Band 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist - Bristol

NHS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Part time

Job description

Job Summary

Our Young Peoples Secure Health and Wellbeing Service is looking to recruit a highly motivated Clinical Psychologist to join the team. You would have the opportunity to work as part of the Wellbeing team that is based in Vinney Green Secure Children's home, under the Leadership and supervision of a Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

You will provide evidence based psychological interventions to children and young people displaying high levels of emotional difficulties to promote recovery and wellbeing, as well as holding your own caseload. You will have the necessary specialist professional skills and knowledge to undertake complex children and young person's clinical risk assessments and to work clinically with the young people and staff teams. This challenging and innovative role will involve providing clinical supervision to team members and working to implement the Secure Stairs approach within and across the Young Peoples Secure Services under the Leadership of the 8c Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

You will be enthusiastic and highly motivated to provide a good quality, evidence based psychological service within a changing environment, with experience of systemic working. You will also work in partnership with other organisations and engage with young people who have complex needs and may have had difficult life experiences, providing a safe environment where they are able to express themselves without fear of judgement or prejudice.

Main Duties of the Job

1. To provide highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy to patients and carers as appropriate to the service.
2. To provide highly specialist advice and consultation on clients' formulation and psychological management to other non-psychologist colleagues.
3. To use highly specialist psychological knowledge and skills to contribute to the more effective management of patients by the various teams in the area and where appropriate outside of the area.
4. To clinically supervise/line manage trainee clinical psychologist, assistant psychologists, CAPs and less experienced psychology staff, and other professionals.
5. To contribute to audit, research, policy and service development within the areas served by the Psychological Therapies Service.
6. To develop and deliver training in psychological therapies for multidisciplinary staff.

About Us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Date Posted: 15 April 2025

Pay Scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8a

Salary: £53,755 to £60,504 a year pro rata

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Part-time

Reference Number: 342-SS054-0425

Job Locations: Vinney Green Secure Childrens Home, Emmersons Green Lane, Bristol, BS16 7AA

Job Responsibilities

1. To provide a high quality and largely autonomous and systematic clinical/counselling psychology service.
2. To undertake highly specialist assessments, including neuropsychological assessment, risk assessment and assessment for suitability for specialist psychological therapies with clients and their carers (as appropriate to the role).
3. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of clients' mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients' problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
4. To be responsible for providing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
5. To provide at least one specialist evidence based psychological intervention as dictated by the needs of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology qualification or equivalent.
• Eligible for Chartered Psychologist status.
• HPC Registered.
• Post qualification and further specialist training in specified specialist intervention.

Desirable

• Supervision Training.

Knowledge

Essential

• Clinical supervision/consultation with other professionals.
• Evidence based therapeutic interventions with client group.
• Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in the specialism. Ability to use this knowledge to think systemically/organizationally.
• Knowledge of relevant Legislation eg MH Act.

Desirable

• Clinical supervision of clinical psychology trainees.

Skills

Essential

• Good communication and liaison skills.
• Empathy/engagement skills with the client group.
• Ability to work effectively and flexibly as an integral member of a team.
• Well organised with good administration skills.

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.

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer Details

Employer Name: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address: Vinney Green Secure Childrens Home, Emmersons Green Lane, Bristol, BS16 7AA

Employer's Website: AWP Careers