Highly Specialised Psychologist

NHS; Newport; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Highly Specialised Psychologist to join a skilled Psychological Services team. The ideal candidate will have expertise in adult mental health and experience with complex cases, providing both individual and group therapy. This role involves multidisciplinary collaboration, assessment, and treatment planning, offering an opportunity for career development within a supportive environment. The position is for 4 days a week, emphasizing flexible working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Doctoral-level training in clinical psychology with expertise in assessment and therapy.
• Experience in complex settings, including community and inpatient.
• Commitment to recovery-oriented practice and effective communication.

Responsibilities

• Provide autonomous specialist psychological assessments and treatments.
• Plan and prioritize clinical workload based on complex data.
• Supervise and train other clinical professionals.

Skills

Complex psychological assessment

Treatment of complex cases

Communication skills

Ability to work flexibly within a multidisciplinary team

Education

DClinPsy or DCounsPsy

HCPC Registration or BABCP registration

Job description

Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialised Psychologist

The closing date is 14 December 2025

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced clinician who has experience and expertise working with complex cases within the area of adult mental health, to join an established, skilled Psychological Services team. Applications are invited for a Band 8a Principal Psychologist working 4 days a week (0.8 w.t.e). We will also consider applicants who are looking for a Band 7 post, with potential for preceptorship to Band 8a. We are dedicated to delivering high quality, evidence-based interventions. We pride ourselves on contributing to the development and implementation of innovative interventions. The range of psychologically focused therapies we deliver include DBT, CBT, ACT, MBCT, CAT, CFT and EMDR. You will join a psychologically minded multidisciplinary team. As a team, we are committed to working with and supporting the wider team to develop and implement their psychological skills. You will need to be keen to work flexibly within an MDT, and have well developed interpersonal skills. The post holder will be supervised and managed by a senior clinical psychologist and will be based in the Andover Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). We would like the post holder to provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy individually and through group programmes as well as offering advice, consultation and training to staff in the team. Evaluation of interventions and the impact of the service in terms of benefit to clients is an important component of what we strive to do.

Main duties of the job

To work as an autonomous, independent practitioner responsible for own work and intervention and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and policies in providing a highly specialist Psychology service. To undertake complex assessments and consultancy, providing expert advice to Psychological Services colleagues and the wider clinical multi-professional team. To provide specialist treatment for complex cases and plan and prioritise own clinical workload; To comment and propose change to policy or service development within the area psychological service. To provide specialist supervision for trainee psychologists and to provide psychological guidance and supervision for multidisciplinary clinical colleagues.

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team 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 semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy. Where appropriate providing the role of lead professional and all duties this entails.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• DClinPsy or DCounsPsy including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS. HCPC Registration or BABCP registration
• Pre & or post-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• BABCP registration

Experience

• In depth experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings. In depth experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse. Demonstrate further specialist training or experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as an applied psychologist. Experience of working within a Community Mental Health Team within the NHS.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts

Additional Criteria

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups. Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology. Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour. Demonstrate an understanding of, and a commitment to the principles of recovery, choice and personalisation. Full driving licence and access to vehicle for work purposes

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.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust