Senior Clinical Psychologist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

We are excited to offer some temporary bank hours for Senior Clinical Psychologist posts to support our newly funded Specialist Weight Management Service, which broadens our existing Bariatric Surgery Service offer.

We have 0.8 WTE available of funding at 8A grade, for 6 months’ work. We anticipate that this funding may be split between two successful candidates, potentially at 0.4 WTE each. The role can be undertaken fully remotely, or local candidates are welcome to work on-site. Please indicate on your application your preferred number or range of hours and available working days.

This vacancy forms part of significant investment to expand our existing Tier 4 Bariatric Surgery Service to a broader Specialist Weight Management Service.

These hours are specifically to undertake pre-bariatric surgery psychology assessments to reduce current waiting times.

You will be joining an existing Clinical Psychology service led by a Principal Clinical Psychologist and supported by a Senior Clinical Psychologist and a Clinical Psychologist. The service sits within an expanding Department of Clinical Health Psychology, with a culture founded in compassion, respect and support.

Clinical supervision and line management will be provided by the clinical lead for the Bariatric Surgery Psychology Service.

Main duties of the job

To provide a specialist Clinical Psychology service to adult patients accessing the Specialist Weight Management Service at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust.

To provide specialist psychological assessment and formulation to patients, with the potential of brief therapeutic input where appropriate. This requires taking full professional responsibility and exercising autonomous judgement, in matters of professional practice.

To engage fully in clinical supervision and provide feedback to the Specialist Weight Management Service MDT through written reports along with consultation with the Principal Clinical Psychologist.

To offer advice and consultation on patients’ psychological care and functioning to colleagues and other non-professional carers, as required.

To work autonomously in the execution of these duties and within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Clinical Health Psychology Department and Trust policies and procedures.

Person Specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential

• Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies, as accredited by the British Psychological Society.
• Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology (or equivalent prior to 1995) by course accredited by the BPS and registration as a practitioner psychologist with HCPC.
• Completion of formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees.

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential

• Experience of working with clinical presentations equivalent to or relevant to this role
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings and with difficult to treat groups.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS

Desirable

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care.
• Relevant experience of developing and setting up new services
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential

• Ability to exercise the full clinical responsibility for patient’s psychological care and treatment within the clinical specialty and to co-ordinate the psychological care provided by others.
• 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
• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

Desirable

• Ability to provide emotional support, consultation and professional mentorship to multidisciplinary team members

Closing Date: 9 September 2026