Applied Psychologist/Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust; Tanfield Lea; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is inviting applications for an Applied Psychologist/Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist to work in the North base CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service, Stanley Primary Care Centre. The post is full-time with possible progression from Band 7 preceptorship to Band 8a, and part-time arrangements may be considered.

You will join a multidisciplinary team including psychology, nurses, SLTs and assistants, and contribute to assessments,

Qualifications

• Post-graduate training in clinical psychology and HCPC registration.
• Experience in neurodevelopmental assessment and autism/ADHD areas.
• Experience with standardised assessments; neurodevelopmental tools desirable.
• Ability to contribute to formulation and feedback to families and agencies.
• Ability to supervise, evaluate services, and adapt to change.

Responsibilities

• Conduct neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people with autism/ADHD.
• Contribute to formulation and diagnostic decision-making.
• Provide supervision and supervise colleagues.
• Feedback to families and other agencies involved.
• Support service evaluation and respond to service development.
• Travel across County Durham and Darlington as required.

Skills

Teamwork in multidisciplinary settings

Leadership in psychology

Research & audit

Risk assessment

Clinical governance

Knowledge of mental health legislation

Education

Post-graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical / counselling / forensic psychology (or equivalent)

HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist

Trained in clinical supervision

Trained in care co-ordination

Continuing professional development evidence

Supervised practice in an evidence-based psychological model

Job description

Go back Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Applied Psychologist/Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist

The closing date is 18 October 2026

This post may be appointed either as a Band 7 preceptorship, with progression towards a Band 8a role, or directly at Band 8a, depending on the successful candidate's skills and experience. Duties and responsibilities will be adjusted accordingly. This is a permanent post within the North base of the Durham and Darlington CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service, located at Stanley Primary Care Centre. The post is available on a full-time basis, although part-time working arrangements will be considered.

You will join a multidisciplinary team comprising nurses, support workers, associate practitioners, speech and language therapists, applied psychologists and assistant psychologists. The service also provides placements for trainee clinical psychologists.

Main duties of the job

The Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service assesses children and young people where there are questions about a possible neurodevelopmental condition, including, but not limited to, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We are seeking a psychologist with a specialist interest and relevant clinical experience in neurodevelopmental assessment. The post holder will contribute to assessment, formulation and diagnostic decision-making for school-aged children and young people where autism and/or attentional difficulties are being considered. They will work as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes applied psychologists, consultant psychiatrists, nurses and speech and language therapists.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care—our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job responsibilities

Applicants must demonstrate relevant experience of, and a clear interest in, working with children and young people with autism and attentional difficulties. They must have a sound working knowledge of the diagnostic assessment processes for autism and ADHD, including an awareness of relevant differential diagnoses. Experience of administering a range of standardised assessments is required; experience of specialist neurodevelopmental assessment tools is desirable. Applicants should be experienced in contributing to complex formulation and, depending on experience and banding, leading this work, as well as providing comprehensive feedback to families and other agencies involved in the child or young persons care. The post holder must also have the skills and experience required to provide supervision, contribute to service evaluation and respond effectively to service development and organisational change. Travel to venues across County Durham and Darlington will be required.

We welcome applications from staff who are currently coming to the end of their training in Clinical or counselling psychology that on successful completion will achieve the required qualification and registration with HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist. Trainee counselling psychologists are eligible to apply for and to be shortlisted for interview and to be offered qualified posts when they are in their 3rd year of the doctoral training and have the following confirmed as completed by the university. This information may be requested prior to interview: a. All clinical competencies. b. 80% of the 450 supervised clinical practice hours (360 hours)

Trainee clinical psychologists are eligible to apply for and to be shortlisted for interview and to be offered qualified posts when they are in their third year of training, as they will have completed their core clinical competencies by this stage of the course.

Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academys Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of the role and ensure that you meet the required criteria before applying.

This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. However, sponsorship can only be provided where applicants meet the specific requirements, therefore, we recommend that you assess your eligibility before applying for this position.

Person Specification

Qualification

• Post-graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical / counselling / forensic psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Trained in clinical supervision (within agreed timescale)
• Trained in care co-ordination (within agreed timescale) Evidence of continuing professional development
• Post-graduate qualification showing evidence of supervised practice in an evidence-based psychological therapeutic model

Knowledge

• Working with mental health/learning disability clients (depending on designated service area)
• Multi-disciplinary team working
• Experience of research and audit
• Doctoral level knowledge of: o Evidence- based practice relevant to the role
• Risk assessment and risk management
• Clinical governance
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Audit and research methodology
• Social Inclusion agenda

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.

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust