Clinical psychologist job

Clinical psychologists evaluate and treat patients who present with a wide variety of mental or physical health illnesses, diseases, and concerns.

Your clients may be suffering from a range of mental or physical health disorders, and your job as a clinical psychologist is to alleviate their suffering and enhance their psychological well-being. These conditions may include the following:

anxiety

depression

mental sickness

adaptation in the face of physical sickness

neurological diseases

compulsions and compulsive acts

behaviors that are difficult to accept

eating disorders

issues with one's self, one's family, and one's relationships

learning difficulties.

In order to properly diagnose, evaluate, and treat your patients' illnesses, you will collaborate closely with each one of them. The assessment process may be carried out using a variety of methods, such as interviews, observations, and psychometric examinations. After doing an evaluation, you will devise a treatment plan for the patient, which may include counselling, advising, or therapy.

You will work with people, including children, adolescents, and adults, as well as families, couples, and groups in a variety of settings. Individuals you will work with include children, adolescents, and adults. In order to address the many problems that your clients face, you will also coordinate treatment with a variety of other specialists, including psychotherapists, social workers, and psychiatrists.

Responsibilities

You'll need to be able to do the following to become a clinical psychologist:

You may evaluate the requirements, capabilities, or behaviors of your customers using a number of different approaches, such as psychometric testing, interviews, and direct observation of their actions.

collaborate with coworkers to develop, monitor, and adjust appropriate treatment programs and treatments, such as therapy, counseling, or advise.

provide counseling and treatment for a variety of mental health concerns related to a wide range of disorders

analyze the effectiveness of the therapies and the results.

consult with other members of the interdisciplinary team, urging them to take a psychological perspective in their work.

counseling and assistance for caregivers

construct and assess methods of providing services to customers.

conduct applied research with the goal of contributing to the existing body of evidence supporting practice in a number of healthcare settings.

provide clinical supervision to psychologists with less experience as well as members of the larger interdisciplinary team.

provide lessons in psychology and conduct training sessions for the other members of the team.

It is possible that more experienced clinical psychologists may be asked to create legal reports and provide testimony as expert witnesses. In situations like these, you will need to maintain extensive client documentation in order to track how well clients are responding to their therapies.

Salary

The NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay rates begin at the Band 6 level, which is equivalent to $33,306 for trainee clinical psychologists. Following successful completion of training, entry-level earnings within the NHS begin at £40,057. (Band 7).

Psychologists with more experience might make anything from £47,126 to £63,862 per year (Bands 8a and 8b).

The salary range for clinical psychologist employment at the consultant level is normally between £65,664 and £90,387. (Bands 8c and 8d).

Earnings for heads of psychological services might range anywhere from £93,735 to £108,075 per year (Band 9).

The London high-cost area supplement is paid by the NHS at a rate of 20% of the base income for those working in central London, 15% for those working in outer London, and 5% for those working in periphery districts.

There is a range of salaries available at private hospitals and private practices.

The monetary amounts listed are just meant to serve as a reference point.

Time spent working

Although Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is the standard workday schedule, you may be required to put in additional hours in the evenings or on the weekends. On occasion, you will be required to participate in an on-call system that monitors and responds to urgent events.

What may be anticipated

You will be working with other medical professionals such as physicians, nurses, social workers, education professionals, health visitors, psychiatrists, and occupational therapists as part of a multidisciplinary team.

The majority of cities and big towns have employment options, whereas more remote portions of the country have less possibilities. In private or clinical practice, as well as in industrial or commercial consultation, you have the option of working for yourself as a freelancer or operating your own business.

The job may be difficult since it requires constant interaction with a diverse range of individuals, many of whom are experiencing some kind of emotional discomfort. There is a possibility that you may run across scenarios that might put your safety in jeopardy.

Throughout your whole career, it is crucial to have the supervision of your peers.

You will often be required to visit customers over the course of the working day, which will require you to travel. On the other hand, it is quite improbable that you will spend the night away from home or work in a foreign country.

Qualifications

Training to the level of a doctorate is required in order to become licensed to work as a clinical psychologist in the United Kingdom. This license is granted by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

In most cases, in order to commence training, you will be required to have a Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). This may be earned by finishing a psychology degree or conversion programme that has been approved by The British Psychological Society (BPS). Please refer to the BPS Accredited Psychology Courses for a complete listing of the GBC eligible courses.

After that, you will finish a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Psychology that is recognized by the British Psychological Society and accepted by the Health and Care Professions Council. At the moment, the National Health Service (NHS) pays for the majority of spots in doctoral programs in clinical psychology. However, since this circumstance is subject to change, applicants should verify the availability of money before submitting their applications.

To be accepted into a Doctorate program, you will typically need a degree with a grade of either a first class honors or a 2:1; however, some programs may demand an upper 2:1. If you have a relevant Master's degree or PhD, some providers may consider a 2:1 (or even a lesser 2:1) as sufficient. In addition to this, you will need to have prior experience working in a clinical or research setting. Check with each particular course provider for information on the specific entrance criteria, including the minimum amount of relevant work experience.

You would also be required to undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (in Scotland, this would be called the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme).

The Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology is the place to submit your application for the majority of PhD programs in clinical psychology. Nevertheless, the University of Hull and Queen's University in Belfast each have their own admissions procedures that they follow. The application period typically begins in September and continues through November. The vast majority of programs are completed on a full-time basis over the period of three years.

During the duration of the program, the National Health Service (NHS) will hire you on as a trainee clinical psychologist and pay you a salary. Academic study is supplemented with supervised clinical rotations and independent research over the course of training, which is conducted according to a predetermined curriculum.

After you have successfully completed your doctorate, you will be able to submit an application to become registered with the HCPC and to achieve chartered status with the BPS.

Skills

You'll need to make sure you have:

to be able to cope with individuals who are in distress, one must have strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Customers are treated with compassion and a focus on the individual.

capacity to adapt information gained from academic psychology and research to clinical issues

the capacity to understand one's own limits and to adapt appropriately to challenging circumstances

the ability to think critically and analytically, as well as the independence and self-motivation to work on one's own.

the capacity to maintain one's mental clarity amid trying circumstances

the capacity to work together with peers coming from different fields of study

the resolve to achieve one's goals

the ability to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively

decent broad IT skills

a solid comprehension of the field of clinical psychology as well as the function that it plays, together with a knowledge of the most recent concerns facing the NHS.

A valid driver's license is often necessary for traveling inside a certain region.

Practice in the workplace

In order to enroll in a doctoral program, you will typically require at least a year's worth of relevant job experience as a prerequisite. The majority of training providers either have very explicit criteria about the quantity and kind of experience they demand, or they provide guidance on how to get the required level of expertise.

Some educational institutions place a premium on previous experience earned working as an assistant psychologist in a clinical psychology department of the National Health Service (NHS) under the direction of a clinical psychologist. The level of competition to fill these positions is quite high.

In addition to this, it is important that you have experience doing clinically-oriented research that adds to your knowledge of clinical psychology practice. It is beneficial to have a solid mix of expertise in academic as well as clinical fields.

Work in other fields, such as nursing, social work, care work, mental health work, or services for those with disabilities, whether paid or unpaid, may also be beneficial. Jobs like graduate primary care worker, nursing assistant, healthcare assistant or support worker, and psychological wellness practitioner are some examples of relevant employment opportunities.

Any experience you get should be with organizations and services that are directly related to clinical psychology, and it should provide you the chance to connect with individuals who are struggling with either their physical or mental health.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

The National Health Service (NHS) employs the vast majority of clinical psychologists. Opportunities may be found in a variety of areas related to health and social care, including the following:

hospitals

psychiatric hospitals or wards

nearby medical facilities and care centers

Teams dedicated to the mental health of communities

services pertaining to the mental health of children and adolescents (CYPMHS)

social services

institutions of higher education

prisons

Services for Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies, often known as IAPT.

There are also chances to work on a freelance basis or in private practice, both of which are viable career paths.

Try looking for employment opportunities at:

Healthjobsuk.com

Jobs in Psychology

NHS Jobs

Jobs in the NHS in Scotland

Advertisements for available jobs may also be found on the websites of specialized recruiting firms like Pulse and JobMedic.

Improvement of one's profession

After obtaining your qualification, you will need to maintain your skills current and stay abreast of new breakthroughs in research. Continuing professional development (CPD) is a key component of maintaining chartered membership with the BPS and continuous registration with the HCPC. CPD should consist of a combination of activities that are directed at the individual as well as activities that are self-directed.

Among the activities available are:

participating in post-qualification training courses, which assist to enhance your understanding of a variety of theoretical approaches or specific fields of work or job in general.

clinical supervision training

participation in gatherings such as conferences, seminars, and events

submitting articles or papers to various publications.

doing research, as well as presenting it at conferences, along with publications.

delivering speeches or classes etc.

Providing guidance, supervision, or feedback to trainees

acquiring an expert level of knowledge on a certain customer group.

To demonstrate that your continuing professional development (CPD) adds to the quality of your practice and service delivery and is helpful to your customers, you will need to maintain an up-to-date and accurate record of the activities that comprise your professional development.

The BPS Professional Development Centre is the place to go if you need any further details.

Prospects for one's career

Within the National Health Service (NHS), there is a well-defined system for climbing the corporate ladder, and as you acquire experience and take on new responsibilities, you should be able to advance up the wage scale.

You have the option of specializing in a specific subfield of clinical psychology, such as the following:

addiction

clinical neuropsychology

psychology applied to therapeutic settings

forensic psychology and clinical practice

oncology as well as hospice and palliative care

schizophrenia as well as complicated mental health

After gaining sufficient experience, you may be promoted to a supervisory or clinical management job, in which you would have a greater level of responsibility for the employees as well as the clinical psychology services.

Clinical psychologists who possess the necessary expertise in addition to relevant work experience may be qualified to submit applications for consultant-level posts. From this position, there is a limited number of openings for heads of specialist positions (in fields such as adult mental health), with the ultimate goal being to become the general head of a psychological service.

As you get more expertise in the field of clinical psychology, there is a possibility that you may become engaged in the teaching, supervision, and training of other clinical psychologists. You also have the option of pursuing a career in clinical academic research.