Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, utilising information from a broad range of highly specialist psychological tool kits including psychometric and semi-structured clinical methodologies, where trained to do so. 

Integrating highly specialist assessments into a psychological specialist
formulation of complex and challenging service users drawing on a range of psychological theoretical perspectives.

To formulate and provide highly specialist and complex judgements based on a multi-factorial psychological understanding and current research and evidence-based practice.

 To implement a range of specialist and highly complex psychological 
treatment plans or management, for complex and challenging services users. 

To evaluate, analyse and make judgements on the effectiveness of the 
complex psychological treatments for complex and challenging service users. 

 To make highly specialist adjustments to complex psychological care 
treatments ensure that the most effective treatments are delivered.

To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly 
complex factors concerning historical and development processes that have shaped the individual, family or group and following empirical research findings describing protective and risk factors of anti-social behaviours.

 To undertake a range of highly specialist and complex psychological 
therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities (individual, family and group) adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual and the context and the ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention. This will include ensuring the use of current research findings and best practice guidance. 

 To provide clinical leadership and highly specialist psychological consultation, guidance and ongoing support to other psychological therapist and the MDT in the formulation and appropriate therapeutic approaches or intervention plans, and to be involved in, or oversee specialist psychological aspects of 
their implementation in collaboration with other staff.

To undertake highly specialist psychologically based risk assessment and risk management for complex and or severe service users. Provide guidance and highly specialist formulations on the psychological aspects of risk to the MDT including medical staff.

To provide expertise and guidance to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological practice throughout service delivery with all 
practitioners engaged within the services/teams including medical staff.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment 
treatment and discharge of own caseload of complex and challenging service users managed by the talking therapies/Intermediate Mental Health Services within a reasonable time limit. 

To organise own clinical time to enable the efficient provision of clinical time  with a clinical caseload

To make decisions and clinical judgements involving a range of highly 
complex factors in the context of inadequate or unavailable information 
equivocal research/evidence or where expert opinion differs.
 

To effectively communicate while having expert understanding and managing interpersonal skills barriers in complicated, difficult and contentious matters to service users, family/carers in a potentially emotive or hostile atmosphere. 

To be able to sit frequently for substantial periods of time, through clinical case work, and while delivering clinical supervision, maintain intense 
prolonged and frequent periods of concentration.

highly distressing and or challenging with episodes of verbal/threat of physical aggression.

To ensure that all members of the clinical team/s have access to a 
psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of service users of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.

 To take substantial professional responsibility and exercise appropriate 
judgement, in consultation with the Professional lead & clinical lead for 
community pathway, with regard to their professional practice. 

To participate in the recruitment, selection and induction of staff when 
requested by Line Manager.

To act as a lead specialist and advice Psychological Service Managers and Clinical lead for both the talking therapy and Intermediate Psychological Therapy (IPT) pathways on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or 
organisational matters need addressing.

To take a lead in the development, evaluation and monitoring of the Trust’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research and service evaluation. 

To implement policy for complex and challenging service users within the talking therapies Service in collaboration with Service and Team Management.

 To contribute to the safe use of specialist psychological equipment within services.

To contribute to the systematic governance of psychological practice within services, including maintaining systematic records and maintaining record keeping standards.

To advise and participate in appropriate professional psychology recruitment and the recruitment of other psychological therapies within services.

 To serve as a representative of talking therapies in meetings and service events when requested by the Line Manager.

To contribute to the Healthy Minds Services management of waiting lists and 
provide the talking therapies Service Coordinator with regular feedback and 
reports on referral trends, activity and waiting list.

 To advise the talking therapies service manager on service developments within  the community care pathway.

Teaching, Training and Supervision
To provide highly specialist clinical supervision to members of the MDT

To provide clinical and professional supervision to qualified, assistant 
psychologists and the MDT working within the IAPT and Intermediate 
Psychological Therapy (IPT) pathways.

To ensure the provision of specialist clinical placements for trainee clinical and other psychological therapists, ensuring they acquire the necessary 
clinical and research skills, competencies and experience to contribute 
effectively to good psychological practice and contributing to the assessment and evaluation of those competencies.

To provide specialist advice, consultation and training and (where agreed  locally) clinical supervision to other care clinicians to support 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 continue to develop expertise in the area of professional pre and post graduate training and clinical supervision.

To participate in appropriate supervision and CPD in order to maintain 
registration with relevant professional bodies keeping up to dated with 
national guidance and relevant research.
Research and Service Evaluation

To take the lead and as a substantial part of role as a senior clinician, in the 
planning and implementing systems for the evaluation, monitoring and 
development of the IAPT and IPT services 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 in work with other members of the MDT 
including medical staff such as GP’s.
 To undertake appropriate research and as a substantial part of role, provide 
research advice to other staff undertaking research within the community and 
Psychological Therapy services.
 To take a lead in multiple and complex project management, including audit 
and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the community and 
acute care pathways to help develop and improve services. 
 To work with national research programmes if required, ensuring that the 
psychological therapies services with community and where appropriate 
acute care pathways provide data and fully co-operate with the programme.
 To collate present and disseminate research findings e.g. via oral and written 
reports, publication in peer-reviewed journals, etc.
This job description is not exhaustive, but is intended to give an overall picture 
of the role. Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required 
from time to time. The duties of the post and job description can be reviewed 
through the agreed process.