Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Job summary

9 Month Fixed Term or Secondment contract

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Practitioner Psychologist to join Willow Ward , based at Fulbourn Hospital.

Willow Ward is an 18 bed acute admissions ward for older adults with a range of mental health problems. Willow Ward has a warm and vibrant atmosphere and you will be working alongside colleagues from a range of professions.

This post holder will work closely with the ward multi-disciplinary team to deliver high quality psychologically informed care. There are opportunities to share learning and seek peer support with our other inpatient ward psychologists and to work closely with our community based Stepped Care Therapy service colleagues, to ensure continuity of care for patients.

The ideal candidate will have a strong team work ethic, sense of accountability, accompanied by an ability to work under pressure at times.

We will provide the necessary support to ensure your development within your role and are keen to support and develop staff through a clear career pathway and encourage promotional opportunities in the Trust.

If you are looking for a new challenge, enjoy variety in your work and wish to be part of a team striving to make a difference by supporting people with mental health needs then we want to hear from you.

This post is temporary maternity cover and is part time. However, if you are looking for full time hours there may be opportunities for this in other parts of the service.

Main duties of the job

You will be conducting comprehensive psychological assessments to produce a trauma informed formulation and treatment plan for service users who have experienced complex trauma. You will write reports and provide explanations to service users that help them to make sense of why they are struggling and why we are suggesting specific therapies. You will have a small caseload of service users and will be delivering therapies focused on trauma processing (TF-CBT and EMDR) and will have opportunities to co facilitate a schema therapy group.

You will also be providing leadership (leading on areas of the service such as our trauma stabilisation group), training, supervision, and consultancy to staff within the team and to other services who refer into this pathway. We are keen to continue to develop more psychoeducational materials that could be available for staff service users and carers so someone interested and experience in creating content would be a great fit for this post.

You will undertake risk assessments related to psychological interventions and manage risks in accordance with best practice guidelines and organizational policies.

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

17 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

310-OPAC-7533714

Job locations

Fulbourn Hospital

Cambridge Road

Cambridge

CB21 5EF

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

• Conduct comprehensive psychological assessments and develop individualized trauma informed treatment plans

• Deliver evidence-based therapies for people who have complex PTSD and other difficulties relating to complex trauma (e.g. EMDR/ TF-CBT) using practice-based evidence with service users who have difficulties where there is not an established evidence base.

• To provide individual and group supervision to more junior staff in the team and to staff in other services who also work with this population

• To promote and support the implementation of Trauma Informed Care in all aspects and areas of their work

• To supervise assistant psychologists and CAPs delivering group and structured short term interventions addressing gaps in services

• Deliver therapeutic interventions in group and individual format in therapies including TF-CBT, EMDR, CFT, CAT, Schema and DBT.

• Take autonomous responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, adjusting treatment plans as necessary.

• Be available to junior members of the team for ad hoc advice regarding risk, boundaries and responses to service users

• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to provide holistic care and support to service users.

• Contribute to service development, research, and evaluation to enhance the quality of care provided, leading on specific working groups developing interventions or materials

• To attend interface meetings with community teams, the IAPT and personality disorder services to help think through the best services to provide treatment and support to individuals

• To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals.

Risk

• Undertake risk assessments related to psychological interventions and manage risks in accordance with best practice guidelines and organizational policies.

• Ensure appropriate action is taken to mitigate risks and safeguard service users.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

• Conduct comprehensive psychological assessments and develop individualized trauma informed treatment plans

• Deliver evidence-based therapies for people who have complex PTSD and other difficulties relating to complex trauma (e.g. EMDR/ TF-CBT) using practice-based evidence with service users who have difficulties where there is not an established evidence base.

• To provide individual and group supervision to more junior staff in the team and to staff in other services who also work with this population

• To promote and support the implementation of Trauma Informed Care in all aspects and areas of their work

• To supervise assistant psychologists and CAPs delivering group and structured short term interventions addressing gaps in services

• Deliver therapeutic interventions in group and individual format in therapies including TF-CBT, EMDR, CFT, CAT, Schema and DBT.

• Take autonomous responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, adjusting treatment plans as necessary.

• Be available to junior members of the team for ad hoc advice regarding risk, boundaries and responses to service users

• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to provide holistic care and support to service users.

• Contribute to service development, research, and evaluation to enhance the quality of care provided, leading on specific working groups developing interventions or materials

• To attend interface meetings with community teams, the IAPT and personality disorder services to help think through the best services to provide treatment and support to individuals

• To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals.

Risk

• Undertake risk assessments related to psychological interventions and manage risks in accordance with best practice guidelines and organizational policies.

• Ensure appropriate action is taken to mitigate risks and safeguard service users.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology; Registered as Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
• Undertaken training in the supervision of trainee clinical psychologists.

Desirable

• Undertaken advanced training in a therapeutic approach
• Chartered Clinical Psychologist.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of service users across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings
• Experience of working with older people with mental health problems
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care, including sharing of psychological formulation.
• Experience of working with people living with dementia and their families and carers.
• Able to demonstrate further specialist training / experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist practitioner psychologist over a minimum of 2 years, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Speciality

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of issues affecting older people and an ability to demonstrate compassion for the lived experience of this illness.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration requiring the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
• Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning. Planning and organising skills for caseload management. Skills in selfmanagement, including time management.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential

• Specialist knowledge of complex trauma
• Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from service users.

Desirable

• Ability to demonstrate initiative for the improvement of individual practice, systems and services

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• Willingness to embrace integrated model and new ways of working.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology; Registered as Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
• Undertaken training in the supervision of trainee clinical psychologists.

Desirable

• Undertaken advanced training in a therapeutic approach
• Chartered Clinical Psychologist.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of service users across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings
• Experience of working with older people with mental health problems
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care, including sharing of psychological formulation.
• Experience of working with people living with dementia and their families and carers.
• Able to demonstrate further specialist training / experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist practitioner psychologist over a minimum of 2 years, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Speciality

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of issues affecting older people and an ability to demonstrate compassion for the lived experience of this illness.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration requiring the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
• Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning. Planning and organising skills for caseload management. Skills in selfmanagement, including time management.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential

• Specialist knowledge of complex trauma
• Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from service users.

Desirable

• Ability to demonstrate initiative for the improvement of individual practice, systems and services

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
• Willingness to embrace integrated model and new ways of working.

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

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Fulbourn Hospital

Cambridge Road

Cambridge

CB21 5EF

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Fulbourn Hospital

Cambridge Road

Cambridge

CB21 5EF

Employer's website

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