Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Slough; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity for a Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join the Berkshire NHS framework, focusing on providing comprehensive mental health care to children and young people. The role includes assessment, therapeutic intervention, and supervision responsibilities within a multidisciplinary team context, offering attractive benefits and professional growth opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days’ annual leave

Excellent learning and career development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Access to wellness tools

Staff discounts

Generous leave policies

Free parking

Qualifications

• Experience of working in CAMHS.
• Ability to manage a complex caseload autonomously.
• Registered Clinical Psychologist.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive assessments and interventions for young people.
• Supervise junior colleagues and provide training.
• Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Assessment skills

Therapeutic interventions

Team collaboration

Education

Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology

Registered with the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC)

Job description

Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Band 8a

Main area CAMHS East Specialist Community Team Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 371-CFS517

Site CAMHS East Specialist Community Team, Upton Hospital Town Slough Salary £55,877 - £62,626 per annum ( Incl of HCAS) Salary period Yearly Closing 29/06/2025 23:59 Interview date 08/07/2025

Interview will be held on 8th July 2025

An excellent opportunity has become available for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join the Berkshire CAMHS East Specialist Community Team (SCT) covering Bracknell, Slough and RBWM localities . This role is full time ( 37 .50 hours ) and substantive contract .

The Specialist Community Teams provide assessment, therapeutic interventions, and care coordination for children and young people who are experiencing moderate to severe complex mental health difficulties. We work as a close and supportive multidisciplinary team and in partnership with other CAMHS teams and external agencies to provide high quality and holistic mental health care to young people.

The post will involve joining a team of clinicians within our East Specialist Community Team to provide assessments, care-coordination, and evidence-based psychological interventions to young people and their families. As a senior member of the team, the post-holder will support the clinical leadership of the team and will be responsible for supervising junior colleagues, as appropriate . Clinical supervision will be provided as well as support for continuing professional development.

Main duties of the job

Provide comprehensive assessments and therapeutic interventions to young people and their families, as appropriate

Provide care co-ordination for young people open to the service

Independently manage an appropriately sized caseload

Offer supervision and training to junior colleagues and other agencies as appropriate

Work with colleagues to support the clinical leadership of the team

Work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and within a multiagency system

Work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice

Contribute to audit, service development and research, as appropriate

Maintain own continuing professional development and contribute to team professional development initiatives

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• 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

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

Experience of working in CAMHS

The ability to manage a complex caseload of patients autonomously.

Car driver with ability and readiness to travel to multiple sites.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed .

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Bharti Kumar on email: [e-mail] who’ll be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

• Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas) which provides eligibility for Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Registered and accredited with the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Additional training/ accreditations to reflect post qualification specialism (e.g. Health Psychology, Neuropsychology, BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, EMDR-UK, BPS,).

Continuous Professional Development

• Evidence of post-qualification training and expert knowledge in multiple psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to the service area. Having a robust awareness of the current evidence-base and new developments within the area of specialism
• Training in clinical supervision.

Experience

• Demonstrable post qualification experience working as a qualified psychologist offering evidence-based therapies for those with PTSD.
• Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a range of settings. Also having the ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation and complex family dynamics.
• Experience of delivering interventions across different modalities (e.g. individual, group and systemic-based approaches).
• Experience of working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environments.
• Experience of providing specialist advice and consultation to MDT and multi-agency colleagues to support the psychological care of service users.
• Experience of supervision (including of psychology roles) and ability to offer effective supervision to junior staff.
• Experience of developing and delivering teaching to a range of staff groups
• Experience of service development and carrying out clinical audit, evaluative research and applying the findings.
• Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions.
• Experience of working with and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to service.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of highly specialised psychological/neuropsychological or psychotherapeutic assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the service area.
• Knowledge of evidence base, research, policy and legislation in relation to the service area
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills enabling the sensitive communication of complex, technical and/or sensitive information to multiple stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement.
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system.
• Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, One Consultation and the Internet).

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel across sites in Berkshire and beyond as required
• Able to work flexibly as required and to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position

These are the values that we live by atBerkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement .

No agencies, please.

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.