Careers

If you are interested in joining the team, please email your CV and cover letter to andrea@alcps.co.uk

Associate Counselling/Clinical Psychologist
Associate Therapist/Counsellor

Associate Counselling/Clinical Psychologist

Job title	Associate Counselling/Clinical Psychologist
Pay	Dependent on experience
Hours	Part time – 1 – 2 days a week
Location/Base	North West and the Midlands
Job Summary	To provide a professional specialist psychology service to young people and carers. The Associate will provide high quality psychological assessment and intervention of the mental health needs of children within residential homes. The role will entail offering advice and consultation on young peoples’ psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other, non-professional carers. To develop and implement psychological therapeutic plans of care and to liaise and work with other agencies regarding the implementation of care and the management of risk. To maintain records including assessment reports, direct work and other contact notes and also participate in reviews and professional meetings pertaining to individual young people accessing psychological input. The role will involve working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the contracted services policies and procedures.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Clinical

To assess children with complex mental health needs and develop psychological interventions to support their needs.
To provide through consultation advanced psychology expertise to other professionals and carers in meeting the mental health needs of children and young people.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions, on psychological aspects of risk assessment, including the risk of self-harm, and risk management.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the young person, parents or family/carers.
To provide highly specialised information and reports as required in a timely manner.
To work in a collaborative manner with local authorities and health professionals supporting children, families and carers with mental health needs.
There will be exposure to highly distressing or highly emotional circumstances, listening to clinical information (in meetings, clinical supervision, etc.) regarding clients’ experiences (e.g. child protection issues around extreme neglect and abuse).
To contribute to the development of best practice within the service by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive practitioner, in the specialist field of child and adolescent mental health.
To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the B.P.S. and H.C.P.C and contracted services policies and procedures.

Training and supervision

To provide specialist advice, consultation and training to staff working across a range of agencies and settings.
To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes in consultation with the Director.
To receive regular external clinical/professional supervision and internal supervision once a month from the Director of ALC psychology Services.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To assist the Director of ALC psychology Services in the development of the service within the agreed areas of responsibility.
To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both this client group and mental health.
To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of staff.

Administration

Keep comprehensive records of work undertaken and provide these promptly alongside preparing other appropriate records; including preparing reports for reviews and professionals meetings.
To keep all confidential data secure.

IT responsibilities

To use computers to write reports and record data, including the use of statistical packages as part of psychological testing, research and assessment when needed.

Associate Therapist/Counsellor

Job title	Associate Therapist/Counsellor
Pay	Dependent on experience
Hours	As and when basis. Please note there is no obligation to provide work and no obligation to accept work.
Location/Base	North West and the Midlands
Accountable to	Director of ALC Psychology Services
Job Summary	To respond to requests from ALC Psychology Services, to provide therapeutic services, within your area of expertise, to a range of client organisations. To maintain records including assessment reports, direct work and other contact notes and also participate in reviews and professional meetings. The role will involve working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the contracted services policies and procedures.