Band 6 Specialist Psychological Practitioner - Ardenleigh

Integrated Care System; Gravelly Hill; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional mental health provider in Gravelly Hill seeks a Specialist Psychological Practitioner for a 2-year pilot program supporting women transitioning from secure care to community settings. This role requires a degree in Psychology or related field, training in psychological therapies, and experience with complex emotional issues. Responsibilities include direct psychological support, evaluating interventions, and contributing to service innovations. Salary ranges from £38,682 to £46,580 per annum, pro rata.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent level in Education, Social Work, or Psychology.
• Completed relevant training in psychological therapy.
• Registered with appropriate professional body.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological support for service users transitioning to community integration.
• Conduct individual and group psychological interventions.
• Evaluate interventions and contribute to service innovation.

Skills

Reflective practice

Understanding of group dynamics

Cultural competency

Education

Degree in Psychology or relevant field

Accredited psychological therapy training

Job description

Go back Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Band 6 Specialist Psychological Practitioner - Ardenleigh

The closing date is 18 August 2025

Band 6 Specialist Psychological Practitioner (2-year fixed term position)

An exciting job opportunity has arisen to recruit a Specialist Psychological Practitioner to support the delivery of a 2-year pilot, community step-down accommodation for women being discharged from secure care. This pilot aims to extend the inpatient treatment model into a community residential setting to promote recovery beyond discharge. The role will provide opportunities for both inpatient and community work, and to be involved in service innovation.

Clinically the role will involve working with women presenting with complex trauma, personality disorder and mental illness, both directly through the provision of specialist psychological interventions and indirectly through supervision, reflective practice, consultation and training. The successful candidate will work alongside MDT colleagues sharing psychological knowledge and consistently improving the psychological mindedness of services along the pathway. There will be lots of opportunities for collaborative working with service users and staff, as well as involvement in service innovation and improvement. In relation to the pilot step-down accommodation, you would contribute significantly to the development of the psychological pathway and evaluation of this. Working across both the rehabilitation ward and the step-down accommodation, the post holder will have the opportunity to develop strong therapeutic relationships with services users.

Main duties of the job

The role will involve working within the WSBS at Ardenleigh and at our step-down accommodation at Balsall Heath and there will be an expectation to travel between sites. You will work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team under the supervision of a registered clinical/forensic psychologist. In your role you will provide psychological support for service users transitioning from inpatient care to community integration. The post holder will support the direct assessment, formulation, and delivery of a range of individual and group interventions addressing emotional, behavioural, and relational factors to improve service user' recovery and wellbeing. Central to the role is working with the wider MDT, to support psychological understanding of a person's difficulties, which will involve providing training and supervision, as well as conducting evaluations of interventions.

We are looking for people from a range of diverse backgrounds with an interest in working with, supporting, and enhancing the lives of people who have experienced adverse life experiences, including trauma and neglect, and have a history of offending behaviour. This post is best suited to a professional with a background in teaching, counselling, social work, family work or nursing, who has some prior training and experience of delivering psychological interventions. Prior experience of providing support or supervision to a staff group would also be desirable.

About us

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Job responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent level of training/education in Education (PGCE or equivalent), Social Work, Counselling, Psychology, Psychotherapy, RMN, Occupational Therapy, Art Therapy, with significant years professional practice.
• Completed relevant training course in accredited psychological therapy (i.e. CBT, CAT, DBT or Art Psychotherapy) or relevant to discipline and practice
• Registered with professional body or regulatory body as appropriate to psychological therapy discipline i.e.HCPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/NMC/BASW

Skills

• Ability to reflect on clinical practice/intervention.
• Understanding the needs and demands of working with clients with complex developmental and social backgrounds
• Receptivity to understanding of group dynamics and processes
• Ability to work with people with ethnic minority and cultural diverse backgrounds

Personal

• Ability to manage own anxiety and the anxiety of others, and able to work under pressure using effective problem solving skills

Experience

• Experience in delivering individual psychological interventions
• Experience in delivering group psychological interventions
• Experience of working with individuals with complex emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Recent experience in a mental health or equivalent setting

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.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a yearper annum, pro rata