Practitioner Psychologist/ Highly Specialist Practitioner Psychologist

Transformation Unit; Pontypridd; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Leading pension

Generous leave

Flexible work

Career development

Learning opportunities

Job summary

CTM University Health Board in Pontypridd invites applications for a Practitioner/ Highly Specialist Practitioner Psychologist (Band 7/8a) in the Children and Young People’s CAMHS service. This is a 12-month fixed term/secondment post, full-time 37.5 hours per week, within an expanding regional CAMHS team.

The successful candidate will deliver specialist assessment, formulation and intervention for children and families, lead MDT work, and contribute to service development and training across

Qualifications

• Honours degree in Psychology, eligible for graduate membership of the BPS.
• Doctoral level qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, accredited by BPS.
• Current HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Knowledge of complex data analysis and research methods.
• Experience in supervision of psychologists and therapists.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children, young people and families with moderate to severe distress.
• Display leadership in service development, deliver specialist therapies, supervision, and teaching to MDTs and partners.
• Contribute to multiagency collaboration and provide clinical governance within CAMHS.

Skills

Welsh speaking

Communication skills

Leadership

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Teaching/training

Clinical governance

Travel between sites

Education

Honours degree in Psychology

Doctoral level qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology

HCPC registration

Job description

Main area Children and Young People's Community Mental Health Services Grade Band 7/8a Contract 12 months (fixed term/secondment for 12 months due to service needs) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday) Job ref 110-PST041-1126

Employer Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Employer type NHS Site Tonteg Hospital Town Pontypridd Salary £50,129 - £65,723 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 25/11/2026 23:59

Practitioner Psychologist/ Highly Specialist Practitioner Psychologist

Band 7/8a

Thank you for your interest in joining Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM) University Health Board.

Located in the heart of South Wales, we’re central to Cardiff, Newport, and Swansea. Deeply rooted in our community, as an NHS organisation we are dedicated to providing compassionate patient care and building healthier communities together.

At CTM, you’ll be part of a supportive, inclusive team from diverse nations, cultures, and backgrounds. Every role counts, every person matters, and together, we’re creating a space where everyone can thrive.

Discover more about working with us here:

As we continue to expand and develop our Children and Young Person’s Community Mental Health Service, we are pleased to be able to offer this post working into the regional CAMHS service. We are looking for an energetic and motivated practitioner to join our friendly, dedicated and growing group of psychology and psychotherapy professionals within CTM UHB and to work within a team who are passionate about working collaboratively with children, young people and families in the support and care they receive.

We would also welcome applications from soon to be or newly qualified clinical psychologists looking to progress to a senior clinical psychology role. In this circumstance, the successful candidate would be appointed into a development post at Band 7 where a development plan will be agreed to identify and achieve the specific competencies that will be required to progress to Band 8a.

This post is a fixed term/secondment for 12 months to meet the needs of the service. If you are interested in applying for the secondment position, you must obtain permission from your current line manager prior to applying for this post.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children, young people and families where there are moderate to severe levels of psychological distress. In the delivery of interventions required it will be important to hold a strong psychological voice within multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and to assist and develop the thinking around complex children and young people accessing the CAMHS service across the region.

The post holder will be expected to take opportunities to display leadership in relation to service development initiatives in addition to the delivery of specialist psychological therapies, provision of clinical supervision, complex case discussion, specialist consultation and teaching to other members of the MDTs, to multiagency colleagues and to other psychology professionals as required.

Working for our organisation

Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM) University Health Board, part of NHS Wales, serves a large population across a diverse and beautiful region, steeped in history and heritage. With nearly 13,500 staff, our health board is one of Wales’s largest employers.

Together, we are Team CTM; a workforce dedicated to offering excellent patient care and support to the 450,000 people across our three regions, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf. We operate three District General hospitals, several community hospitals, primary and community care facilities.

CTM’s location offers the best of South Wales, just 20 minutes from Cardiff’s vibrant city life, the natural beauty of the Brecon Beacons, and the serene coastline at Ogmore. Whether you enjoy lively urban amenities, peaceful countryside, or seaside escapes, our location makes an ideal setting for both work and personal life.

Our CTM 2030 Strategy—Our Health, Our Future—focuses on uniting our region around shared health and wellbeing goals. Our values guide us daily:

• We listen, learn, and improve
• We treat everyone with respect
• We work together as one team

CTM employees enjoy benefits including; a leading pension, generous leave, flexible work, career growth, and access to ongoing learning and development.

At CTM, you’ll find a welcoming, team-oriented workplace that values diversity and compassion, where you can take pride in your work and the difference it makes.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents.

This post is advertised as Welsh Desirable. Whilst the candidate doesn't need to have skills in Welsh, we'll consider it an advantage when short‑list‑ing and selecting candidates. This isn’t ‘fluency’, just Speaking & Listening skills at Level 3 (equivalent to CEFR B2) or above. Level 3 means being able to communicate in Welsh during routine clinical situations, such as welcoming patients, discussing straightforward aspects of their care and answering routine questions. If you’re comfortable holding everyday conversations in Welsh, we encourage you to apply. Your Welsh language skills will help us provide person‑centred care and enable patients to receive services in their language of choice. Have a look at our ‘Croeso Candidate’ booklet below for more information.

Person specification

Qualifictions and/or knowledge

• Honours degree in Psychology, giving eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
• Professional qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology at doctoral level (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
• Current HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in working children with mental health conditions / experiencing psychological distress.
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and young people and mental health.
• Strong ability to formulate using a developmental, contextual and systemic model, and having a strong appreciation of attachment and trauma upon development & presentation.

Experience

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Experience of working in multi-professional teams.
• Experience of supervising Psychologists and Psychological Therapists from other professions (e.g. nursing, occupational therapy)

Values

• Is enthusiastic, self‑motivated and able to work independently.
• Recognition of the need to communicate well with children & young people and families and also as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Respect, sensitivity and inclusivity to aspects of difference such as race, ethnicity, gender, ability and class.
• Committed to children’s rights and especially, to hearing children & young people’s voices and working in collaboration with them.

Skills / Abilities

• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Demonstrates good interpersonal skills.
• 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.
• Able to travel around the Health Board in a timely manner
• 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 children and young people, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Welsh Speaking & Listening skills at Level 3 (equivalent to CEFR B2) or above

Equality and Diversity: We welcome applications from all protected groups under the Equality Act 2010. This includes, but is not limited to, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race/nationality, religion/belief, disability, pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnership, as well as those from the Armed Forces community.

Sponsorship: Applicants who are not UK or Republic of Ireland nationals will require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa unless they already hold permission to work via another route. Prospective applicants should self‑assess their eligibility for sponsorship by visiting the UK Government’s Work in the UK guidance .

Use of AI: We review applications against role‑specific criteria. Whilst AI tools can be helpful, applications that rely heavily on AI‑generated or generic content may not provide the necessary detail, which may reduce the chances of being shortlisted. To give your application the best chance, please ensure the information you provide is both accurate and authentic, and tailor your examples to the criteria in the Person Specification.

Correspondence: Please check your email regularly, as all recruitment correspondence will be sent to the address on your application. Applications are accepted in Welsh or English with no preference.

Additional information: We reserve the right to close a vacancy early or withdraw an advertisement to accommodate the redeployment of internal staff into suitable roles. All posts are subject to relevant checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks and, where required, Professional Registration verification.

We are proud to be a living wage employer.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.