Counselling Psychologist jobs in United Kingdom

The closing date is 30 November 2025

This is an exciting opportunity for a Consultant Clinical or Counselling Psychologist or an experienced Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to step into a Head of Service Consultant Psychology role. The post will suit someone with considerable experience of the delivery of mental health services for adults, who brings expertise in working with people with severe and complex difficulties, and who is ready to step into a leadership and management position. The post is a full‑time position based in the West of Essex, covering teams across Uttlesford, Harlow, and Loughton. The role will include leadership, supervision, consultation, managing budgets, developing services, recruitment and line‑management, clinical oversight and professional leadership, whilst retaining a small direct clinical role in a local team.

The post holder will work as Head of Service for Adult Community Psychology, working into the three Community Mental Health teams in West Essex and the 18‑25 s service, which spans the locality. The post holder will report to the Deputy Clinical Director of Psychological Services, and will be responsible for the operational management, clinical leadership and professional oversight of the psychological services staff working into the four teams.

The successful applicant will be expected to lead and guide psychological professions staff towards the provision of evidence‑based, cost effective, direct and indirect interventions to service users, and other stakeholders, with an emphasis on ensuring quality of care, and a client‑centred and needs led approach to care planning. There will be opportunities to make a contribution to the transformation of community services, working with other senior leaders across the Trust. The post holder will need to work with system partners as well as with colleagues across the multidisciplinary teams and within Psychological Services, drawing on highly developed communication skills. The role provides opportunities to deliver and lead across a breadth of psychological work from direct clinical assessment and intervention, through consultation, staff training, and evaluation to digital innovation.

Holding a clinical and professional leadership role, the post holder will need to remain current with national guidelines, taking an active role in ensuring high quality service delivery and leading innovation and service improvement, working collaboratively with colleagues, staff, service users and the leadership team. The successful candidate will join a supportive Psychological Services leadership team who are well regarded in the Trust.

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and well‑being services, occupational health advice and counselling.
• We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years' service.
• Excellent pension of up to 14.5 % of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8 K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us.
• Season ticket loans are interest‑free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for a detailed list of responsibilities.

• Post‑graduate doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the HCPC/BPS, including specifically models of psychological distress and formulation, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct evidence‑based psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• HCPC Registered
• Evidence of completing training in clinical supervision
• Post‑doctoral training in one or more additional specialised area of psychological intervention or clinical practice
• Leadership and management training
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS/HCPC

• Highly developed skills in working with a wide variety of client groups, across the lifespan and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in‑patient and residential care settings and maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Highly developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment (including psychometric assessment), formulation, care planning, psychological intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Highly developed skills and ability to devise, lead, facilitate and support group work with colleagues, and/or service users
• Highly developed skills in providing consultation to other professional and non‑professional groups

• Doctoral level knowledge & understanding of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and outcome evaluation in treating people with complex mental health presentations
• Doctoral level knowledge of mental health and psychological distress, including the theoretical and empirical evidence base and frameworks for conceptualising distress in context
• Extensive knowledge of psychological therapies and the application of current models of practice, specialist assessment tools and outcomes frameworks in own specialist area of practice
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as applied within the clinical fields of psychology
• Advanced knowledge of legislation, national guidance and professional policy and its implications for clinical practice and professional management in relation to the delivery of Psychological Services, and the specific client group.

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.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

£79,163 to £90,880 a year per annum incl. 5% Fringe High Cost Allowance