Highly Specialist Clinical / Counselling/ Forensic Psychologist

at  Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity for the position of a band 8a Highly Specialist Clinical / Counselling/ Forensic Psychologist has arisen within the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) at Westminster CAMHS. This involves being part of a highly skilled and dynamic multi-disciplinary team working with a range of mental health disorders and complex trauma cases, in supporting young people and families.
This is a 9 month fixed-term contract/ secondment covering maternity leave for 3 days. The post holder would need to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays due to service needs. (There will be consideration to extend this post to 12 months if funding is available, however there is no guarantee of this)
You will be responsible for the supervision of junior, trainee and assistant Psychologists. You will assist with the coordination of specialist psychological assessments, clinically support neuro developmental assessments (including ADOS) and offer consultation with the wider team with mental health assessments and best practice treatment for children, young people and families with a wide range of mental health needs. Support will be provided as part of the service supervision structure and a clear job plan will ensure you are well supported with clear expectations of the role.
Within this role, psychology is a strongly established and valued provision within the team, where specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention is highly valued, especially around complex trauma diagnosis and formulations.
The post holder will provide a highly specialized psychology service to families and young people referred to the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT). This includes conducting specialist assessments, developing and implementing treatment plans, coordinating care, and managing risks. A key responsibility will be to offer clinical supervision and consultation, functioning as the lead specialist in psychology within the ETT. This involves supervising Band 7 psychologists, CBT therapists, and Assistant Psychologists.
The post holder is expected to work autonomously, adhering to the guidelines and codes of conduct set by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). They will also be guided by the service’s principles, policies, and procedures.
As Co-Lead of the ETT, the post holder will collaborate with the clinical/professional lead to set team goals and determine the best strategies to achieve them. They will contribute to fostering a psychologically safe environment that supports staff, service users, and carers from diverse backgrounds.
Westminster CAMHS is a large, well established and dynamic team with opportunities for varied MDT work. There is a strong multi disciplinary culture in the team and you will contribute to change management in the service. You will hold significant experience working in CAMHS services and have a sound understanding of mental health challenges facing children and young people. You will have significant knowledge and skills of working with moderate to severe mental health presentations and be ready to join a highly dynamic and experienced team of clinicians.
This is not an exhaustive list (see JD & PS)

Clinical and Client Care

• Conduct highly specialized psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions for clients in the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) pathway. This includes evaluating individuals for single and complex trauma presentations, emotional and behavioural disorders, offending behaviour, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Collaboration with social services and other networks is required, emphasizing a systemic and trauma-informed approach.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, environmental and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
• Deliver culturally appropriate psychological interventions for carers or families of referred clients, as needed, to ensure comprehensive support.
• To develop and implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups. These interventions should be grounded in a trauma-informed approach, utilising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), third-wave approaches such as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and incorporating systemic principles.
• To be able to undertake generic and specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments of children and families referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests
• Assess and monitor risk by developing and implementing effective risk management plans tailored to individual needs.
• Act as a care coordinator, taking responsibility for initial assessments, conducting risk assessments, and formulating and reviewing care plans. As the lead professional, participate in multi-network meetings to contribute to clinical and trauma-informed case formulations.
• Co-lead the ETT pathway, serving as a reference point for the rest of the team. This includes supporting the formulation of complex cases, making care plan decisions, overseeing data performance, and promoting team well-being, among other responsibilities.
• To participate in the clinical Duty rota and initial CAMHS assessment clinics / specialist assessments as required.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to the development and review of an evidence based psychologically-based framework and offer, guided guidelines and principles, to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

Please refer the Job description for details