Senior Clinical Psychologist

Job summary

The Specialist Trauma and Relational Therapies (STaRT) team within Portsmouth CAMHS has an exciting opportunity opening for the role of a Senior Clinical Psychologist. You will be part of a passionate and highly skilled multi-disciplinary team, delivering high quality interventions to children, young people and their families presenting with a range of psychological difficulties and complex life experiences.

The CAMHS STaRT Team provides a dedicated Mental Health Service for Portsmouth children and young people who have experience in care (including unaccompanied minors seeking asylum), are Care Leavers, or who are supported by the Edge of Care Team, Youth Offending Team, or Staying Close Team. The team includes a number of committed and highly skilled CAMHS practitioners from various professional disciplines, all who have a range of qualifications and additional specialist therapeutic training, including in dyadic developmental therapy (DDP) and other trauma- and attachment-focused therapies. The service works in very close partnership with the Specialist CAMHS and Social Work teams, alongside other key partner agencies within education and third sector providers. Multi-agency partnership working is strong within Portsmouth, and this is well demonstrated by this service through working cohesively across agencies to achieve positive outcomes for some of our most vulnerable young people.

Main duties of the job

In the STaRT team, there is often a high level of complexity in the children and young people we see. The role will regularly involve offering assessments and specialist interventions to children and young people who have experienced trauma, including complex trauma. Additionally, the role will involve supporting multi-agency networks of professionals in working in a psychologically- and trauma-informed way.

We are looking for a confident professional with a demonstrable track record of providing good quality evidence-based interventions and an interest in service improvement. We would welcome applications from clinical psychologists who have an interest in trauma and share our passion for delivering the best quality care experience for children and their families. This role will be closely supported by the Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Senior Clinical Psychologist across Portsmouth CAMHS, as well as by the CAMHS Team and Service Managers.

STaRT and the wider Solent CAMHS is a strong and supportive team and has excellent structures to offer regular supervision and support. We would be committed to offering a comprehensive induction plan and support package to ensure you felt welcomed and settled into the team. We offer an exciting and dynamic environment where your ideas and career development will be valued. This is a great opportunity to join our supportive multi-disciplinary team and network of CAMHS Clinical Psychologists.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trust's community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
• Registered with HCPC

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a Clinical Psychologist within CAMHS
• Experience as a Clinical Psychologist of providing specialist assessment and treatment for a wide range of psychological disorders in children
• Experience or a specific interest in working with CLA and their carers
• Experience of developing and delivering group packages of care
• Experience of completing and reviewing Care Plans
• Experience of assessing and recording Risk Management plans for children and young people in crisis and/or with highly complex mental health difficulties
• Experience of collating, recording and evaluating clinical outcomes
• Experience of delivering clinical supervision
• Experience of working autonomously
• Clinical experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team

Desirable

• Experience of working in a constantly changing environment
• Experience of working across a variety of statutory agencies

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address

Falcon House
St James' Hospital, 22 Edenbridge Rd
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO4 8PF
Employer's website