Senior Psychologist

Psychological Society; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 90.000 - 111.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

WALK in Dublin is expanding its psychological supports and seeks a Senior Psychologist with autism, low arousal, and trauma-informed care expertise to join the Clinical team. The role involves leading clinical governance, supervising staff, and delivering high-quality assessments and interventions across home, community and clinic settings.

Applicants should have five years post-graduate experience, a QQI Level 8 Psychology degree, and a Postgraduate Psychology qualification recognized in

Qualifikationen

• Five years satisfactory post-graduate experience in professional psychology
• Irish Postgraduate Professional Psychology Qualification or equivalent
• Full, clean driving licence and access to own vehicle
• Knowledge of HIQA standards and health service regulations

Aufgaben

• Deliver professional psychology services in line with best practice
• Carry a clinical caseload appropriate to the post
• Lead MDTs, audits, and evidence-based care pathways
• Provide supervision and guidance to staff and trainees
• Develop and implement psychological assessments, formulations and interventions
• Collaborate with internal and external teams to ensure integrated care

Kenntnisse

Clinical psychology

Autism

Low arousal approach

Trauma-informed care

Multidisciplinary leadership

Research & audit

Ausbildung

QQI Level 8 Psychology degree

Postgraduate Psychology qualification (Ireland)

Jobbeschreibung

Job Description

WALK is a Section 39 organisation, supporting individuals and their families, living with intellectual disability, autism and other respective needs. WALK’s services encompass Day Support (inclusive of Careers and Employment Support) and Supported Living.

WALK is expanding its psychological supports, and this is a new opportunity for a Senior Psychologist with expertise in autism, low arousal, and trauma-informed care to join our Clinical team and be part of a social care-led service. The successful candidate will work closely with the lead Consulting Psychologists at Studio 3, with the low-arousal philosophy at the heart of the support model.

The successful candidate will work in a Person Centred and Inclusive manner, supporting individuals to live self-determined, dignified, and meaningful lives in their community. Via a human rights-based, low-arousal approach/practices, ensure all individuals inherent value, worth, ability and needs are recognised, respected and optimised, and collaborate closely with the clinical team, families, staff-team leaders; and external agencies (statutory and non-statutory), to ensure safe, responsive, and high-quality care across the lifespan.

A detailed role description is attached below. Full time and part-time positions available.

Closing date for application – .Reports to: Director of Clinical Services.Location: The location of the work may vary within Dublin.Working Hours: 39hrs per week, 5 days working week for full time.Salary: In-line with current HSE pay scales, starting from €100,483 (depending on Experience)Contract Type: Applicants interested in full-time and part-time work will be considered.Probation period: Minimum 6 months

Key Responsibilities of the JobRole-specific responsibilitiesClinical / Professional

