Principal Applied Psychologist

NHS; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in Tees Valley is seeking a Principal Applied Psychologist to join their Intensive Support Team. This role involves delivering psychologically informed care and leading transformation work within a multidisciplinary team. Ideal candidates will have significant experience with learning disabilities and autism, alongside strong leadership skills. Continuous professional development opportunities are available in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Continuous professional development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Mentoring and supervision from experienced professionals

Qualifications

• Significant post‑qualification experience, ideally with individuals with a learning disability and autism.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in psychological practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership and supervision within a skilled multi-disciplinary team.
• Deliver high-quality psychological assessments, formulations and interventions.
• Support the development and implementation of psychologically informed care across the Urgent Care Pathway.

Skills

Leadership skills

Supervision skills

Consultation skills

Trauma-informed care

Person-centred care

Education

Post-graduate training in clinical psychology

HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist

Job description

Principal Applied Psychologist

The closing date is 07 December 2025.

We are seeking a Principal Applied Psychologist to join our Intensive Support Team (IST) within the Adult Learning Disability Urgent Care Pathway at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

This is a unique opportunity to shape and deliver psychologically informed care across the Durham and Tees Valley region, supporting individuals with complex needs who require intensive, responsive, and trauma‑informed interventions. The postholder will be a member of the team's leadership team and will focus on leading transformation work within the IST, as well as the development of the role of psychology within this relatively new team. The postholder will also work closely with the Psychology Professions lead for urgent care to identify and implement a psychological model across inpatient services and the IST. The post holder will also be required to provide cover into Bankfields Inpatient Unit when needed.

We would welcome applications from existing Principal Psychologists. We would also encourage applications from experienced Highly Specialist Psychologists looking for a career development opportunity. The successful candidate will receive mentoring and supervision from the Psychological Professions Lead for the Urgent Care Pathway.

The post would suit a compassionate, enthusiastic Psychologist who is looking to develop their clinical and professional leadership skills in the day‑to‑day leadership and governance of the psychological care of patients within the IST.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical leadership and supervision within a skilled multi‑disciplinary team.
• Deliver high‑quality psychological assessments, formulations and interventions.
• Support the development and implementation of psychologically informed care across the Urgent Care Pathway.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement, and workforce development initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with service users, carers, and partner agencies to promote recovery‑focused trauma informed care.
• Support the development of the profession by offering Trainee Clinical Psychology placements, providing academic support to the Doctoral programme and offering clinical supervision to Assistant Psychologists and band 7‑8a psychology staff where needed.

The successful candidate will have:

• Significant post‑qualification experience, ideally with individuals with a learning disability and autism. Some experience within intensive support, urgent care, or crisis settings would also be helpful.
• Strong leadership, supervision, and consultation skills.
• An ability to contribute to the collective clinical leadership of the service and be part of governance and assurance processes.
• A passion for trauma‑informed, person‑centred care.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in psychological practice.

About us

Applicants will be required to have post‑graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical or counselling psychology as accredited by the BPS and be registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC.

Psychologists and Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.

The Trust is a strongly value‑based, person‑centred organisation which has taken a strategic approach to continued service improvement, the modernisation of clinical roles and the introduction of care pathways embedded within a functioning system of governance.

You will be part of an environment where there is a strong emphasis on teamwork and CPD, with continuous access to a range of training opportunities to move your career forward.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Post‑graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology as accredited by the BPS.
• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Post‑doctoral training in one or more specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Training in clinical supervision and supervision of doctoral trainees.Li>
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Training in care coordination.
• Registration with BPS.

Experience

• Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care as a care coordinator and leader of a multidisciplinary team.
• Liaison and joint working with statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies.
• 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 the full range of care settings.
• Teaching, training, clinical supervision and field supervision for doctoral theses.
• Research and development.
• Active participation in quality and service improvement initiatives.
• Project management.

Knowledge

• Doctoral level knowledge of 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 and its implications for clinical practice.
• Audit and research methodology.
• Social inclusion agenda.
• Knowledge of the Trust’s Quality Improvement System.
• Highly developed knowledge and skills in the care of difficult to treat groups such as dual diagnoses, additional disabilities or severely challenging behaviour.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Address

Lancaster House, Lanchester Road Hospital