Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Adult Psychotherapist

NHS; Colchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join their Transitions Intensive Psychology Service in Colchester. The role involves supporting patients in their transition from in-patient wards to community-based services, focusing on complex psychological assessments and extended treatments. Ideal candidates will have a doctorate in psychology and extensive experience in complex cases, with supervision responsibilities for junior staff.

Benefits

Season Ticket Loans

NHS discounts for staff

Excellent training facilities and opportunities

Buying and selling annual leave scheme

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• At least 2 years post qualification experience with complex difficulties.
• Experience in working with adult in-patient/secondary mental health care populations.
• Hold HCPC registration.

Responsibilities

• Support patients through transition from in-patient to community services.
• Offer extended treatment and complex risk assessments.
• Supervise and train junior staff as necessary.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Therapy skills

Team working

Supervision

Education

Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology

Job description

Go back Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Adult Psychotherapist

The closing date is 03 July 2025

In the Transitions Intensive Psychology Service, North Essex (Colchester & Tendring) we have an exciting post aimed at supporting patients through the often difficult transition from in-patient wards to community based services.

We are looking for a professional with a doctorate in clinical/counselling psychology, or equivalent qualifications in psychotherapy, who is highly experienced at working with people with extremely complex presentations. The role is primarily clinical, focused on working with teams and service users to aid transition out of and help prevent admission to acute psychiatric wards.

You will be involved in shaping and providing a way of managing transitions and offering extended treatment (such as specialist trauma therapies and specialist groups) and complex risk and other assessments to very high frequency service users. Unusually, your individual work will sometimes be long term, following these patients on their journey with the aim of reducing risk and admissions, as well as promoting independence and recovery. Part of your role will be supervision and line-management of more junior members of staff working alongside teams in inpatient and community settings.

Main duties of the job

Our team and this role are part of the Personality Disorder and Complex Needs Pathway as part of the current and ongoing part community services transformation and Urgent and Emergency Care changes in line with the NHS Long-Term Plan. This means your role could evolve in terms of taking more of a managerial and strategic direction, but the mainstay of the role is clinical work.

We actively encourage and support meaningful continuous professional development and we make flexible working work: part time and job-share applications are very much welcome.

NB. We will consider applications from very experienced 8a clinicians who may be interested in the post.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will need to be skilled and experienced in working in the NHS, and alongside multidisciplinary teams with all of the opportunities and challenges which that entails. Strong psychological treatment skills and evidence of short and long term work with complex difficulties are essential. Systemic understanding of team and organisational dynamics or an interest in developing this will be welcomed. Excellent assessment and therapy skills, knowledge of psychometric tools and confidence in making informed professional recommendations on risks and the treatment of service users are essential. Team working ability and skills in training, consultation and supervision and a calm disposition will also be essential.

About us

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment

Join our Staff bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for a detailed list of responsibilities.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology OR Doctorate in Forensic/Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) with extensive evidence of working with in-patient or secondary care, adult mental health, and evidence of work across the age span, and/or documented training in neuropsychological assessment. Has to be registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Training should include models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Doctoral level (or equivalent of) knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Post-doctoral qualifications in DBT/CBT/EMDR or other evidence based models for the treatment of complex cases presentations in the context of very brief interventions.
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in relation to Adult Mental Health speciality

Skills/Experience

• At least 2 years post qualification experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual or group based treatment of clients with complex difficulties
• At least 2 years post qualification experience of working with a variety of client groups of working age with wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
• Extensive evidence of working with adult in-patient or secondary mental health care populations, and evidence of work across the age span, and/or documented training in neuropsychological assessment
• Experience of working with people with acute care needs.
• Post qualification experience and/or formal training in supervision, enabling the post holder to independently supervise trainees/ junior psychologists

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.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust