MHST Clinical Psychologist

Hpft; Watford; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Hertfordshire NHS Partnership Trust is seeking a Band 7 Clinical Psychologist for the MHST South team. The post focuses on consolidating specialist skills while developing into a senior clinician, across bases in 3Rivers, Hertsmere and Watford.

The role involves supervising Education Mental Health Practitioners and providing psychological leadership within a multi‑disciplinary school Mental Health Support Team to support children and families.

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology or approved equivalent.
• Postgraduate supervision certification or willingness to complete supervision training.
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as Clinical Psychologist.
• Experience with children/adolescents in mental health settings.

Responsibilities

• Triage and provide psychological assessment and interventions for children and young people in educational settings.
• Supervise EMHPs, Senior Wellbeing Practitioners, Senior Practitioners and assistant psychologists in the team.
• Undertake risk assessments and contribute to safeguarding protocols.
• Provide consultation to teachers and family workers on mental health issues in schools.
• Deliver educational workshops, assemblies and PSHE to promote emotional wellbeing.

Skills

CBT-informed practice

Clinical assessment

Supervision ability

Interprofessional collaboration

Education

Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology

Postgraduate Certification in Supervision

HCPC registration (Clinical Psychologist)

Job description

Site MHST South - Peace Children's Centre Town Watford Salary £51,657 - £58,785 per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS) Salary period Yearly Closing 08/10/2026 23:59

Values Based Screener

At Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust we are looking for people to join us who share our values and those of the NHS. Before your application can be considered please take part on our online values questionnaire, which you can find below. When you have finished you will be sent a 'completion code' by email, which will be valid for 6 months and required to submit your application form.

Band 7 - Clinical Psychologist (MHST South)

This is an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Psychologist to join HPFT MHST South team. The post is designed for a psychologist who is ready to consolidate specialist skills while developing into a senior clinician.

The role will operate across MHST South including bases in 3Rivers, Hertsmere and Watford. The post holder will be expected to work from all locations in line with clinical need, team arrangements and service priorities.

The MHST South Clinical Psychologist will be expected to work as a member of the multi-disciplinary school's Mental Health Support Team (MHST); assisting in the provision of a high quality service to children, young people and their families experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties. The role requires skills in assessing, planning, organising, reviewing and supervision.

The post holder should have completed or willing to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Supervision course. This can be an EMHP supervision course, low intensity supervision course, or CYP-PT Supervision course.

The post holder willutilisetheir skills and knowledge of CBTinformed interventionsand child and adolescent mental health practice,tosupervise the Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs), Senior Wellbeing Practitioners (SWPs), Senior Practitioners, and assistant psychologists in the team.

Main duties of the job

• To triage and provide psychological assessment and interventions for children and young people in an educational setting
• If not already completed, the post holder will be expected to attend university to complete a Postgraduate Certification in Supervision
• Undertake and record accurate assessments of risk and operate clear risk management processes in line with locally agreed procedures including the safeguarding protocols of the educational setting and HPFT Safeguarding policy.

To provide specialist expertise and psychological support to clients, their carers and staff working with the clients

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management

To provide consultation asrequiredto other professionals (such as teachers and family workers) around mental health issues in children and young people inschools.

To enhance emotional wellbeing and to promote or build resilience in children and young people through educational workshops, assemblies, and PSHE lessons.

Working for our organisation

Hertfordshire NHS Partnership Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. E verything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role please refer to the job description and person specification documents attached.

Person specification

Knowledge/Training/Experience

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology or approved equivalent.
• Training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice including CBT
• Post registration experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment with clients with a range of psychological needs
• Registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Experience and Knowledge

• Assessed experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children/adolescents with a wide range of presentations of varying severity. This would usually include at least 2 years post qualification experience, or other evidenced experience.
• Experience of working with mild to moderate mental health problems with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course with 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
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Abilities to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Good general knowledge of the literature and research concerning mental health interventions with children, particularly the clinical effectiveness of such interventions
• Knowledge of Child Protection Procedures
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client’s psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
• Good presentation and teaching skills and ability to use multi -media materials for formal presentations to large groups
• Experience of working within a multi -cultural framework
• Already completed or willing to complete a postgraduate certificate in supervision; either a low intensity supervision course or Psychological Therapies supervision course
• Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc
• Experience of having published in either peer reviewed academic or professional journals and/or books

Communication Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to communicate 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
• Ability to work therapeutically with young people and their families
• Ability to work as a fully participating member of a multi-disciplinary team and the ability to respect and value other members contributions
• Positive problem solving approach

Physical Skills

• Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)
• IT skills; include use of Microsoft Office and Outlook

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.