Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional NHS mental health service is seeking a Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist to join their Forensic Community Service. The successful candidate will provide specialist psychological care to clients facing complex mental health challenges, deliver training and supervision to colleagues, and engage in research and service improvement within a collaborative multidisciplinary team. Ideal applicants will hold HCPC registration and relevant postgraduate qualifications. Strong communication and innovative intervention skills are essential.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist is required.
• Candidates should have postgraduate training in clinical or forensic psychology.
• Proven history of clinical supervision and training in clinical environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist psychological care to clients with complex needs.
• Deliver clinical supervision and training to team members.
• Engage in formal research and supervise doctoral trainees.

Skills

Communication

Adaptation of interventions

Teaching and training

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Complex multiagency working

Clinical governance

Education

HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist

Doctoral level training in psychology

Post doctoral training in specialised areas

Training in clinical supervision

Registration with BPS

Job description

Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist

The closing date is 18 December 2025

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and motivated Highly Specialised Applied Psychologist to join the Forensic Community Service. It is based at Roseberry Park Hospital and works across Teesside, Redcar & Cleveland and Durham & Darlington. The Forensic Community Service (FCS) is a regional service which provides care and treatment for adults (both male and female) who have a history of offending and/or pose a risk to others. Our service users have come into contact with the criminal justice system and have been within the secure in‑patient pathway, and we provide Care Co‑ordination for these patients upon discharge. The team also provides scaffolding and risk advice to other mental health services.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking to appoint a suitably experienced and skilled Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist to join our team. We are seeking a creative and flexible psychological professional to help improve access to psychological therapies, and deliver interventions.

You will be expected to have the necessary skills, training and experience to undertake direct clinical work, offer clinical supervision to others, including a higher assistant psychologist, and consultation. Contribute to service evaluation, as well as manage the demands of service development and change. Candidates should be skilled psychological professionals with excellent interdisciplinary working skills and interested in contributing to the development of an innovative service.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care — our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job responsibilities

Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of highly specialist psychological care to clients with highly complex mental health conditions which may include high levels of distress and/or challenging behaviours. To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families. To provide clinical supervision and training to less experienced colleagues within the designated psychology service and to other members of the multidisciplinary team. To undertake formal research as an integral part of the job and act as field supervisor to doctorate trainees. To be proactive in continual service improvement within own area. To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.

Please refer to the job description for details regarding Main Duties and Responsibilities. Additional contact details: – Leanne Healey, FCS Team Manager. [e-mail].

Person Specification

Qualifications

• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Post‑graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical / counselling / forensic psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
• Post doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
• Trained in clinical supervision and the supervision of doctoral trainees
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Trained in care co‑ordination
• Registration with BPS

Experience

• Working as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
• Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care as a care coordinator within the context of a multidisciplinary team.
• Teaching, training and clinical supervision and field supervisor for doctoral theses.
• Research and development
• Quality and service improvement and evaluation.

Skills

• Communicate highly complex and highly sensitive information effectively, to a wide range of people
• Adapt creatively the evidence base for interventions in mental health for clients with communication difficulties / learning disabilities.
• Provide effective teaching, training and clinical supervision for the multidisciplinary team.
• Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake care co‑ordination/lead practitioner responsibilities
• Undertake complex multiagency working and liaise with multiple systems
• Identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours.
• Utilise appropriate clinical governance mechanisms within own work.

Knowledge

• Evidence- based practice relevant to the role
• Risk assessment and risk management
• Clinical governance
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

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.