Principal Psychologist or Psychotherapist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Practitioner Psychologist or Systemic Psychotherapist or Psychological Therapist to support the development of our Multiple Admissions Patient Pathway (MAP) Team. The MAP team was created as a pilot project to work with individuals who present with complex mental health needs, are high users of services and at risk of multiple admissions to hospital due to frequent cycles of crisis and difficulties engaging in community support. The team uses principles of open dialogue to provide support for people coming out of hospital to develop relationships with services and move towards recovery. We are looking for a dynamic individual who will support the extension of this project across East Sussex and provide leadership, supervision and consultation along with skilled clinical interventions for clients in the pathway.

Main duties of the job

The team is a multidisciplinary team who work using dialogical and systemic principles based on the open dialogue approach. They offer an enhanced level of support that is delivered via regular network meetings alongside other services to improve trust and engagement in the community offer of support. They work closely with carers/families and other agencies to ensure a joined up and consistent approach to care. All staff will be supported to complete training in open dialogue and training in working with complex mental health needs.

Training in Open dialogue desirable but not essential but candidates need experience working with complex mental health problems and interest in working with trauma.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or outside the UK] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC)

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

• Significant assessed experience of working as a qualified psychologist
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings severity including 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 exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group.
• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists

Closing Date: 13 September 2026