Principal Clinical / Counselling Psychologist

NHS; Tavistock; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a passionate Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist in Tavistock to improve the lives of older people. This part-time role involves delivering psychological assessments and therapies, supervising staff, and leading service development. This position offers flexible working and the chance to innovate within a supportive team. Ideal candidates must possess a DClinPsych or DCounsPsych and be registered with HCPC, with experience in older adult mental health services being advantageous.

Benefits

Support for CPD, supervision, and career development

Innovative workplace culture

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Must be registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
• Experience in older adult mental health services required.
• Further training in clinical specialism preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessment and intervention.
• Deliver evidence-based therapies to older people.
• Support and supervise less experienced staff.

Skills

Excellent verbal communication skills

Leadership qualities

Organizational skills

Ability to manage conflict

IT Skills

Education

DClinPsych or DCounsPsych

Chartered Status in the British Psychological Society

Job description

Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Are you passionate about improving the lives of older people?

We are looking for a skilled and enthusiastic Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join our Tavistock-based Older Peoples Community Mental Health Team. The role is half time (18.75 hours per week).

This is a great opportunity to work at the heart of a multidisciplinary team, delivering specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments, therapeutic interventions, and consultation for older people with complex mental health needs, and cognitive difficulties. You'd also play a key role in supervision and service development.

We offer:

• A supportive team that values psychological perspectives
• Opportunities to innovate and shape services for older people
• Support for CPD, supervision, and career development
• A workplace culture that values kindness and collaboration

Our friendly and active specialty spans community, inpatient, and memory services across Devon Partnership Trust.

Informal discussions are encouraged, please contact Dr Tamsin Fryer, Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

Please note that we will be holding the interviews as soon as possible after the closing date and may close early if sufficient applications are received - so please apply early.

If you're ready to bring your expertise where it truly matters, we'd love to welcome you.

Main duties of the job

The Clinical/Counselling Psychologist provides specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention for older people presenting with complex mental health needs and cognitive impairment, including dementia.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering evidence-based psychological therapies tailored to older people
• Opportunity to conduct neuropsychological assessments and formulations, including in memory clinic
• Contributing to service development and audit
• Promoting psychological thinking across the MDT
• Supporting and supervising a Clinical Associate Psychologist
• Contributing to clinical placements for Trainee Psychologists
• Engaging in peer supervision and service development

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

The principal purpose of the job is to improve thepsychological health & wellbeing of people within the post holdersspecialist field of practice.

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking thefollowing areas of responsibility:

• To ensure the systematic provision of ahigh quality psychological service in specialist field of practice, acrossidentified locality area, as a key component of integrated mental health andwellbeing services across Devon Partnership NHS Trust.
• Providing clinical leadership andsupervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by orattached to the OPMH psychology service.
• Carrying a specialist caseload ofclients, and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.
• To work autonomously withinprofessional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematicgovernance of psychological practice within professionalandTrust guidelines as leadspecialist.
• The post holder with receive regularprofessional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy andProfessional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Societyor appropriate designated Professional Body.
• Observe,and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice includingthe British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fullyregistered with the Health Professions Council as a condition of employment

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Qualified Practitioner Psychologist (DClinPsych or DCounsPsych) and eligible for Chartered Status in the British Psychological Society. Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.

Knowledge and skills

• Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
• Strong leadership qualities, resilience and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty
• Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims
• Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective
• Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
• Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines
• Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
• Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people
• Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy
• IT Skills

Experience

• Further training or experience in clinical specialism
• Further training in related area
• Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology is commonly applied
• Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical/Counselling Psychology
• Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting
• Experience of work in older adult mental health services or agencies and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi disciplinary, multi agency contexts
• Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality
• Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group
• Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment
• Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches

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.

£55,690 to £62,682 a yearpro rata (2.5 days per week)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time,Flexible working,Home or remote working