Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychological Therapist

Job summary

Band 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychological Therapist

Are you a clinician passionate about working with service users with psychosis?

Do you enjoy working with carers and families?

Are you an independent practitioner who can promote psychology in a small team?

We are looking for applications from highly motivated and enthusiastic Senior Psychologists or Psychological Therapists who are committed to delivering patient-focused care and treatment to our service users for a 12 month interim period.

We are looking for a clinician with experience working in psychosis who can be relatively autonomous, pick up the job quickly and be flexible and adaptable to the team's needs.

The role involves delivering specialist psychological assessment and treatment to service users who are experiencing first episode psychosis. The post holder will be able to offer supervision, advice, consultation and training to other staff about psychological care for service users and carers. There will be a mix of individual and group interventions.

There is a strong sense of camaraderie within the Milton Keynes EIP team, and a strong partnership between operational and clinical staff. You will be working with our CBT for psychosis therapist and with other colleagues across Milton Keynes services.

Main duties of the job

The Milton Keynes Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Service is a multi-disciplinary team providing treatment and support for people who are experiencing symptoms of psychosis for the first time, and during the first three years following a first episode of psychosis. With new monies and investment, the service is expanding with a focus on providing psychological inventions alongside care-coordination, help, advice and support. The team helps service users make sense of their experiences, provides treatment and interventions to enable them to get back to, or continue to, work or study, whilst liaising with other services and agencies to sort out benefits and finances, and help solve any housing problems.

A key part of the role will be acting as liaison and Principal Investigator for research trials (e.g. virtual reality CBT) from different universities.

We are looking for well-rounded and experienced practitioners. Our staff work pro-actively with confidence and motivation, showing initiative which has contributed to the development of numerous award-winning services. We find that they are often flexible, robust and resourceful and able to manage the challenges of working in an environment that can be demanding.

About us

Click here to find out more about working at CNWL! CNWL Psychological Professions

Hear directly from our leaders and their vision for psychological professions in the Trust here.

Learn more about working in Milton Keynes by following the link below.

Welcome to Psychological Therapies at Milton Keynes Mental Health Services :: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (cnwl.nhs.uk)

Here at CNWL we encourage our psychological professions staff to pursue leadership opportunities in senior roles. Various prominent leadership roles within the Trust are currently held by Psychologists including: Director of Strategy and Integration, Chief Information Officer, 3 Clinical Directors. We try to facilitate the development of our psychological professions staff across all areas.

Details

Date posted

19 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-D-MK-MH-1295

Job locations

Neath Hill Health Centre

Tower Crescent

Milton Keynes

MK14 6JY

Job description

Job responsibilities

We prioritize collaboration within our team and with our community partnerships, so we are hoping to find candidates who have the required communication and interpersonal skills that will allow them to thrive when working within their own team and with external partner organizations, in order to provide a meaningful service to the diverse populations we serve.

We also hope to attract therapists with broad training and experience. Additional support and training may be provided for clinicians to gain supervision experience and qualification within the relevant framework and commissioned funding.

If your application is successful, you will receive regular supervision and support from the Clinical Service Lead as well as benefit from support and guidance from other team members. You will also be linked in with Trust Wide psychological professions initiatives and events.

• To ensure the systematic provision of high-quality specialist psychological interventions to service users of the Early Intervention in Psychosis team.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy in line with Government targets and NICE guidance.
• In addition the post holder will offer supervision, advice, consultation and training on service users psychological care and treatment to other team members.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the services policies and procedures.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy development and, service evaluation and development within the team and service.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We prioritize collaboration within our team and with our community partnerships, so we are hoping to find candidates who have the required communication and interpersonal skills that will allow them to thrive when working within their own team and with external partner organizations, in order to provide a meaningful service to the diverse populations we serve.

We also hope to attract therapists with broad training and experience. Additional support and training may be provided for clinicians to gain supervision experience and qualification within the relevant framework and commissioned funding.

If your application is successful, you will receive regular supervision and support from the Clinical Service Lead as well as benefit from support and guidance from other team members. You will also be linked in with Trust Wide psychological professions initiatives and events.

• To ensure the systematic provision of high-quality specialist psychological interventions to service users of the Early Intervention in Psychosis team.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy in line with Government targets and NICE guidance.
• In addition the post holder will offer supervision, advice, consultation and training on service users psychological care and treatment to other team members.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the services policies and procedures.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy development and, service evaluation and development within the team and service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies development psychology as accredited by the BPS. OR
• A registered qualification in any of the health or allied health professions e.g. nurse, social worker, OT, therapist PLUS Additional therapeutic training such as systemic family therapy training. OR
• Have achieved BABCP registration as a CBT therapist.
• To be registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC), or other approved body such as NMC, BABCP, BACP, AFT.
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
• Qualification or evidence of training in supervision

Desirable

• Additional training in an alternative therapeutic model such as EMDR or ACT.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Valid driver's licence and the ability to drive to different bases.

Desirable

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• 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.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and formulation of complex mental health presentations including psychosis presentations.
• Experience of working psychologically with people who have complex mental health problems, including trauma and psychosis.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
• Experience of skills in group work.
• Experience of work with care-givers/families.
• Experience of working in MDT settings in particular the demonstrated ability to work jointly in assessment interventions with multidisciplinary team members.

Desirable

• Experience of working in an NHS community mental health settings in secondary and tertiary care.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for people with mental health presentations.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to work and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and to other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Sound IT skills to manage an electronic case record.

Desirable

• Knowledge of clinical caseload management within a team setting.
• Skills in providing consultation and supervision to other professional and non-professional groups and assistants.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies development psychology as accredited by the BPS. OR
• A registered qualification in any of the health or allied health professions e.g. nurse, social worker, OT, therapist PLUS Additional therapeutic training such as systemic family therapy training. OR
• Have achieved BABCP registration as a CBT therapist.
• To be registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC), or other approved body such as NMC, BABCP, BACP, AFT.
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
• Qualification or evidence of training in supervision

Desirable

• Additional training in an alternative therapeutic model such as EMDR or ACT.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Valid driver's licence and the ability to drive to different bases.

Desirable

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• 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.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and formulation of complex mental health presentations including psychosis presentations.
• Experience of working psychologically with people who have complex mental health problems, including trauma and psychosis.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
• Experience of skills in group work.
• Experience of work with care-givers/families.
• Experience of working in MDT settings in particular the demonstrated ability to work jointly in assessment interventions with multidisciplinary team members.

Desirable

• Experience of working in an NHS community mental health settings in secondary and tertiary care.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for people with mental health presentations.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to work and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and to other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Sound IT skills to manage an electronic case record.

Desirable

• Knowledge of clinical caseload management within a team setting.
• Skills in providing consultation and supervision to other professional and non-professional groups and assistants.

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

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Neath Hill Health Centre

Tower Crescent

Milton Keynes

MK14 6JY

Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Neath Hill Health Centre

Tower Crescent

Milton Keynes

MK14 6JY

Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)