Clinical Psychologist (Pain Management Programme)

Medway NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is looking for a Clinical Psychologist to join its Pain Management Team. The role involves conducting specialist assessments and developing tailored psychological interventions for patients with chronic pain. Candidates must be registered with the HCPC and have relevant experience in psychological assessment and treatment, alongside excellent communication skills. This position offers a chance to advance clinical and psychological excellence within a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Current registration with Health Professions Council as a clinical psychologist.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to clinical psychology.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in specialist psychological assessment.

Responsibilities

• Conduct specialist psychological assessments for patients.
• Develop and implement psychological treatment plans.
• Communicate complex clinical information empathetically.

Skills

Highly developed skills in psychological assessment

Effective communication skills

Ability to develop psychological treatment plans

Expertise in managing chronic pain

Education

Current HCPC registration as a clinical psychologist

Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In management and training, they participate in service meetings and deliver education on psychological pain models. They maintain accurate records, collaborate with administration, engage in research and audits, contribute to service development, and ensure continuous professional development to stay current with advances in pain psychology.

The Clinical Psychologist will play a key role in the delivery of specialist psychological services within the Pain Management Team. Working autonomously, yet collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, the post holder will be responsible for the assessment, formulation, and delivery of evidence-based psychological interventions tailored to the complex needs of individuals experiencing persistent pain.

Conduct specialist psychological assessments for patients referred to the Pain Management Service. These assessments will integrate complex data from diverse sources, including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, structured and semi-structured interviews, and both direct and indirect observations involving patients, family members, and other involved parties.

Develop and implement psychological treatment plans that address both the physical and psychological aspects of a patient's difficulties. These plans will be grounded in robust theoretical frameworks and based on the latest evidence-based practices applicable across various care settings.

Deliver a wide range of psychological interventions, including one-to-one therapy, group-based interventions, and support for carers and families. Interventions will focus on managing chronic pain and associated mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Critically evaluate and make informed clinical decisions about appropriate treatment options. These decisions will consider theoretical and therapeutic models alongside complex developmental and historical factors impacting the patient's presentation.

Exercise full professional responsibility for the psychological care of patients, including assessment, treatment planning, delivery, and discharge, ensuring continuity and quality of care.

Offer expert psychological advice, consultation, and guidance to internal and external professionals. This will support comprehensive formulation, diagnosis, and treatment planning across disciplines.

Undertake thorough risk assessments and contribute to risk management planning. The post holder will provide psychological insights to aid other team members in managing clinical risk.

Communicate complex and sensitive clinical information in a highly skilled and empathetic manner. This includes presenting findings from assessments and formulations, discussing treatment progress, and adapting communication to suit a range of audiences.

Foster a psychologically informed environment within the multidisciplinary team by sharing knowledge, offering consultations, and integrating psychological perspectives into all aspects of patient care.

Ensure that psychological services are coordinated and patient-centred, making referrals to additional services when appropriate and facilitating access to comprehensive care packages that meet each patient's unique needs.

The post holder will play an essential role in ensuring high-quality, holistic care for individuals managing persistent pain and will be integral in advancing the clinical and psychological excellence of the Pain Management Service.

ssments of patients referred to the pain management team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients' care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patient's physical and psychological health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of their problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams. This will include outpatient, individually tailored treatment for chronic pain and related problems such as depression, anxiety and trauma as well as outpatient group pain management treatment.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

To exercise professional responsibility for assessment, treatment and discharge.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals internal and external to the service contributing directly to patients' formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual patients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

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

To ensure provision of a care package appropriate to the patients' needs, and where necessary, advise on and facilitate referrals to other services.

The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the post holder.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Current registration with Health professions Council (HCPC) as a clinical psychologist or a counselling psychologist
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by professional bodies for Clinical Psychology, relevant to the post

Desirable criteria

• Post-Doctoral training in specific theoretical models e.g MBCT, Mindfulness, CFT ACT and/or psychological specialities e.g. Health Psychology
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training, health psychology and/or other fields of applied psychology
• Membership of the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology / Faculty of Clinical Health Psychology
• Membership of the British Pain Society

Skills & Attributes

Essential criteria

• Highly developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies
• Highly developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups with regard to pain management or other physical health conditions
• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC
• Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice

Desirable criteria

• Ability to engage people in psychological work who are experiencing complex biopsychosocial problems
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
• A commitment to and the evaluation of services and enthusiasm for audit, research and service evaluation. Interest and ability to contribute to service development

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including community and outpatient settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity
• Experience of psychological work with people with physical health problems
• Minimum of 2 years of experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts (including work with clients from different cultural backgrounds).
• Experience of health professional teaching, training and supervision
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care

Desirable criteria

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological intervention with people with chronic pain or physical health conditions
• Knowledge of clinical health psychology literature on behaviour change and its application in the clinical environment
• Specialist knowledge of the theoretical background and practice of pain management
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client groups and mental health
• Completion of substantial post-doctoral post-qualification supervised clinical health psychology experience working with clients in the area of chronic pain or a related client group.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of chronic pain clients including group pain management programmes and individual pain management
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology to physical health problems including chronic health conditions
• Experience of contributing to service design and evaluation projects
• Experience of working as a psychologist within a physical health multi-disciplinary team

Please note that we do not accept applications via CV or recruitment agencies.

This post will close before the intended closing date should sufficient number of suitable applications be received. Therefore, if you are interested in applying for this role, we suggest that you do so at the earliest opportunity.

Applications are welcomed from applicants who wish to apply for a position on the basis of a smarter or flexible working arrangement. Where candidates are successful at interview, such requests will be taken under consideration and accommodated where the needs of the service allow.

We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability.

All staff no matter where they work or which age group of patients they work with must be aware of their responsibility to act when they feel a child, young person or vulnerable adult has been or is at risk of abuse.

We are a fully non-smoking Trust. Smoking is completely prohibited in all Trust buildings, grounds and car parks for patients, visitors, staff and contractors.

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Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Application numbers

Please note this vacancy may close early if the number of applications is met.
Documents to download

• Clinical Psychologist (Pain Management Programme) (PDF, 704.3KB)