Clinical Psychologist | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; Widnes; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health care provider in the UK seeks Clinical/Counselling Psychologists to support adults with learning disabilities. Responsibilities include psychological assessment and therapy, and working within multi-disciplinary teams. Candidates should have a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and experience in mental health. This role allows for flexible working arrangements and offers professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive work environment

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Registered clinical psychologist with experience in mental health.
• Ability to work with complex mental health problems.
• Experience in providing staff training on psychological principles.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological assessment and therapy for service users.
• Conduct clinical consultations and evaluations.
• Engage in training and supervision of other staff.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Therapeutic intervention

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Complex data integration

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Job description

Do you have a passion for delivering outstanding care that brings the 6 C's (care, compassion, commitment, courage, communication and competence) to life? If so, we want to hear from you.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our community team across Halton for Clinical/Counselling Psychologists with an interest in supporting adults with learning disability. The post holders will be required to work as part of our established and highly supportive multi‑disciplinary community learning disability health teams. Core clinical functions include assessment, intervention, consultation, clinical team formulation, training, working with and across multi‑disciplinary teams and systems, and supporting our programme of audit and research.

You will be joining an established group of clinical psychologists with a wide range of experience and interests. The post holder will receive clinical and managerial supervision, have links to peer psychological meetings and appropriate training and CPD opportunities and an annual personal development review.

The post-holder will work within our Community Learning Disability Teams (CLDTs) providing appropriate psychological assessment and therapy for service users across the footprint. They will work as an integral part of the clinical MDT to deliver high quality psychological therapies within the specialised area of Learning Disabilities.

The post holder will work to provide assessment, formulation and, where appropriate, intervention to service users who present with complex mental health problems. Delivery of staff training and support for supporting teams/services regarding psychological principles is fundamental to this role.

The post holder will be responsible for the systematic provision of specialist psychological services for people suffering primarily from common and complex mental health problems. In particular, to provide services that meet the agreed service priorities consonant with the practitioner’s experience and expertise. Such services include the development and implementation of specialist psychological assessment and intervention strategies including clinical casework and the provision of consultancy work generally for the assurance of quality in the use of psychological methods by other team members.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

CLINICAL

• Be a member of the service team and contribute to, participate in and adhere to the routines and policies of that service.
• Be responsible for the systematic provision of psychological services at a highly specialist level. Adhere to the organisation of the service particularly with regard to membership of the multidisciplinary teams.
• Provide services based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self‑report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, and interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
• Highly specialist one‑to‑one clinical consultations.
• Highly specialist psychological assessment including issues of risk.
• Psychological interventions for individuals, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining provisional hypotheses.
• Decision making for and evaluating treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based intervention plans.
• Staff consultation contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and intervention plan.
• Staff consultation on the use of psychological techniques.
• Staff supervision in the use of psychological techniques.
• Provide casework for people experiencing severe psychological difficulties, prioritising workload to address the more severe and complex presentations.
• Supply services within the context of existing multi‑professional teamwork and negotiate appropriate professional relationships with both statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Maintain records of service in line with the information needs of the Trust.
• Provide input to health, social care and community‑based services to enable best practice and service user choice in line with local service accessibility.
• Manage frequent exposure to highly distressing and emotional circumstances, maintaining substantial mental effort through intense concentration and attention.

MANAGERIAL

• Support the formulation and implementation of clinical and operational practices and procedures as appropriate.
• Support the implementation, monitoring and updating of an operational policy and philosophy for the clinical area.
• Prioritise workload to ensure that skills are used to address the more severe and complex psychological presentations.
• Ensure awareness of the needs for service development and assist in the planning and advocacy of future service provision.
• Incorporate the principles of clinical governance into service delivery by maintaining a high quality service based on agreed clinical standards.
• Participate in managerial supervision.

EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

• Assist the supervision of other psychologists, psychological therapists, nurses, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, assistant psychologists and trainee clinical psychologists within the service.
• Undertake supervision of other psychologists, psychological therapists, nurses, occupational therapists, and psychiatrists qualified clinical/counselling psychologists, assistant psychologists and graduate mental health workers delegated by the service manager/clinical and strategic lead.
• Prepare for and implement a training placement for a clinical psychology trainee.
• Receive appropriate clinical supervision to ensure quality of professional practice.
• Engage in professional development that meets Continuing Professional Development requirements and supports eligibility for Chartering and licensed practice.
• Have access to up to one session per week (pro rata full time) for pursuing professional development following agreement with service manager/professional lead.
• Provide evidence to support development around the Trust Appraisal system, which may include the KSF or other competency profiles.
• Participate in regular supervision, engage in reflective practice and be committed to continued development.
• Develop own skills and knowledge and contribute to the development of others.

RESEARCH AND AUDIT

• Undertake appropriate service audits and assist the research and development agenda by proposing areas of study appropriate to advancing the nature of psychological work within this service specialty.
• Undertake doctoral research projects with trainee clinical psychologists as required.
• Conduct regular audit and evaluation of the team’s activity by deriving, collecting and analysing appropriate data.
• Undertake and participate in appropriate audit, quality assurance programmes and research as directed.

This advert closes on Monday 17 Nov 2025.