Band 7/8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist – OPD Pathway – Ardenleigh: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Community Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway Services

“It was a pleasure to work with you. I found our conversations very invigorating, and it restored my faith in why I not only trained as a Probation Officer, but why I am still at it” (Feedback from a Probation Practitioner working with OPD services)

Would you like to receive feedback like this and be part of a service that is highly valued and genuinely makes a difference? If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are recruiting for:

0.8 WTE Permanent Practitioner Psychologist (Band 7/8A)AFFIRM, Community CORE OM, Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway Service

If you would prefer a full-time post, we currently have vacancies within other teams across the Secure Care and Offender Health Directorate and would be happy to consider a split role.

AFFIRM is a dynamic and innovative multidisciplinary team of psychologists and specialist probation practitioners working in partnership to support community probation services across Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, and the Black Country.

We provide consultation, formulation, training and supervision to probation staff working with individuals who present with complex needs, significant risk, histories of trauma, and personality difficulties. Our aim is to support practitioners to work in a psychologically informed way, developing effective therapeutic relationships, improving engagement, and reducing the risk of future harm to self and others.

Main duties of the job

About the Role

This is a rewarding opportunity to apply psychological thinking within criminal justice settings and contribute directly to improved outcomes for people on probation, practitioners, and services.

We are particularly interested in hearing from psychologists who:

• Enjoy working with complex presentations where clinical need and risk management intersect.
• Value collaborative, multidisciplinary working.
• Are passionate about sharing psychological knowledge and influencing systems and practice.
• Want to enhance the psychological mindedness of services and support staff wellbeing.
• Have an interest in working with people who have experienced adversity, trauma, social exclusion and offending behaviour.

Why Join Us?

AFFIRM sits within the Secure Care and Offender Health Directorate of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, giving successful applicants access to a large and supportive network of psychological practitioners working across both NHS and Criminal Justice settings.

You will join a team committed to reflective practice, innovation, professional development, and making a meaningful impact on some of the most complex and marginalised individuals in our communities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical/forensic psychology completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including forensic contexts with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.

Desirable

• At least 2 years post qualification experience, and formal training in supervision, enabling the post holder to independently supervise psychology trainees in accordance with relevant criteria adopted by local University Psychology Training Courses criteria.

Knowledge

Essential

• Well developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience during a minimum of 18 to 24 months as a Specialist Clinical/Forensic Psychologist.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment commensurate with doctoral level training, including specialist clinical interviewing, behavioural observation, complex psychometric testing and specialist neuropsychological testing.
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups
• Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific ‘difficult to treat’ groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and DoH policy and implementation guidelines in relation to mental health in general and the client group with which this post is concerned.

Personal

Essential

• Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated disabilities
• Is a ‘team player’ and has demonstrated ability to work and deliver to team and organisational objectives
• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

Other

Essential

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• Awareness and understanding of the purpose and mechanisms of clinical governance and an ability to employ such mechanisms to maintain and improve standards of clinical practice

Closing Date: 24 November 2026