Senior Child & Adolescent Psychologist – Clinical & Neuro Experience both needed

Note: This is a permanent position requiring at least two years’ commitment.

SENIOR CLINICAL AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST
Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
Start Date: Negotiable

PURPOSE OF POSITION To provide psychological services from a family therapy model with their clients and their families.
L: Therapy model focusses on the young person while bringing in Mum, Dad and others. It is an inclusive therapeutic setting. Strengths based approach. HR person didn’t know if a psychodynamic approach would be appropriate. CBT skills may be helpful relative to the dynamics of serving Maori and Pasifika children. Must be a fit for the culture. Training on Maori and Pasifika cultural aspects would be available.

To act as part of the Management Team providing guidance, supervision, and training where appropriate.
L: Need someone at least senior enough to lead and train others. Clinical Manager focuses more on liaising with the Ministry of Health. Upskilling will be a need working with social workers and counsellors.

REPORTING TO Clinical Manager
Dotted line to the Chief Executive Officer
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Provision of clinical services
• Assessments of young people and their families/whanau to a standard of professional competence and within an appropriate time frame. These include behavioural, cognitive, and neuropsychological assessments.
L: Neuropsych would be of interest.
• Based on the assessment, provide specialised psychological intervention and treatment for young people.
L: Ages 10 and above would be fine. Would only rarely have any children under age 10. Almost entirely the ages are 12 to 19.
• Working with Therapists, Youth Workers, and Education providers to develop and supervise behavioural plans for young people.
L: Last guy who set up the therapy model was an American, Charles Fishman. Give Stephen a heads-up first.
• Providing reports, maintaining clinical records, and fulfilling all requirements regarding documentation and record keeping for clinical and organisational purposes.
• Conducting competent planned interventions for clients.
• Providing a clinical consultative service for Youth Workers, Caregivers, and Clinical team members.
• Contributing to the development of the professional knowledge and skills base of the team through consultation, coaching, and contribution to team’s training and development programme.
• Undertaking any other appropriate clinical activities in consultation with the Clinical Manager.
• Provide best practice clinical advice across their suite of services
• Provide crisis management advice/support (including after-hours, as agreed)
L: After-hours work would be rare for this particular role. They have a Crisis Management Officer on a social worker level to provide immediate triage support.

Training and Development
• Maintain the required skillset to provide best practice care
• To comply with the requirements of the HPCA Act
• Attend ongoing supervision with a senior clinician as appropriate to the needs of the psychologist
• Identify areas for professional development and attend education and training opportunities to target those areas
L: No specific budget set out yet. Not yet allocated. Suggested $3,000 to $5,000 but this is negotiable.
• Meet the requirements for ongoing registration
• Upskill, train, and provide supervision to their staff
L: Definitely a need.
• Provide guidance to clinical staff seeking external development
IDEAL APPOINTEE

Required: • Must have prior experience working with lower, social-economic people.
• Must be registered as a psychologist with the New Zealand Psychologists’ Board.
• Postgraduate qualifications in Clinical or Educational Psychology.
• Proven practical experience in a wide range of applied psychology, including assessment, intervention, consultation, training and evaluation with children, young persons and their families.
• Practical experience in behavioural psychotherapeutic and family therapy models.
L: Psychodynamic ought to be a mode of therapy that could be appropriate but Stephen couldn’t say for sure as this falls slightly outside of his scope of knowledge about this role.
• Hands on experience in working with children, young people and their families, with an emphasis on Maori and/or Pacific Island families.
• Strong understanding and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
L: They can help orient overseas psychologists.
• Demonstrated capacity to work diligently and professionally, with respect for organisational requirements and deadlines
• Track record of driving continuous improvement
• Experience and capability in providing training
• Strong relationship management skills
• Understanding of reporting requirements
• Demonstrated initiative
• A clean driving licence
• Computer literacy
• Satisfactory Police and Oranga Tamairki checks