute to service development and research initiatives.

Working for our organisation

The CCDS is based across two sites: Doughty House, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and Parkview Centre for Health & Wellbeing (near Shepherds Bush), providing multidisciplinary child development assessment & interventions to the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea & South Westminster

The areas we cover have varying socio-economic need as well as diverse cultural populations. The post is within a multi-disciplinary team which operates within a wider multi-agency context, that includes CAMHS, Social Services, Education, other Local Authority services and voluntary agencies. Assessment and therapeutic input will be provided within clinics, community resources such as nurseries & schools and within clients’ homes depending on the nature of the work being undertaken. The populations served are ethnically diverse, where consideration of cultural difference and influences is crucial in the assessment of children’s disabilities.

The Central and North West London NHS Trust (CNWL) is responsible for the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental health Services (CAMHS) to the populations of Brent, Hillingdon, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, as well as providing a range of highly specialist services to other Trusts and Agencies, and to a wider regional catchment area. These services include Paediatric, Child Development and Looked After Children Services.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• To provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to children & adolescents who present with complex neurodevelopmental conditions.
  
  

2, To contribute to multidisciplinary neurodevelopmental assessments, following best-practice guidance and gathering information from external agencies where necessary, to provide a clear and thorough formulation of the client’s strengths and needs, communicating the findings effectively and sensitively, providing appropriate information and recommendations and development of appropriate action plans to support the child/young person and their family/carers

• To deliver post-diagnostic support, adapted to the child/family needs including individual follow-up sessions and/or post-diagnostic parent groups, contributing to the ongoing development of these groups, through feedback/evaluation from service users.
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s neurodevelopmental difficulties and associated 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.

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.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
• Registration with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist-domain of clinical psychology
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, developmental psychology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
• Trained and experienced in the use of the ADOS assessment tool
• Completed training course in clinical supervision
• Additional training in related specialised areas of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of working within a multi-cultural context and post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
• Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in a child development , (LD), service.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of developing and running groups
  
  

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria

• Advanced knowledge of the application/adaptation of psychological approaches in psychological assessment and intervention work with children and young people with complex neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g. autism, ADHD, learning disabilities) and their families

Able to select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data

Competent informal [play based] assessment skills and experience in the use of the ADOS assessment tool

Skilled in the administration and interpretation of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials

Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

Skills in providing consultation/teaching/training to other professional/non-professional groups

Desirable criteria

• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
• Experience in developing and running group interventions
• Experience in supporting families and/or professionals around difficulties with sleep, feeding, emotional regulation/behaviour and/or toileting
  
  

Other

Essential criteria

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

Ability to use supervision and access appropriate levels of clinical support.

Ability to relate well to children/young people with complex difficulties and their families.

Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with children/young people who engage in self-harming or aggressive behaviour

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.