Senior Practitioner Psychologist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

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 for someone 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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• 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

Essential

• 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.

Closing Date: 13 September 2026