Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Psychologist to work with adults with learning disabilities in the community in Bognor/Chichester area, West Sussex.

We provide a range of psychological assessments and interventions for people with learning disabilities and their networks, with local specialist expertise and interests in Systemic approaches, Mindfulness, CBT, Positive Behavioural Support approaches, EMDR, Attachment and Trauma Informed approaches and Neuropsychological Assessments. West Sussex is commissioned to offer a healthy brain screening programme for all adults with Down Syndrome over 30 years old, and offer a diagnostic dementia assessment pathway.  The postholder would be actively involved in these initiatives. 

 You will be joining a large established team of Psychologists, Family Therapists and Behaviour Support Practitioners based in West Sussex, and work closely with a range of multidisciplinary health and social care colleagues. Service provision is clustered around three community learning disability teams, together with an Enhanced Support service.  

We have strong links with both Surrey and Salomon's training courses, offering training placements, teaching and supporting research. We have an active research agenda and work closely with service users and carers to support service delivery. 

We welcome applications from candidates who are newly qualified or in the final year of clinical training.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Psychologist in our team you will work primarily with people presenting with difficulties around their mental health and/or behaviour that challenges. You will be working in a variety of community settings, with individuals, groups, families and staff teams, providing psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and applying a range of therapeutic approaches. You will also work as part of the dementia clinical pathway.  You may undertake specialist assessments including forensic assessments, Autism diagnostic assessments and neuropsychological assessment, with support, supervision and training.  You will have the opportunity to join a family therapy clinic.  

You will be contributing to the management of a team caseload of clients with complex needs, you will assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions, which will be delivered mainly in the home or community setting.

You will be expected to develop your supervisory skills and experience within the post.  There will be training, research and service development and innovation opportunities within the post. We run regular Tree of Life groups and other pro-active training initiatives that the postholder would be part of.

Individual supervision will be provided by the principal clinical psychologist, with wider West Sussex professional leadership from the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and close support and management from the team lead.

Working for our organisation

Sussex Partnership is a successful and well-respected Foundation Trust. It has a large, well-established psychological therapies department with close links with Sussex University and good links with carer and service user local organisations.  We have a thriving learning disability and psychology speciality with around 20 learning disability psychological practitioners in West Sussex alone.   We meet quarterly as a pan Sussex group of psychology learning disability practitioners CPD events.  There is specialist practice supervision/ development eg a specialist systemic practice group, PBS supervision, and neuropsychological supervision. The learning disability and neurodevelopmental service is innovative and dynamic, and there is strong tradition of research, service development and learning opportunities across the Sussex region.  You will be part of a service that strives for clinical excellence and aims to support its staff to feel valued and actively participate in relevant service developments.   The CQC rated the trust outstanding for caring and good overall.

We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home-working, part time hours, flexible start/finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.