Clinical Psychologist

A Wilderness Way; Penrith; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Clinical supervision

Training opportunities

Pension scheme

Healthcare benefits

Job summary

Wilderness Way seeks a Clinical Psychologist to provide expert psychological leadership across our residential care, education and outdoor learning settings. You will work with children and young people who have faced adversity and developmental trauma, guiding teams and shaping care plans in line with CARE values.

You will deliver trauma-informed interventions, contribute to multidisciplinary discussions, support governance and outcomes, and supervise and develop staff to strengthen

Qualifications

• Significant experience conducting specialist psychological assessments for children.
• Strong understanding of trauma, attachment and developmental risk.
• Experience in multidisciplinary teams within residential care or education.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological leadership across the organisation.
• Support complex referrals, risk assessment and care planning.
• Embed trauma-responsive practices through training and consultation.
• Contribute to workforce development and clinical governance.
• Collaborate with leaders to enhance therapeutic services.

Skills

Trauma-informed practice

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Clinical assessment

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

HCPC registration

Job description

Transform Lives Through Psychological Leadership

Are you a passionate and experienced Clinical Psychologist looking for an opportunity to make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people?

At Wilderness Way, we're committed to providing exceptional therapeutic care for children who have experienced significant adversity, developmental trauma, attachment difficulties, emotional regulation challenges and complex mental health needs. As we continue to grow and develop our therapeutic services, we're looking for a dedicated Clinical Psychologist to join our innovative multidisciplinary team and play a pivotal role in shaping positive futures.

This is more than a clinical role. It's an opportunity to influence practice across residential care, education, outdoor learning and therapeutic services, helping to create psychologically informed environments where children can heal, grow and thrive.

What You'll Do

As our Clinical Psychologist, you'll provide specialist psychological leadership across the organisation, helping teams understand the experiences, behaviours and needs of the children and young people in our care.

You'll:

• Provide specialist psychological consultation, formulation and clinical guidance to support understanding of children and young people's needs, behaviours and experiences in line with our CARE values.
• Provide clinical input to our Referral Team, supporting complex referrals, risk assessment, formulation and placement suitability decisions.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary discussions, care planning, placement reviews and risk management processes.
• Provide psychological consultation to therapists, residential teams, education and outdoor teams to embed trauma responsive practice.
• Deliver evidence-informed psychological interventions where clinically indicated.
• Support the development of psychologically informed environments through consultation, training and reflective practice.
• Contribute to workforce development through recruitment support, training delivery, coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Support clinical governance processes, including outcome measurement, audit, evaluation and quality improvement.
• Work collaboratively with operational and clinical leaders to further develop and enhance our therapeutic services.
• Support the Clinical Director in the collection, analysis and presentation of clinical outcomes and service development data.
• Act as a responsible contact in the absence of the Clinical Director.

Why Join Wilderness Way?

At Wilderness Way, you'll be joining an organisation that genuinely values therapeutic thinking and invests in creating meaningful outcomes for children and young people. We recognise the impact our clinicians have every day and are committed to supporting your professional development, wellbeing and long-term career growth.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Make a significant impact on the lives of children with complex needs.
• Influence practice across residential, education and outdoor environments.
• Be part of an ambitious and growing therapeutic service.
• Work alongside skilled and passionate multidisciplinary professionals.
• Shape service development and contribute to innovative approaches to care.
• Share your expertise through consultation, training and workforce development.
• Influence organisational learning, quality improvement and clinical governance.
• Continue your professional growth through ongoing development opportunities and external engagement.

In return, we'll invest in you through:

• Regular clinical supervision and professional support.
• Ongoing internal and external training opportunities to support your continued development.
• A dedicated induction and six-month welcome programme designed to help you thrive in your role.
• Clear career progression opportunities within a growing and ambitious organisation.
• Paid compassionate leave from day one.
• Enhanced sick pay, maternity pay and paternity pay.
• Medicash healthcare benefits, including dental and optical cashback and 24/7 GP access.
• Life Assurance worth two times your annual salary.
• Company pension scheme.
• Discounts across gyms, retail, restaurants and a wide range of lifestyle benefits.
• A £1,000 Refer a Friend bonus scheme.
• The opportunity to be part of an organisation where therapeutic practice is at the heart of everything we do.

What We're Looking For

Essential Qualifications

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy or equivalent).
• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Experience of, or a strong interest in, supporting children and young people involved in the Criminal Justice System (CJS), with an understanding of the impact of trauma, risk and offending behaviours on development, wellbeing and engagement.

Desirable Qualifications

• Postgraduate training or experience in child and adolescent mental health, developmental trauma or attachment-focused approaches.
• Additional specialist training in trauma-focused approaches such as EMDR, DDP, CBT, ACT or systemic practice.

Essential Experience & Knowledge

• Significant experience completing specialist psychological assessments for children with complex presentations and providing formulation-based insights that inform multidisciplinary care planning.
• Knowledge of developmental trauma, attachment, emotional regulation and adverse childhood experiences.
• Experience of, or a strong interest in, supporting children and young people involved in the Criminal Justice System (CJS), with an understanding of the impact of trauma, risk and offending behaviours on development, wellbeing, relationships and engagement.
• Experience of multidisciplinary working, safeguarding, risk assessment and supporting psychologically informed practice.
• Experience working within residential childcare or Ofsted-regulated services.
• Experience working across education, care and health systems.
• Experience supervising or developing professionals.

You’ll Also Bring

• Warmth, compassion and the ability to build trusting relationships.
• A reflective and curious approach, with the ability to work confidently with complexity and uncertainty.
• A commitment to relational, strengths-based and trauma responsive practice.
• The ability to influence, inspire and collaborate with others through clinical expertise.
• Resilience, adaptability and enthusiasm for service development.
• Excellent communication, consultation and report-writing skills.
• Strong formulation, analytical and decision-making abilities.

The Difference You'll Make

Through your expertise, you'll help ensure:

• Children and young people receive therapeutic support informed by psychological understanding and trauma responsive practice.
• Teams develop confidence and capability in responding to emotional, relational and behavioural needs.
• Psychological formulations inform consistent care planning, risk management and therapeutic decision-making.
• Therapeutic approaches are embedded across residential, education and outdoor environments.
• Services continue to improve through effective clinical governance, outcome monitoring and quality improvement.

Ready to Be Part of Something Meaningful?

If you're passionate about helping children recover from trauma, building psychologically informed systems of care and influencing meaningful change across services, we'd love to hear from you.

Join Wilderness Way and help transform lives through compassionate, evidence-informed psychological practice.

All roles at Wilderness Way are subject to Safer Recruitment checks, including references, an enhanced DBS, and online/social media screening for successful candidates. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff to share this commitment. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of background, experience, or protected characteristics.