Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

at  West London NHS Trust

We are seeking a passionate Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychologist to join the inpatient service at West London Forensic Service (WLFS). This is full-time post (1.0wte) which can be appointed at Band 7 or Band 8a depending on experience and with responsibilities adjusted accordingly. For Band 7, this will be a preceptorship towards an 8a role.
The post will be attached to an admission ward in the male low secure service. The successful candidate will be responsible for the provision of a highly developed and comprehensive psychology service to culturally diverse service-users with enduring mental health difficulties and offending histories.
A relocation allowance may be available to a successful candidate.
You will be responsible for providing a high quality psychology service on an assessment (admissions) ward in the men’s low secure service. As a core member of an experienced MDT, you will have a key role in defining the psychological care pathway for individuals admitted to the unit through conducting highly specialist psychological assessments and through the provision of highly specialist psychological therapy.
As well as individual ward-based work, you will contribute to a well-established cross-ward group therapy programme. You will also advise on risk assessment and risk management, and support psychological practice within the team through consultation, supervision, and training.
You will have the opportunity to utilise skills in research, service evaluation, and audit within the service.
You will provide line management and supervision to qualified, trainee and assistant psychologists as delegated by the lead psychologist.
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK. It provides a broad range of forensic mental health care in adult male and female services, across high, medium and low security settings, as well as in a community and court diversion setting. The post is based in the low secure service, which provides 72 beds across assessment, rehabilitation, and pre-discharge wards. West London Forensic Service has been rated as outstanding by the CQC.
The psychological therapies department, which comprises a team of over 30 psychologists and psychological therapists, is well-established and supportive with high standards of clinical supervision and excellent opportunities for continuing professional development.
We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.
The post holder will undertake clinical and risk assessments within a multi-disciplinary context, and will provide psychological advice and consultation to others involved in service user care. The post holder will have a key role in defining the psychological care pathway for individuals admitted to the unit through conducting highly specialist psychological assessments. As well as individual ward-based work, the post holders will contribute to a well-established cross-ward group therapy programme. There will be excellent opportunities to further develop skills of complex case assessment, formulation and application of evidence based psychological interventions. There will also be opportunities to gain experience from across the varied settings found within West London Forensic Service. The main duties and responsibilities will include:
Providing specialist psychological assessments of service-users who present with enduring mental health difficulties and offending behaviour.
Formulating and implementing plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a service-users mental health and high risk behaviours
Delivering a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals and groups
Evaluating and making decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models
Exercising autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, initiation and termination of psychological treatment
Providing specialist consultation, advice and support on psychological approaches
Undertaking on-going risk assessment and risk management, and providing advice to other professions on psychological aspects of forensic risk assessment and risk management
Communicating the outcome of assessment and therapy to the referrer, the multi-disciplinary team and the wider health, social care and criminal justice system, as appropriate, including the production of formal written reports
Supporting psychological practice within the team and the wider service through consultation, supervision, formulation and training
Providing line management and supervision to qualified, trainee and assistant psychologists as delegated by the lead psychologist
Utilising skills in research, service evaluation and audit to improve the understanding and effectiveness of services
Upholding the Trust values of Togetherness, Responsibility, Excellence and Carin

Please refer the Job description for details