Senior Practitioner Psychologist

NHS; Horsham; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in Sussex is looking for a Band 8a Psychologist. You will provide specialized psychological assessments and supervision, contributing to high-quality mental health care for clients. Your role includes offering consultation and training, while utilizing research skills for service development.

Qualifications

• Experience across outpatient, community, primary care, and inpatient settings.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology in psychology.
• Experience of applied psychology in multicultural contexts.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Band 7 psychologists and assistant psychologists.
• Conduct specialist psychological assessments for clients.
• Implement high-quality psychological interventions based on evidence-based practice.

Skills

Clinical supervision

Risk assessment

Psychological assessment

Education

Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology

Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC

Job description

Job summary

To work as a member of the clinical service/ team, providing a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to clients, their families or carers. To support psychological practice within the team through consultation, supervision, formulation, leadership and training.

To participate in systematic clinical governance and to offer clinical supervision to assistant, trainee and more junior psychologists and other staff. To utilise research skills for audit, service development and research within the area served by the team/service.

Main duties of the job

To exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the team.

To clinically and/or professionally supervise Band 7 psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists and clinically supervise other staff as appropriate.

To carry out specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the service, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources to reach a psychological formulation.

To undertake risk assessment, formulation and management for individual clients with complex presentations and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment, formulation and management.

To be responsible for implementing a range of high-quality specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams, in line with best, evidence-based practice and trust care pathways.

To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients' formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.

About us

We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex

Working in Sussex:

Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns there's always new experiences to be enjoyed

Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London

With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer operating a no smoking policy.

Details Date posted

06 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

354-CS-21694-A

Job locations

North West Sussex

Horsham

RH12 1RJ

Job description Job responsibilities

For a comprehensive understanding and full details of the responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description document. It contains all the necessary information and should provide you with a clear overview of what is expected.

Job description Job responsibilities

For a comprehensive understanding and full details of the responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description document. It contains all the necessary information and should provide you with a clear overview of what is expected.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• *For forensic psychologists working in forensic settings: Masters degree (with the award of the British Psychological Society qualification in forensic psychology or equivalent).
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC)

Knowledge/Experience Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours).
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service.
• Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• *For forensic psychologists working in forensic settings: Masters degree (with the award of the British Psychological Society qualification in forensic psychology or equivalent).
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC)

Knowledge/Experience Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours).
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service.
• Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

North West Sussex

Horsham

RH12 1RJ

Employer's website

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

North West Sussex

Horsham

RH12 1RJ

Employer's website

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)