Principal Clinical Psychologist

We are looking for an 8a Principal Clinical Psychologist to join the Exeter and East Devon multidisciplinary Learning Disability teams, to help us support the wellbeing of this vulnerable and marginalised group.

You will be a senior part of the Clinical Psychology team across Devon, working in and sharing the clinical leadership of your MDTs. You will be part of a rich multi-disciplinary team including Nursing, Psychiatry, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech and Language therapy. We have a caring and mutually supportive culture which is a vital foundation for the challenging but rewarding work that we do.

Please contact Dr Magnus Cormack on if you would like to find out more

Main duties of the job We are looking for candidates with experience of Intellectual Disability. You will be involved in complex assessment and formulation; designing complex multicomponent interventions and delivering these directly and indirectly via individual or group therapies, care planning, training and consultation. We would expect you to have experience of psychometric assessment and at least two forms of therapeutic intervention (such as Positive Behaviour Support, CBT or DBT), as well as an understanding of the latest evidence around interventions. You will take a role in promoting clinical effectiveness, developing and reviewing service provision in order to maximise the wellbeing of individuals with Learning Disability in Devon.

About us We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities Job Purpose

To improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with Learning disabilities and to provide psychological services to people who use services and staff in your area.

This will be achieved in this post by:

1. Ensuring the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service to people with Learning Disabilities in Devon as a key component of Health and Social Care Partnership services.

2. Providing clinical leadership, co-ordination and supervision for staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service.

3. Taking a leadership role in the delivery and development of psychological therapies for people with Learning Disabilities

4. Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing therapy, advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.

5. Working autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the team.

6. Receiving regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the Health Professions Council/British Psychological Society.

7. Contributing to the management of psychology services in the locality.

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

The post holder will be responsible for overcoming a variety of barriers to communication when working with people who receive services who may be fearful of others, who may be experiencing high levels of emotional distress, unable to articulate their difficulties or who think within a very different frame of reference, requiring imaginative and sensitive approaches towards engagement.

To communicate with a wide range of health and social care staff in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and intervention plans for people who are under the services care.

To provide support and guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques and to foster reflective practice.

To deal effectively with highly distressing service user and family situations (e.g. family breakdown, abuse, verbal aggression, challenging behaviour) and to support other staff in their responses to such situations (e.g. through supervision, debriefing).

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Responsible for providing a psychological service to a range of people with learning disabilities experiencing a variety of serious psychological disorders and/or presenting behaviours that challenge.

Carrying out specialist psychological, psychometric and neuropsychological assessments, the preparation of reports and the communication of complex, sensitive and distressing information to people who receive services and their families and carers.

To effectively draw on a variety of sources to establish formulations of a persons difficulties, delivering highly specialist psychological interventions and contributing to a persons care plan. This is often required in the context of situations where much data will not be available due to the persons inability to express themselves and interventions may require the social and professional network of the person and where expert opinion may vary.

To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions regarding intervention and about the psychological management of patients, including the management of risk.

To provide advice and guidance through the process of consultation on psychological aspects of a persons care to the person, to colleagues, other service providers, supporters and families.

Planning and Organisational Skills

To plan and organise the work of psychology within the Multidisciplinary Team and to contribute to the development and improvement of the provision of psychological services for people with learning disabilities to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.

Responsible for planning and prioritising own workload and for balancing individual responsibilities for service user work with other roles within and outside the teams e.g. clinical audit, service development, consultancy and training.

To implement Devon Partnership Trust policies and propose changes to practice, policies and procedures as required in acute inpatient services.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Responsible for formulating and implementing plans for a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, groups and service delivery systems. Being responsible for the adjustment and refining of psychological formulations, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses based upon the analysis of each individual case. In addition to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.

Responsible for providing specialist advice and consultation to other service members on psychological aspects of learning disability and mental health; including appropriate treatment approaches, complex issues of engaging people with learning disabilities and maintaining change, and working with the wider systems which affect a persons wellbeing (e.g. family, paid carers).

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

To interpret and develop policies and procedure for the provision of psychology and psychological therapy services for people with learning disabilities.

To provide psychology leadership to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services for people with learning disabilities.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

To maintain and apply psychometric tests and equipment in order to assess people with learning disabilities and evaluate progress.

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

There is a requirement to support learners on a regular basis which includes the achievement and updating of profession specific training to the required standard to fulfil this role

To lead and professionally supervise psychology staff, trainees and volunteers.

To provide therapy supervision to non-psychology staff providing psychological therapies within the service for people with learning disabilities.

To undertake delegated managerial responsibility for junior psychology staff.

To provide psychology leadership in the IATT and Health and Social Care Learning Disability Partnership.

. click apply for full job details