Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Are you an experienced Clinical / Counselling Psychologist looking for a new and exciting role within a multi disciplinary team?

Are you someone who enjoys project work and wants the opportunity to be involved in shaping a service?

We are looking for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our Berkshire CAMHS West Specialist Community Team (SCT) and are open to both full and part time applicant.

Our teams provide assessments, 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 to provide assessments, care-coordination, and evidence-based psychological interventions to young people and their families. As a senior member of the team, you will be supporting and supervising less experienced and junior members of the team. You will be supported through regular clinical and management supervision as well as receiving support and guidance through the MDT approach.

The ideal clinician will be thoughtful and reflective, and a team player. We are an experienced team and as a Service we can provide a supportive structure and a safe, working environment with protected and manageable caseloads.

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 where appropriate.

• Independently manage an appropriately sized caseload.

• Use supervision effectively.

• 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 multi agency 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.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential

• For Clinical/Counselling Psychologist: Post graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas)
• Registered as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council
• (Eligibility for) Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Additional training and accreditations (or working towards these) in relevant therapeutic approaches or psychological models to reflect post qualification interests/ specialism (e.g., specific therapy models, Health Psychology, Neuropsychology etc.)
• Clinical supervision training for doctorate psychology trainees (BPS Registered course) and other qualified clinicians

Continuous Professional Development

Essential

• Evidence of post-qualification training and expert knowledge in multiple psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to the post and service area.
• Comprehensive and up to date knowledge of the current evidence-base and developments within the area of specialism
• Training, and where relevant, accreditation in clinical supervision

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable post qualification experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the area of specialism
• Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, 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 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 multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environments
• Experience of providing specialist advice and consultation to multi-disciplinary and multi-agency colleagues to support the psychological care of service users
• Experience of providing effective clinical supervision, mentoring and leadership to junior staff
• Experience of developing and delivering teaching to a range of staff groups
• Experience of carrying out clinical audit, evaluative research and applying the findings
• Experience of service evaluation, quality improvement work and of implementing change from this and 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

Essential

• Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of highly specialised assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the specialist modality and service area
• Up to date knowledge of evidence, theory, 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 both within and outside the NHS
• Well-developed 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 positive relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of the service within 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

Essential

• Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
• Ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position

Closing Date: 20 August 2026