Job Description
This is an exciting opportunity for a clinical or counselling psychologist with experience of working with adults with Learning Disabilities at Islington Learning Disability Partnership
(ILDP).
ILDP is a forward thinking, fully integrated health and social care team whose dedicated staff and service providers were awarded the Camden & Islington Team of the Year (2021). We are a well-resourced service and are passionate about delivering high quality support to adults with global learning disabilities and their networks. We are a multidisciplinary team (MDT) consisting of psychiatry, psychology, nursing, occupational therapy, speech & language therapy and physiotherapy and we pride ourselves on our high levels of collaboration, working alongside social work and the Community Support Outreach teams.
Our MDT has reputation for being friendly, inclusive and sociable. We have regular celebrations within the office to mark a range of religious festivals, bring and share lunches and a monthly walking group. We are located in Islington beside the Arsenal and enjoy the benefits of our own building with many of our day provisions and residential services being a short walk away.
The successful candidate will work within the vibrant and well-established psychological therapies team, which consists of clinical psychologists, an Art Therapist, trainee psychologists and honorary undergraduate psychology placement students.
The team provides skilled psychological assessments, including autism diagnostics and complex neuropsychology assessments, and psychosocial interventions including systemic, narrative, CBT, PBS and EMDR to adults with learning disabilities in Islington.
The successful applicant will contribute to carrying out autism assessments for people with learning disabilities, and work on our Behaviours of Concern, Mental Health and Dementia pathways. There will also be opportunities to contribute to service development work within the service (e.g. Anti-Racism Steering Group, Embedding Trauma Informed Care and Improving Women’s Health) and with our partners, including offering training and consultation.
The successful candidate will be able to access the CPD programme provided by the trust’s learning and development department, including systemic practice (Foundation Level 1), advanced CBT skills, and other specialist CPD opportunities that arise. In addition to this, further training offered by North Thames Clinical Doctorate Course will also be available, such as Supervision and Equality & Diversity Reflective Practice.
At Camden and Islington NHS foundation trust our staff and service users have worked closely to create a set of values that make sure people who use our services get the best possible chance of a rapid recovery.
We have 3 key priorities which are:
Early and Effective Intervention,
Helping People to Live Well
Research and Innovation
The cultural pillars that help us achieve our key priorities are:
We value each other
We are empowered
We keep things simple
We are connected
We aim to develop a workforce that reflects diversity of our population and our service users. We are actively encouraging applications from people with experience of using mental health services and we would welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly from underrepresented groups such as people from global majority communities, and LGBTQ+ communities. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities.
For further details / informal visits contact: Please feel welcome to contact us to find out more information: Dr Gina Johnson, Lead Clinical Psychologist (020 7527 6604) or Dr Ella Perry, Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist (020 7527 2247) at Islington Learning Disabilities Partnership.
1. Clinical
- To provide assessments for individuals referred to the psychology service using appropriate methods, including interviews, observations, and formal assessment measures (including psychometric assessments).
- To formulate and provide psychological interventions for service-users referred to the psychology service, including those with multiple and complex presentations, mental health problems, and/or behaviours that challenge. This includes using a range of psychological interventions appropriate to the service (e.g. Positive Behaviour Support, CBT, behavioural approaches, systemic/family approaches, psychodynamic approaches etc.)
- To provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to others and to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of service-users with complex health needs and/or high risk presentations.
- To provide psychological support for service-users (and their families and carers) presenting with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Dementia, who also have Global Learning Disabilities.
- To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service-users;
- To liaise with other health and social care staff, from a range of agencies, in the care provided to people with GLD
2 Teaching, training, and supervision
- To provide clinical supervision to assistant psychologists and/or undergraduate psychology students as required. In addition, after at least one year post-qualification experience and following undertaking relevant supervision training, supervising trainee clinical and counselling psychologists (individual case supervision may be taken on earlier);
- To provide specialist support and consultation to other ILDP staff when appropriate;
- To provide advice, consultation, training and supervision, where appropriate, to other external health and social care staff who are working with individuals with GLD.
3 Management, policy and service development
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit;
- To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing;
- To contribute to the management of the workload of undergraduate, assistant and trainee psychologists, where appropriate, within the framework of the service’s policies and procedures.
4 Research, audit and service evaluation
- To utilise up to date literature and research to support evidence based practice;
- To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research;
- To participate in and contribute to clinical audit and service evaluation with colleagues within the service, in order to help evaluate and improve service provision.
5 General
- To participate in regular clinical supervision and appraisal;
- To maintain and develop the highest standards of practice, through active participation in continuing professional development and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in psychological practice in areas related to the post;
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and client group;
- To undertake other duties and responsibilities, appropriate to the grade of the post, as may be agreed with the Lead Clinical Psychologist and/or the ILDP service manager.