Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

NHS; Reading; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Part time

Job description

Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

We're looking for an experienced psychological therapist to join our Anxiety Disorders Treatment Team (ADTT) within Berkshire CAMHS. This part-time role combines direct clinical work with young people and their families, holding a small clinical caseload, alongside providing consultation and supervision to colleagues and associated professionals within the team.

What You'll Do:

• Provide expert psychological therapy to children and young people with complex mental health presentations.
• Offer clinical leadership, consultation, and supervision within the multi-disciplinary CAMHS team, to enhance the quality of interventions.
• Develop and oversee intensive risk management plans, supporting young people who require multi-agency involvement.
• Contribute to and lead service development initiatives, ensuring our approach aligns with the latest research, national policy, and best practices.
• Travel across Berkshire as needed to meet the diverse needs of our service users.
• Work four days per week, with flexibility in choosing your set working days.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a specialist, supportive and compassionate team dedicated to transforming young lives.
• Play a key role in shaping service delivery and innovation within CAMHS.
• Access ongoing training, development, and career progression opportunities.

Applications for this role will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early.

Main Duties of the Job

Responsible for the delivery of psychological therapy within ADTT, providing expert professional leadership and advice relating to the delivery of psychological therapy for complex presentations requiring multiple interventions, complex or intensive risk management plans and high levels of multi-agency working in order to ensure and develop consistently high quality, safe and cost-effective services for users, working in partnership with key stakeholders internal and external to the Trust.

As we develop our online offer, to undertake a role in moderating service user activity on the Trust Support, Hope, Recovery Online Network (SHaRON) and to participate in online discussions and care delivery via this modality.

Responsible for expert psychological assessment, case formulation, risk assessment and treatment for a designated number of patients presenting with complex mental health difficulties.

To support the development and implementation of frameworks and strategies that improve clinical practice, governance, education, learning, performance, management and quality in the service and across the Trust.

To support the further development and maintenance of support services delivered by the team, including but not exclusive to, the advice and consultation function, CYPF digital services including Young SHaRON and the online resource.

About Us

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust site

Job Responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

1. Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical psychology (or equivalent).
2. Registered and accredited with Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) or UKCP/BPC.
3. Evidence of post-doctoral specialist training to accreditable level in at least 2 areas of psychological practice directly related to the clinical requirements of this post.
4. Leadership experience and a successful track record in leading service delivery and contributing to service transformation.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and Other Ethnic Groups.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Jo Cocksey, Consultant Clinical Psychologist on 0786 678 7757 or Mel Jarvis Service Manager on 0779 536 6676 who'll be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

• For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas), which provides eligibility for Chartered Membership of the BPS (British Psychological Society).
• For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Registered and accredited with Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• For Psychotherapist: Recognised master's level qualification in psychodynamic psychotherapy or equivalent.
• For Psychotherapist: Registered and accredited with UKCP as a psychotherapist or with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC).
• For Clinical Neuropsychology: Registered with the HCPC as a Clinical Psychologist or Practitioner Psychologist (with additional qualifications in Neuropsychology) and eligible for Chartered Membership status with the BPS.
• For Clinical Neuropsychology: Completion of (or working towards/willing to undertake) the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN).
• Family and Systemic Psychotherapist: Post graduate qualification in relevant mental health or social care related discipline or equivalent (E.G. Clinical psychology registered with HCPC, or Registered Mental Health Nurse (NMC), or Occupational Therapy degree level and registered with HCPC, or Registered Social Worker registered with HCPC or qualified Psychotherapist registered with professional body ACP or equivalent).
• Family and Systemic Psychotherapist: Master's level qualification or equivalent in family and systemic psychotherapy or equivalent qualification accredited by AFT.
• Family and Systemic Psychotherapist: Registered as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
• Family and Systemic Psychotherapist: Post-graduate qualification in systemic supervision and registered as an AFT-approved systemic supervisor.
• Additional accreditations (or working towards these) to reflect post qualification specialist training (e.g., BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, BPS).
• Proven ability in teaching and formal training in professional/clinical supervision.

Continuous Professional Development

• Evidence of substantial post-doctoral training, experience and expert knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches with an evidence base within the area of specialism OR Evidence of post qualification or specialist training to accreditable level in at least two areas of psychological/psychotherapy practice directly related to the clinical requirements of this post and clinical supervision.
• Clinical supervision training for psychological therapy trainees and qualified staff or a nationally recognised psychotherapy training (UKCP - PP section or BPC) with supervision training for psychotherapy trainees on placement.

Experience

• Significant experience working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist/psychotherapist/family systemic therapist, neuropsychologist, including demonstrable post qualification experience at a highly specialist level in the related specialisms.
• Significant experience of working in evidence-based ways with service users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of care settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics.
• Experience of teaching and professional/clinical supervision, as well as experience of developing and leading the delivery of training programmes and supervision.
• Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions.
• Experience of working with, and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism and equality of access to services.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Able to manage a demanding and complex caseload while supporting junior colleagues.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
• Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence-based assessments and therapeutic interventions within designated clinical area.
• Exceptional interpersonal and highly effective communication skills with the ability to support, engage and lead patients, clinicians and other stakeholder groups in change, development, and improvement.
• Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS office/Teams, and the internet).

Additional Requirements

• Demonstrates the ability to respond to people's needs sensitively, particularly with reference to all aspects of diversity.
• Able to work flexibly as required and to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£64,337 to £74,415 a year per annum, pro rata (Incl of HCAS)