Lead Psychologist

Are you an experienced Senior Psychologist looking for a new challenge in a rewarding environment, where you can make a real difference? If so, then join the team at Gateway Recovery Centre in Widnes, Cheshire as a Lead Psychologist and enjoy support from a regional network of Psychologists as you flourish in your career.

With experience from the NHS or the private sector as a Senior or Lead Psychologist, you will carry a caseload that includes assessing service users with complex needs and designing and delivering specialist psychological treatment within mental health care services.

What you will be doing:

You will work 37.5 hours a week as the Lead Psychologist for a service for men and women with complex mental health requirements

As a Lead Psychologist, you will be responsible for individual and group interventions, diagnostic and cognitive assessments, MDT working and risk assessments. You will also support the clinical teams in creating reports with service users to increase engagement through interventions and developing new initiatives.

You'll lead the psychology department in providing a variety of therapeutic approaches to service users, including CBT, EMDR, and DBT, and will provide guidance, support and supervision to your team of Psychologists and Assistants, including responsibility for mentoring and their training (with support from the Learning & Development Team).

There is a strong emphasis on teamwork, supervision and CPD, with support from a regional network of Psychologists.

As a Lead Psychologist you will be:

• Attending and contributing to Clinical Leads and Hospital Governance Meetings
• Supporting the provision of psychology services in a specified area, in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• Participating fully with the multidisciplinary team and ensure that the service user is fully engaged in their care pathway.
• Supporting clinical team working, including both direct interventions and the delivery of staff training programmes.
• Supporting the clinical team and area of service in developing new initiatives and ways of working.
• Taking a key role in Psychology service developments, providing an evidence-based approach to new clinical initiatives.
• Maximising current opportunities to make improvements to the service area.
• Participating in the recruitment of junior psychology staff.
• Supporting in the development and implementation of policies that enhance staff safety and risk management.
• Working with internal and external agencies in order to enhance treatment pathways for service users.

• To be registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist and Charterable status with the British Psychological Society
• Successful completion of a Doctorate level qualification in applied psychology either through the British Psychological Society or a recognised training body, enabling registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Competence in assessing, formulating, and working therapeutically with service users
• Ability to identify and proactively resolve problems and challenges within the service
• Ability to supervise junior members of the team
• Knowledge and understanding of working with trauma
• Experience in working with people with complex needs that are relevant to the population in the service area
• Competency in psychological assessments and formulation skills and an aptitude for learning new assessment methods
• Competency in cognitive functioning/management tools and formulation
• Experience in using a range of therapeutic interventions to address a range of clinical and/or forensic issues

• Male Autism Service for the challenging and complex needs of adults with Autism and Asperger's syndrome
• Assessment and rehabilitation for women with complex mental health needs and personality difficulties
• Specialist inpatient service for older men with complex mental health and physical health needs.
• Low secure care setting for men with a mental illness with or without personality disorder/mild LD