Be responsible for the delivery of professional psychology services appropriate to the post in line with best practice Work within limits of professional competence in line with principles of best practice, professional conduct and clinical governance. Work in accordance with the principles of the Low Arousal Approach and with the values of WALK Carry a clinical caseload appropriate to the post. Provide Clinical support and Guidance in collaboration with the internal Clinical Director to the Assistant Psychologist Team. Lead multidisciplinary care teams, clinical audits, research initiatives, and the implementation of evidence-based care pathways. Act as a senior psychological voice within a multidisciplinary team (MDT), working alongside psychiatrists, occupational therapists, and social workers. Provide psychological assessments of the client group based upon the appropriate use, interpretation, and integration of data from a variety of sources, including psychological tests, self-report measures, direct and indirect observation, and interviews with clients, family members, and / or carers. Perform complex diagnostic assessments, formulate care plans, and deliver targeted therapies. Formulate and implement plans for psychological therapeutic intervention or management based on an appropriate conceptual framework, working in home, community and clinical settings as appropriate. Exercise professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed using psychologically based care and support plans. Communicate effectively and work in co-operation with other team members and others to ensure integrated service provision. Be aware of and refer the service user to other services as necessary. Contribute to and participate in inter-agency work practice and service delivery as required. Initiate and participate in needs assessment and health promotion as appropriate. Provide professional reports as required in accordance with professional standards. Foster an understanding of the role and contribution of psychology by providing professional consultation, education, guidance and support to others as appropriate. Attend meetings, committees and/or conferences as required. Work in an ethical and professional manner always. Promote a culture that values equality, diversity and respect in the workplace Input into and inform Risk Assessments and plans. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) -Design and implement behaviour support plans for individuals presenting with complex needs and behaviours of concern. Research & Evaluation Utilise evidence-base literature and research to support effective practice. Undertake appropriate research and provide research advice as appropriate. Publish research outcomes in professionally recognised journals and share information on outcomes at professional conferences where appropriate. Undertake project management including audit and service evaluation with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision. Participate in evaluation of all clinical / professional activity within the post and provide such information as required by the Clinical Director for the purpose of service monitoring and evaluation. Represent a professional viewpoint in relation to nationally accepted good practice, promoting high levels of ethical standards and professional conduct. Education & Training Participate in continuous professional development initiatives and ensure compliance with statutory registration requirements. Contribute to developments and innovative practice in relation to training and support of frontline staff Be informed of advances in professional knowledge and practice. Attend mandatory training programmes. Engage in and utilise clinical supervision effectively. Support the education of those in postgraduate professional psychology training. Lead out on and support Psychology based staff training initiatives across the service Quality and Risk, Health and Safety Management Adequately identify, assess, manage and monitor risks within their area of responsibility. Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards. Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role. Administrative Maintain appropriate service user records, databases and statistics in accordance with Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Acts and other relevant legislation. Maintain professional standards about service user and data confidentiality. Actively participate in development and continuing improvement initiatives of psychological services in liaison with the Clinical Director. Contribute to policy development, performance monitoring, business proposals, service planning and budgetary control in conjunction with the Clinical Director and Senior Management Team. Contribute to the development and implementation of information sharing protocols, audit systems, referral pathways and integrated care arrangements. Assist in ensuring that the psychology service makes the most efficient and effective use of developments in Information and Communications Technology. Keep up to date with organisational developments within the Irish Health Service. Other Specifications: Be responsible for the delivery of Professional Psychology Services post in line with best practice. Carry a clinical caseload appropriate to the post. Champion Low Arousal and Autism Informed Supports Provide psychological services including psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management in home, community and clinic settings Contribute a psychological perspective to case planning and multi-agency case working and review and call multi-professional meetings when appropriate. Consult in family meetings and case reviews. Represent and advocate for the psychological needs of service users. Work within limits of professional competence in line with principles of best practice, professional conduct and clinical governance. Develop and collate professional reports as required in accordance with high professional standards. Work effectively within an interdisciplinary team structure. Ensure co-ordinated interdisciplinary and inter-agency service delivery. Provide advice and consultation to staff working with the client group across a range of supports Develop and deliver training for frontline staff as part of our model of service delivery. Develop standing operating procedures and clinical pathways. To ensure effective maintenance of client records in line with legislation and policy guidelines. Leadership & Supervision: Provide clinical supervision and guidance to staff grade psychologists and trainees. Personal and Professional Development: Supervision and ongoing completion of CPD Key Outcomes: A fully operational Psychology department development plan is established with clearly defined structures, including implemented Assistant Psychologist (AP) and Psychology Project Worker (PPW) roles, with documented functions and responsibilities. Staff teams have a strong understanding of our support planning model and consistently apply low-arousal, trauma-informed, and autism-informed approaches in daily practice in alignment with WALK values. Individuals across our Supported Living Services have personalized clinical formulations and interventions in place, resulting in measurable reductions in stress indicators and increased participation in community-based activities of their choice. A strengthened multidisciplinary approach to casework with appropriate onward referral pathways identified and in place.

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Person SpecificationSpecific Requirement for Qualifications and Experience

Have a university degree of diploma (QQ1 level 8 equivalent) obtained with 1st or 2nd class honours in which Psychology was taken as a major subject and honour obtained in that subject.

And

Have an Irish Postgraduate Professional Psychology Qualification accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland in Clinical, Counselling, or Educational Psychology.

Or

An equivalent management qualification from another jurisdiction validated by the Department of Health.

Applicants must have at least five years satisfactory post-graduate experience in professional psychology, no more than three years of which was spent in gaining the postgraduate professional qualification and no less than two years full-time spent in post qualification experience as a professional psychologist. Years in excess of the permitted three years for completion of the post-graduate training or time not worked will not be taken into consideration when assessing the five years’ experience requirement.

Experience supporting adults with complex needs (e.g. intellectual disability, mental health, autism, dementia care)

Demonstrate competence in working with adults with intellectual disabilities - either as part of a professional qualification or as supervised practice as a basic grade psychologist.

Full, clean driving license and access to own vehicle

Knowledge of pertinent legislation, national policies and HIQA regulations and standards regarding disability and older person service-provision.

Proven leadership and service development experience supporting adults with intellectual disabilities

Ability to work independently

Good understanding and base of knowledge about Intellectual Disability and Autism and ability to navigate interagency frameworks (e.g., HSE, CAMHS)

Strong working knowledge of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults policies and procedures

Networking and leadership Skills

Strong ability to cultivate interpersonal relationships with colleagues’/families/ external stakeholders