Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Transformation Unit; Uckfield; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Part time

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Senior Practitioner Psychologist (Band 8a) to cover a fixed-term/secondment role at Millwood, Uckfield. The post involves specialist assessments, formulations, and delivering evidence-based therapy for older adults.

The role offers flexible working options and a supportive CPD framework, with opportunities to develop within a multidisciplinary team and contribute to service development.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology approved by HCPC.
• Experience in highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment.
• Knowledge of two or more distinct psychological therapies.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality psychological assessments and formulations for older adults.
• Develop intervention plans and deliver evidence-based therapy.
• Supervise junior staff and contribute to training.
• Collaborate within a multidisciplinary team.

Education

Doctoral-level training in psychology

Job description

Main area Mental Health Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 1 year (Fixed until October 2027) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week Job ref 354-AE-21327

Employer Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Millwood, Uckfield Community Hospital Town Uckfield Salary £57,528 - £64,750 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 13/09/2026 23:59

Senior Practitioner Psychologist

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Come and join us

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.

Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page .

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Job overview

A fantastic fixed-term or secondment opportunity (until February 2028) has arisen for a Practitioner Psychologist experienced in working with older people, or wanting to gain experience, to provide cover to our Specialist Older Adult Mental Health Service (SOAMHS) based at Millwood ( Framfield Rd, Uckfield, East Sussex). This is to cover the current post holder undertaking a secondment.

Our Service provides specialist mental health care and interventions to older people who are struggling to live to their potential due to their mental health, for example difficulties with anxiety, depression, complex emotional needs or psychosis, as well as care for people with dementia. Because distress will often impact on the wider system, our support extends to families and carers.

Although this is a Senior Practitioner Psychologist role, we will consider psychologists with appropriate experience for Band 7 and adapt the role as necessary (Band 7 JD and PS also included). We can also consider flexible working, job shares and secondments.

Main duties of the job

Within this post you will have several responsibilities: Working directly with clients providing psychological and neuropsychological assessments; providing psychological formulations and developing intervention plans; and offering evidence based psychological therapy for complex mental health conditions to the person and families. Equally important in this role is experience in multidisciplinary team working . You will be supporting psychological practice within the wider team through consultation, formulation, supervision, teaching, reflective practice, and training. You will provide advice and consultation to the multi-disciplinary team and other mental health and physical health professionals. We are looking forsomeone who has the ability to work autonomously within the context of a busy multi-disciplinary team.

Older adult services are changing in line with the national Transformation model. You will have an opportunity to contribute to and support developments to improve access to psychological therapies for older people with severe mental health problems.

Working for our organisation

You will be based within a friendly multidisciplinary team consisting of community mental health nurses, MHWPs, psychiatrists and occupational therapists. The team has strong links with the Salomon's, University of Canterbury, Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology and regularly hosts Salomon's Clinical Psychology Trainees. You will have a close relationship with the working age psychology team within the local NMHT, and the wider psychological professions within SOAMHS, providing a cohesive and supportive network. There is a valued programme of CPD, peer supervision and reflective practice for psychology staff. You will receive high standards of clinical and professional supervision from the East Sussex Professional Lead for Older Adult Psychology, who is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, as well as peer-group and modality-specific supervision where appropriate. Current supervision groups include neuropsychology, CBT and family therapy.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a Senior Practitioner Psychologist, you will provide high-quality psychological assessments, interventions and consultation services for older people, their families and staff, drawing on significant experience and possible post-registration training. You will develop specialist expertise tailored to the service's needs, which include adaptation of therapeutic models to the needs of older people. Models commonly used include ACT, CFT, CBT, and FI, and adaptation of specific interventions (e.g. CBTP, SCM) to the needs of older people.

You will contribute to the delivery of evidence-based psychological care within a multidisciplinary team, ensuring the psychological needs of clients are met effectively and in accordance with the highest standards of practice. You will also have a key role in the supervision of more junior staff, such as assistant psychologists, trainees, and Mental Health and Wellbeing Practioner’s (MHWP’s) while also contributing to service development and research.

Please see Job Description and Person Specification for details.

We are happy to speak ab out the role, so for more information please contact Dr Lewis Hackett, Consultant Clinical Psychologist ([e-mail]).

Person specification

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology

Knowledge/Experience

• Experience in highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment across outpatient, community, primary care, and inpatient settings.
• Post-qualification experience as a practitioner psychologist with approximately 50 hours of clinical supervision
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, design and complex data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of applied psychology
• Experience working with diverse client groups across the lifespan, addressing a wide range of clinical severities, and maintaining a high degree of professionalism in challenging situations.
• Skilled in teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of applying psychology in different cultural contexts and working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
• Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service
• Knowledge of relevant national and local guidance, legislation, and mental health frameworks.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)
• High-level proficiency in at least two specialised psychological therapies and neuropsychology, with continued practice or training post-qualification.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.

Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.

SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.

If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.

In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.