CAMHS Specialist Psychologist

North London NHS Foundation Trust; Botany Bay; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is seeking an experienced psychologist to work within CAMHS, focusing on children with learning disabilities and neuro-developmental conditions. The role involves specialist assessments, supervision, and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team to support young people with complex needs.

The candidate will carry out cognitive and behavioural assessments, provide PBS interventions, and contribute to risk management and service development within a

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology or equivalent.
• Registration with the Health Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Interest/experience with children and young people with neurodevelopmental difficulties in mental health services.
• Post-qualification training in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) desirable.
• Experience with ADOS-2 assessments and cognitive assessments desirable.

Responsibilities

• Carry out cognitive and adaptive behaviour assessments and neurodevelopmental assessments.
• Provide PBS interventions to the young people and families and provide PBS advice and support to schools.
• Formulation and implementation of plans with shared decision making for intervention and/or management of young persons mental health problems.

Skills

Risk assessment

Professional supervision

Consultation skills

Emotional resilience

Education

Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology

HCPC Practitioner Psychologist registration

Tools

ADOS-2 training

Cognitive assessment training

Job description

The SCAN service Supports children & young people with moderate to severe learning disabilities and neuro-developmental conditions, who attend special schools, where the degree of impairment is significant and coupled with mental health difficulties including severe challenging behaviour. SCAN works closely with the Cheviots (Enfield Children's Social Services), Paediatricians, and both Special and Mainstream Schools. The STAY team works with young people with special needs and behaviour challenges and for whom there is a risk of home or school breakdown and admission to hospital or residential school/placement. Clinical appointments are provided at both the service base and in local special schools and other multi‑agency settings. Joint working, consultation and liaison with other professionals, services and agencies are a regular feature of the work within a CAMHS setting.

Main duties of the job

This role is for an experienced psychologist with interest or specialist knowledge around children and young people with moderate to severe learning disabilities and neuro-developmental conditions and needs which require specialist community CAMHS services. Whilst providing specialist external consultation; assessment and intervention, the post holder as part of the Multidisciplinary team provides clinical knowledge and a valuable resource. They will also provide direct clinical supervision as appropriate of identified staff. This role comes with all the support required in order for the post holder to fulfil all the requirements of the role with job planning and regular supervision, as well as being part of a supportive MDT.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people. Our Five‑Year Strategy:

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology., Provision of specialist assessments with clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi‑structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care, when and where appropriate.

Job description

To carry out cognitive and adaptive behaviour assessment and neurodevelopmental assessments. To provide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) interventions to the young people, their families and provide PBS advise and support to schools. Formulation and implementation of plans with shared decision making for intervention and/or management of young persons mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings. Clinical/ professional supervision and appraisal of identified clinical staff. Supporting the induction of new staff and trainees. Undertake meaningful risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

Job description, Provision of specialist assessments with clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi‑structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care, when and where appropriate. To carry out cognitive and adaptive behaviour assessment and neurodevelopmental assessments. To provide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) interventions to the young people, their families and provide PBS advise and support to schools. Formulation and implementation of plans with shared decision making for intervention and/or management of young persons mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings. Clinical/ professional supervision and appraisal of identified clinical staff. Supporting the induction of new staff and trainees. Undertake meaningful risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

Person Specification

Qualifications/ Registrations Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or equivalent);
• Registration with the Health Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable

• Post-qualification training in additional specialised areas of relevant practice, e.g. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
• ADOS 2 training and Cognitive assessment training
• Knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of assessment and intervention, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Ability to contain, explore and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress, both directly with patients and indirectly in their network.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with children, young people and families.
• Capacity to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, and situations where there may be resistance, verbal aggression, or the threat of physical aggression.
• Skills in undertaking Quality Improvement projects and service evaluation
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups

Experience / Knowledge Essential

• Interest and/or experience of working with children and young people with neurodevelopmental difficulties in mental health services
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.

Desirable

• Experience in carrying out ADOS-2 assessments for ASD and/or using other reliable diagnostic tools.
• Experience of providing evidence based psychological interventions e.g. PBS., Ability to be self-reflective whilst working with service users,
• A commitment to service users' participation across the levels of clinical practice, team/service, and the organisation.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Awareness and understanding of emotional distress/mental health problems drawn from personal experience.

Person Specification

Qualifications/ Registrations Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or equivalent);
• Registration with the Health Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable

• Post-qualification training in additional specialised areas of relevant practice, e.g. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
• ADOS 2 training and Cognitive assessment training, Ability to be self-reflective whilst working with service users,
• A commitment to service users' participation across the levels of clinical practice, team/service, and the organisation.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

Why NLFT?

• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.