Principal Clinician - Clinical Psychologist

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Principal Clinician - Clinical Psychologist to join their innovative team. This role involves overseeing complex cases, developing specialized care programs, and leading multi-agency collaboration to ensure high-quality service delivery. Candidates should possess a Doctoral level qualification in Clinical Psychology and have significant experience in mental health services.

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology or equivalent.
• Training in evidence-based risk assessment and management.
• Experience in mental health and social care services.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a complex caseload and develop specialized care programs.
• Act as Clinical Lead for service users, ensuring quality and safety.
• Liaise with multi-agency professionals and manage safeguarding.

Skills

Complex case formulation skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Ability to engage with parents and children

Competence in therapeutic modalities

Education

UK recognised Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology

Job description

Go back Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

Principal Clinician - Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 01 June 2025

This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative clinical team, working with families with highly complex needs.

The post holder will oversee a highly complex caseload and develop and formulate specialised programmes of care for service users that are outcome focused, and evidence based.

You will communicate complex information in a highly skilled and sensitive manner to members of the multidisciplinary team, care partners and service users, who may on occasion, present with challenging behaviours.

Post could considered as a secondment

Main duties of the job

The post holder will act as a Clinical Lead for service users being treated by other colleagues, providing oversight of assessments, treatment and discharge of patients.The post holder will maintain a high standard of clinical records, preparing reports for internal use and for external agencies, maintaining good communications with referrers and other professionals involved.

You will be required to convene multi-professional and multi-agency meetings, liaising with outside agencies and professionals and will act as the lead on liaison work and cross-sector partnership working such as GPs / schools/local authorities.The post holder will act as lead for safeguarding and risk management in the team as appropriate.You will lead on the quality, safety and continuous improvement of services provided to service users and their families. You will act as a positive role model and participate in the education, development and mentorship of other staff.

About us

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are particularly keen to attract candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to better meet the needs of the services users and students that we provide. The Trust aims to ensure that all job applicants, employees or clients are treated fairly and valued regardless of sex, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, domestic circumstances, age race, colour, disablement, ethnic or national origin, social background or employment status, sexual orientation, religion, beliefs, HIV status, gender identity, political affiliation or trade union membership. Selection for training and development and promotion will be on the basis of the individual's ability to meet the requirements for the job. You are responsible for ensuring that the Trust's policies, procedures and obligation in respect of equality and diversity are adhered to in relation to both staff and services.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• UK recognised Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology or BPS Statement of Equivalence or equivalent specialist psychology training and accreditation
• Training in evidence-based risk assessment and management and structured professional judgement tools for assessing risk
• Training in the field of attachment, trauma and parenting, including in the specific assessment of the quality of parent-child interaction and relationships
• Training in therapeutic interventions for psychological trauma

Knowledge

• Understanding of the range of psychosocial factors that impact upon an individual's ability to parent including substance misuse, mental health and domestic abuse
• In depth understanding of the impact of parental functioning on child wellbeing and development, and the short and long-term sequalae of child abuse and neglect
• Specific knowledge regarding the impact of disrupted attachment and complex trauma on the developing mind and body
• Knowledge regarding the assessment and treatment of individuals with alcohol and substance misuse difficulties
• Knowledge regarding the factors that contribute to domestic abuse and the current evidence with regards to effective intervention

Experience

• Providing specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children and adults with a range of psychological issues
• Significant experience of working in mental health and/or social care services with children and adults who have been exposed to trauma
• Specialist assessment of parental capacity for children's social care and/or the family Court
• Therapeutic intervention and risk management with families with complex needs where there are safeguarding concerns and multiagency involvement
• Clinical supervision of staff managing high risk caseloads
• Specialist assessment and treatment of individuals with forensic histories, substance misuse difficulties and problems with domestic violence

Skills

• Complex case formulation skills integrating current evidence-informed theoretical frameworks
• Understanding and competence in working with issues of diversity
• Assessment of children's developmental progress including social, educational and emotional functioning
• Assessment of the quality of parent-child relationships
• Competence in at least one therapeutic modality e.g. CBT, Psychodynamic or Systemic Psychotherapy
• Specific therapeutic skills pertaining to the treatment of psychological trauma e.g. EMDR, NET, CFT, Trauma-Focussed CBT
• Specific skills in structured parenting interventions, e.g. Triple P, Circle of Security

Abilities

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and an ability to convey psychological concepts in an accessible manner
• Ability to engage with parents and children in a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed manner
• Ability to work with and support professionals from a range of training backgrounds within a multiagency. This includes the ability to take the lead on issues of clinical risk whilst also taking on board the range of expertise and opinion within the team
• Ability for effective consultation and collaboration with a multiagency network
• Ability to work from a trauma-informed perspective, recognising the impact of trauma upon therapeutic relationships, issues of counter-transference and team dynamics when working with highly traumatised individuals
• The candidate will need to be able to independently manage a caseload, ensuring timescales for Court proceedings are met and managing their own time effectively to prioritise deadlines

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

£70,387 to £80,465 a yearPer annum inclusive of HCAS / pro rata