Job summary
Employer heading
Clinical Psychologist
Band 8a
Job overview
Main duties of the job
The Child Psychology team at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) are seeking a Clinical Psychologist to join our friendly and enthusiastic team. You will work alongside other psychologist to provide a service within multidisciplinary teams at UHS, likely to include gastroenterology work.Ìý
The Child Psychology team consists of 26 Clinical Psychologists and three Admin staff as well as Trainees and Assistants. We are a friendly and supportive team with good arrangements for supervision and further learning. The team draws from a range of theoretical frameworks to inform its practice, including attachment, systemic ideas, ACT, CFT, CDT and EMDR. The Child Psychology team provides a strong and supportive base from which we can give our best to the families we meet, as well as to our multidisciplinary colleagues.
Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.Ìý
For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the ‘Job Description and Main Responsibilities’ section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.Ìý
Working for our organisation
As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to.Ìý
All non-clinical roles may involve a mixture of on site and remote working, Specific details and flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.
Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 20% lower than London and 14 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.
Specific to this role is the suitability for agile working which is a mixture of on-site and remote working. In addition, we are open to discussing flexibility in the hours that you work. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need, and we will explore ·É³ó²¹³Ù’s possible for the role and service.Ìý
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As a team we place a strong emphasis on self-care and on supporting one another. This Ìýmeans that there are clear job plans and people are encouraged to maintain a good work/life balance. The positive working atmosphere and the opportunities for development mean we have a long track record of retaining staff with the team.
This is a 0.8 wte job at band 8a as a clinical psychologist in our team. The main duties will involve therapeutic clinical work with children, young people and their families living with complex and often chronic health conditions, including gastroenterological conditions.Ìý
You will be required to provide specialist psychological assessments of children and young people (inpatients and outpatients) referred from paediatric specialities such as gastroenterology, diabetes, neurology and general paediatrics, based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources, including psychological tests, neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with children, family members and others involved in the child’s care.
The role will involve using advanced theoretical and practical knowledge to provide Clinical Psychology input as appropriate. ÌýThis will require skills such as undertaking neuropsychological assessment of children of all ages, providing psychological support to the staff who work with children and young people, providing evidence-based therapies to children, therapeutic input to the family and wider system around the child, and devising psychological strategies to assist children in adapting to diagnoses and in adhering to medical treatment regimes.Ìý
You will work closely with other clinical psychologists in providing specialist psychological support to the families of children diagnosed with a chronic illness, providing psychological support to the staff who support these children and young people, providing Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and other evidence-based therapies to children, and devising psychological strategies to assist children in adhering to medical treatment regimes.
You will need to liaise with members of the paediatric teams supporting these families to establish ways in which clinical psychology can be of most use to their services. ÌýThis is likely to include having therapeutic input with children who show unexplained or inconsistent symptoms, supporting children and families in managing treatment plans, working with families adjusting to new diagnoses in their children and assisting families with the psychological implications of diagnoses.
You will need experience of assessing and working with children and young people with a whole range of emotional and behavioural difficulties and their families/carers, presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a range of settings including outpatient, community, educational and residential. You will need experience of working in an acute paediatric setting and/or experience of working with children and families experiencing issues related to loss, bereavement, long term medical needs, severe illness or injury. Many children and young people we support find it difficult to comply with medical procedures or regimens and you will be instrumental in helping navigate and overcome these obstacles. You will also need experience of carrying out neuropsychological assessments with children and young people. And the role requires of you a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems. You will need to be able to represent clinical psychology in the context of multidisciplinary care and in a continually changing environment.
Person specification
Trust Values
Essential criteria
- Patients First
- Always Improving
- Working Together
Qualifications, knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Postgraduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the Health Professions Council
- Experience of assessing and working with children and young people with a whole range of emotional and behavioural difficulties and their families/carers, presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a range of settings including outpatient, community, educational and residential.
- Experience of working in an acute paediatric setting and/or experience of working with children and families experiencing issues related to loss, bereavement, long term medical needs, severe illness or injury.
- Experience of providing psychological management for children and young people who find it difficult to comply with medical procedures or regimens.
- Experience of carrying out neuropsychological assessments with children and young people.
- Familiarity with maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and challenging behaviour including physical abuse
- Experience of representing Psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
- Experience of working in a constantly changing environment.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of one or more highly specialised psychological therapies, e.g. family therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Experience in using and interpreting a wide range of psychometric tests, neuropsychological tests and other standardised assessment measures, and of objective observation, recording and analysis of behaviour.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of Clinical Psychology. 8. Knowledge of relevant legislation in relation to children and young people with mental health problems and complex emotional and behaviour of difficulties.
- Ability to identify and employ as appropriate clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
- Good understanding of the meaning of clinical supervision/mentoring.
- 1. An understanding of equality within the workforce and how it can impact on this post. 2. Ability to identify and employ as appropriate clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour. 3. Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable criteria
- Further post-doctoral training in the psychological assessment and treatment of children and young people with acute and chronic illnesses and life-limiting conditions, acquired through structured clinical supervision, self-study and attendance at relevant courses. Training in restraint, e.g. SCIP
Skills and competencies
Essential criteria
- Communication
- Keyboard skills
- Microsoft Office skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Report writing
- Organisational skills
- Presentation Skills
- Problem solving
- Time management
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rachel Langley
- Job title
- Hiring Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02381 204657
- Additional information
Mary Halsey, Ph: 02381 204657, Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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