Principal Clinical Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, 'I've seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.' We're on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we've got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there's lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Association
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

Always improving

CNTW is regulated by the national healthcare regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Our last two inspections have rated us as an outstanding organisation. We're always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Clinical Psychologist or Principal Psychological Therapist to work within the Acute Inpatient Psychological Services team at St George's Park hospital, Morpeth. The post holder will provide leadership and management, specialist assessment and interventions, and support for complex case management.

The Acute Inpatient Service at St George's Park consists of two male wards and one female ward of 19 beds each. The post is available on a part-time basis (30 hours per week).

Within inpatient services, we hold the value of being creative and welcome new and improved processes and ideas. The service has a strong commitment to professional development, and we want to nurture each clinician in their career longer term.

You will be joining the Psychological Services Inpatient team who work across acute, rehabilitation and older adult inpatient wards. Our team is made up of Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, Psychological Therapists, Art Psychotherapists and Assistant Psychologists. We also have a therapy dog in the service. We are a friendly, inclusive and diverse group of practitioners who bring a range of interests, experience and skills to the work we do. The Psychology team is well embedded into the respective wards within each pathway but are also located together in terms of office space at St George's Park which means that we maintain strong working relationships with each other across pathways as well.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will have the opportunity to:

1. Provide specialist psychological assessments (including neuropsychological assessment) and interventions to people with a broad range of mental health problems.
2. Facilitate team supervision/reflective practice and debriefs.
3. Utilise research skills to design and conduct evaluations of the service. It is anticipated that these will lead to peer-reviewed publications.
4. Design and deliver training to ward-based staff and MDT colleagues specifically relevant to their needs.
5. Provide supervision and support to other staff.
6. Provide support for complex case management.

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached job description for full details.

Advertising date: 18th February 2025

Closing date: 26th February 2025

Interview date: 11th March 2025

We welcome your application.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and Neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the HCPC and British Psychological Society.
• Formal training in clinical supervision of trainee clinical psychologists and other staff.
• Formal (minimum Masters level) qualification in a modality of psychological therapy/systemic of family psychotherapy/arts psychotherapy accredited by accredited professional body (e.g., BABCP, AFT, BAD).

Desirable criteria

• Further professional training in a specific therapeutic modality that can contribute to the improvement of the quality of the service provided to service users and/or family and carers in the inpatient setting.
• Qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Specialist skills in evidence based psychological interventions.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinical sensitive information to clients, their family, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Well-developed teaching & training skills.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Substantial post qualification experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of service users with complex difficulties relevant to the service.
• Substantial experience of providing specialist clinical supervision to other psychological services staff and trainees and clinical consultation/advice and supervision to multi-disciplinary teams.
• Substantial experience and skills in providing training in psychological knowledge and skills to a range of staff.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of service evaluation, research and audit.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description - Principal Clinical Psychologist (PDF, 643.9KB)
• Job Description - Principal Psychological Therapist (PDF, 309.1KB)
• Tips on how to complete your application (PDF, 171.4KB)
• Reference Guidelines for Applicants - Please Read (PDF, 20.0KB)
• Interview Guarantee Scheme (PDF, 127.3KB)
• Employee Benefits (PDF, 922.8KB)