Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

BERKSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; England; Remote; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in England is seeking a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join their Family Safeguarding Service. This role involves working within a multi-disciplinary team to support parental mental health and improve family outcomes. Candidates should possess a post-graduate doctorate in psychology and HCPC registration. The position offers flexible working options, generous leave, and excellent development opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days’ annual leave

Generous NHS pension scheme

Career development opportunities

'Cycle to Work' scheme

Discounts at retailers and restaurants

Free parking

Qualifications

• Experience working across multiple agencies and services.
• Previous team management experience.
• Ability to address parental mental health issues.

Responsibilities

• Work within a multi-disciplinary team to reduce risks to children.
• Provide evidence-based interventions to improve parental mental health.
• Engage and empower parents to improve family functioning.

Skills

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

Systemic Family Therapy

Education

Post-graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology

HCPC registration or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Are you an experienced Clinical/Counselling Psychologist looking for the next step into a Principal role? Are you looking to work within an innovative works with families to support both emotional and mental wellbeing? An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Family Safeguarding Service for a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our team. This service is a collaboration between health services and local authority Children’s Social Care services offering a multiagency initiative allowing us to provide a ‘whole family’ approach to safeguarding children and improve parental mental health. We support adults, who are experiencing difficulties to meet the needs of their children and fulfil requirements of child protection plans. Improving parental mental health, improves family functioning and the outcomes for children, and contributes to the service aims of keeping families together. Flexible working is available, with a combination of home visits, on‑site appointments and remote working.

Responsibilities

• Work as an integral member of a multi-disciplinary team, which includes children’s social workers, domestic abuse and substance misuse specialists, as well as mental health practitioners and clinical psychologists, to reduce risks to children.
• Address the impact on children where parents have mental health difficulties and limited coping strategies, as well as problems arising from domestic abuse, and parental alcohol and substance misuse. This approach engages and empowers parents to make the changes required for better family functioning, more specifically to address parental mental health and improve emotional wellbeing and resilience.
• Provide evidence‑based opinion regarding parental mental health and share this with the MDT through review meetings such as Child in Need reviews and Child Protection Case Conferences.
• Deliver specialist clinical, and support other clinical staff, to clients in assessment and formulation based on relevant theory and research. Provide evidence‑based psychological interventions to improve parental mental health and improve outcomes for the most vulnerable children and their families.
• Interventions are underpinned by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Systemic Family Therapy models. Emotional ‘first aid’ skills are key to supporting clients through periods of crisis, whilst motivational interviewing supports eliciting and maintaining engagement.

Qualifications and Experience

• Post‑graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology
• HCPC registration or equivalent
• Experience working across multiple agencies and services
• Previous team management experience, Disability Confident

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident employers will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job, provided that the overall interview process allows for reasonable adjustments where required.

Benefits

• Flexible working options to support work‑life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites