Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

NHS Jobs

Exeter, UK

Full time

£55,690 - £62,682 per year

Job summary

Are you someone looking for a career in one of the UK's most respected mental health and learning disability trusts?

Would you like to be part of a dedicated team committed to making a difference to peoples lives to enjoy a better future?

We are looking for a highly skilled Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join the Urgent and Inpatient Care Psychology Team. This is an opportunity to work in the Acute Adult Inpatient wards in Exeter (The Cedars) based at Wonford House.

You would be providing leadership and supervision across both wards at the Cedars, with clinical and therapeutic work based on one ward.

We are a small (but growing!) and friendly team committed to bringing a psychological perspective into the acute care environment. If you are looking for a varied role with opportunities to gain skills in developing psychologically & trauma informed environments then this could be the role for you.

The successful applicant will bring psychological assessment formulation and interventions to individuals and groups who use the services and the teams providing care. Additional qualifications in specific therapy models would be an advantage, especially approaches focused on trauma and complex emotional needs or psychosis. An understanding of how to use therapeutic skills in different and often, short time frames is essential.

Main duties of the job

Indirect psychological interventions are an important part of the role and you will provide reflective practice, training and clinical supervision to the teams on the ward. You will be experienced in and committed to , working in a multidisciplinary team with our nursing team, psychiatry and medics to develop a personalised approach for each patient. Our team is friendly, inclusive and welcoming of a variety of skills and approaches.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Details

Date posted

29 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9369-25-0963-1

Job locations

Wonford House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5AF

Job description

Job responsibilities

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people within the post holders specialist field of practice. To support the overall ward teams and their leadership to deliver high quality services in line with national professional guidance, NICE recommendations and other national policy documents, as part of an overall acute care pathway.

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:

1. Contributing a psychological perspective to the leadership, organisation and operation of Adult in-patient services

2. To ensure the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service in specialist field of practice in in-patient wards, as a key component of integrated mental health and wellbeing services across Devon Partnership NHS Trust. This will include the provision of supervision to the MDT ward teams, psychological formulation of patients, and direct and indirect psychology and psychological therapy clinical input to the Adult In-patient Services.

3. Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service.

4. Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.

5. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines as lead specialist.

6. The post holder with receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.

7. Observe, and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully registered with the Health Professions Council as a condition of employment

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills7

Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.
Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing services on a day to day basis
Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.
Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the Trust. To foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

To provide specialist clinical/counselling psychology expertise and advice.
To provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
To support the Professional Head, General Manager, Practice and Strategic Development Leads and Professional Leads by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team/s.
To provide complex assessment, including neuropsychological assessments, of specialist conditions

Planning and Organisational Skills

The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within the commissioned integrated mental health and wellbeing service to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.
The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy supervision to the multi- professional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.
Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families
To ensure that psychological interventions delivered within the acute setting are connected and integrated with provision beyond the acute service

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.
Policy & service: To implement policies and procedures for the provision of psychology and therapy services within own service and other services within the Trust.
R & D: To support the R&D activities of the psychology and psychological therapy service.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under own use.

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

Leadership & supervision: To lead and professionally supervise less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers.
To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.
To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for non psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies within other Trust teams.
To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards.
To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Responsibility for Research and Development

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work within the PPT and local mental health services.
To conduct project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation
As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation. To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.

Freedom to Act

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines
To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager.
To provide expert and specialist clinical psychology expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership.
To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work

Review of this Job Description

This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.

Job description

Job responsibilities

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:

1. Contributing a psychological perspective to the leadership, organisation and operation of Adult in-patient services

3. Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service.

4. Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals.

5. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines as lead specialist.

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills7

Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.
Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing services on a day to day basis
Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.
Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the Trust. To foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

To provide specialist clinical/counselling psychology expertise and advice.
To provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
To support the Professional Head, General Manager, Practice and Strategic Development Leads and Professional Leads by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team/s.
To provide complex assessment, including neuropsychological assessments, of specialist conditions

Planning and Organisational Skills

The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within the commissioned integrated mental health and wellbeing service to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.
The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy supervision to the multi- professional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.
Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families
To ensure that psychological interventions delivered within the acute setting are connected and integrated with provision beyond the acute service

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.
Policy & service: To implement policies and procedures for the provision of psychology and therapy services within own service and other services within the Trust.
R & D: To support the R&D activities of the psychology and psychological therapy service.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under own use.

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

Leadership & supervision: To lead and professionally supervise less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers.
To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.
To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for non psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies within other Trust teams.
To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards.
To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Responsibility for Research and Development

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work within the PPT and local mental health services.
To conduct project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation
As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation. To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.

Freedom to Act

The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines
To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager.
To provide expert and specialist clinical psychology expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership.
To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work

Review of this Job Description

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience of working in Adult Mental Health services and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
Experience of working in Community and In-patient settings for adults with complex mental health needs
Experience of working on a PICU / acute Mental health unit

Desirable

Experience of neuropsychological assessment
Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
Experience in undertaking leadership roles within psychology services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi disciplinary, multi agency contexts.
Experience of working with people who have experienced complex trauma
Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.

Qualifications

Essential

Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol. or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society and Registered with HCPC. Psychological Therapists need to be trained to masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registered with an appropriate recognized professional body eg UKCP, ACAT, AFT, BABCP.

Desirable

Further training or experience in clinical specialism working with adults with complex mental health needs Further training or experience in working in in-patient Adult Mental Health settings
Further training in related area e.g neuropsychological assessment Further training in supervision
Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience of working in Adult Mental Health services and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
Experience of working in Community and In-patient settings for adults with complex mental health needs
Experience of working on a PICU / acute Mental health unit

Desirable

Experience of neuropsychological assessment
Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
Experience in undertaking leadership roles within psychology services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi disciplinary, multi agency contexts.
Experience of working with people who have experienced complex trauma
Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.

Qualifications

Essential

Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol. or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society and Registered with HCPC. Psychological Therapists need to be trained to masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registered with an appropriate recognized professional body eg UKCP, ACAT, AFT, BABCP.

Desirable

Further training or experience in clinical specialism working with adults with complex mental health needs Further training or experience in working in in-patient Adult Mental Health settings
Further training in related area e.g neuropsychological assessment Further training in supervision
Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

Salary range

£55,690 - £62,682 per year