Senior Psychologist (Help When You Need It)

Second Step; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 63,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Development opportunities

Flexible environment

Job summary

Second Step seeks a Senior Psychologist to lead PAT-informed practice within HWYNI and shape the culture of the team to support clients and staff to thrive. The role blends clinical leadership with system-wide change and the delivery of innovative approaches to mental health needs.

Based in Bristol with hybrid working, you will apply trauma-informed expertise and autonomous working style in NHS/VCSE settings to promote better outcomes and sustainable recovery journeys.

Qualifications

• HCPC-registered or eligible Practitioner Psychologist.
• Experience in trauma-informed principles and organisational transformation.
• Experience in NHS/VCSE mental health settings with adult clients.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver staff support initiatives (reflective practice, formulation, training, supervision).
• Lead PAT-informed practice to shape team culture and support clients and staff to thrive.
• Carry out evaluation and audit to inform service improvements.

Skills

Counselling psychologist

Trauma-informed practice

System change

Staff development

Evaluation and audit

Education

Clinical psychology doctoral qualification

Job description

Are you a values-driven, innovative psychologist, passionate about improving the lived experience of people using services and staff, aspiring to promote positive system change? If so, taking your next career step at Second Step, could be the right move for you.

Second Step is a leading mental health charity in the South-West offering housing, support and hope to thousands of people with mental health and other needs. We promote wellbeing by supporting people and communities to build brighter futures. We value relationships and making sense of what has happened to those accessing our services, rather than labelling what is wrong with them.

Second Step have been delivering the HWYNI service across Bristol since 2024. After a successful recommissioning process, from 1st October 2026, Second Step joined in partnership with Rethink to deliver the Help When You Need It service with additional components to support inclusion and psychological, adversity and trauma (PAT) informed practice to enhance both client and staff experience and outcomes. This new senior psychologist role within the service is fundamental to achieve our ambitions. Together, we will provide practical goal-focused support for adults with mental health needs and their carers, helping people access the right support at the right time, building on their strengths, allowing them to achieve goals and more sustainable recovery journeys.

Senior Psychologist

Salary: £57,008 pro-rata per annum

Job Type: Permanent. Part time 0.4 FTE -0.6FTE (2-3 days) to be agreed at interview

Location: Office base Bristol – working from home/travel to offices across Second Step.

This is a unique opportunity for a self-motivated, forward-thinking psychologist to be responsible for introducing a PAT approach to HWYNI to shape the culture of the team and support clients and staff to thrive.

What we’re looking for:

• Clinical of Counselling Psychologist with applied doctorate or equivalent post-graduate qualification enabling registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• A passionate advocate for system change, with a deep understanding and interest in trauma-informed principles and organisational transformation.
• Someone able to work autonomously, with experience working in various NHS or VCSE mental health settings with clients with a range of adult mental health presentations, histories of trauma and multiple disadvantage .
• Comprehensive formulation skills, commitment to community psychology and using psychology innovatively.
• Developing and delivering psychologically informed staff support and development initiatives (reflective practice, formulation, training, supervision) to enhance quality practice.
• Experience of evaluation and audit

What we offer:

• Investment in your professional development, including training and robust supervision.
• A flexible, supportive, and innovative environment where your ideas and leadership will be valued to drive cultural change

If you thrive in a new, developmental role, are adaptable, and have the tenacity to influence system-wide change, we’d love to hear from you.

Closing date: 1st November 2026

Interview dates(s): 13th November 2026

Second Step is committed to Equal Opportunities and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community and from people who have personal experience of using mental health services. Unfortunately, Second Step is unable to sponsor applicants from outside the UK.