• Job Description

  Req#: C9354-25-0863?language=en&page=876&sort=publicationDateDesc

  Job summary

  Highly Specialist psychology professions practitioner - Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist or CBT therapist (BABCP accredited) (Band 8a) 0.6 wte Adult Mental Health, Hastings Assessment & Treatment Service (ATS)

  We are delighted to be advertising for a Highly Specialist psychology professions practitioner - Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist or CBT therapist Band 8a. The ATS is a friendly, well regarded multidisciplinary team that delivers specialist support and clinical interventions to adults with severe and complex mental health difficulties. This post provides an exciting opportunity for someone with sound clinical experience, looking to develop and broaden their specialist therapy skills and progress their multidisciplinary team working, supervision, training and leadership roles. The post will offer the opportunity for developing skills in partnership working as we move towards developing our Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams and increase access to psychologically informed interventions as part of community transformation and PT-SMHP developments.

  Main duties of the job

  The post holder will provide a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to clients, their families or carers, where there are complex and comorbid presentations. They will have assessment, intervention and formulation skills in a range of psychological models, including CBT and attachment-based models. The post holder will be expected to take a clinical leadership roleand to have supervisory experience. They will be responsible for the supervision of Assistant Psychologists, Clinical Trainees and Psychology Graduate Volunteers and will support psychological practice within the wider team through consultation, supervision, formulation and training. They will utilise research skills for audit and research within the area and contribute to service improvement and development.

  There will be opportunities to lead on pathway developments as part of the transformation developing the psychological offer and supporting the MDT in psychological thinking. As such we would welcome applicants from anyone with specific interest in psychosis, trauma, emotional intensity or particular therapy approach such as CBT, Family work, CAT or EMDR.

  About us

  Psychologists are valued members of the ATS and are encouraged to play a key role in multidisciplinary team working. You would be joining a supportive and cohesive network of Psychologists, clinical trainees and psychology volunteers. You will work closely withPsychology colleagues and the Psychology leads. You will receive high standards of supervision and will be supported by the Principal Clinical Psychologist. We have a valued programme of CPD, peer supervision and reflective practice for Psychology staff.

  Applications are welcome from enthusiastic and experienced psychologists with specialist knowledge and skills of working with severe and enduring mental health difficulties such as complex trauma, psychosis and personality difficulties. Equally important is experience in MDT teamworking, teaching and supervision. We are looking forsomeone who has the ability to work autonomously within the context of a busy multi-disciplinary team.

  Details

  Date posted

  08 August 2025

  Pay scheme

  Agenda for change

  Band

  Band 8a

  Salary

  £55,690 to £62,682 a year pro rata

  Contract

  Permanent

  Working pattern

  Part-time, Flexible working

  Reference number

  354-AE-21175

  Job locations

  Cavendish House

  Breeds Place

  Hastings

  TN343AA

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  To provide a qualified, high-quality specialist psychology service to individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams, in line with best, evidence-based practice and trust care pathways.

  To be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload and to exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the planning and prioritising of own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients, within the bounds of the service operational policy.

  To use analytical and judgment skills and be responsible for taking clinical management decisions in complex clinical issues.

  To clinically supervise assistant psychologists, trainee psychologists and junior psychologists, psychological therapists or counsellors and other staff as appropriate.

  To professionally supervise and, when appropriate, manage, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists

  To provide consultation, mentorship, supervision and advice about psychological issues to other members of the team/service and other professionals working with service users, across a range of agencies/ settings as appropriate.

  To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team.

  To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit, and to advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

  To utilise research skills to undertake service evaluation, audit and research as appropriate and disseminate the results in the service and nationally.

  To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the service.

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  To provide a qualified, high-quality specialist psychology service to individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams, in line with best, evidence-based practice and trust care pathways.

  To be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload and to exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the planning and prioritising of own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients, within the bounds of the service operational policy.

  To use analytical and judgment skills and be responsible for taking clinical management decisions in complex clinical issues.

  To clinically supervise assistant psychologists, trainee psychologists and junior psychologists, psychological therapists or counsellors and other staff as appropriate.

  To professionally supervise and, when appropriate, manage, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists

  To provide consultation, mentorship, supervision and advice about psychological issues to other members of the team/service and other professionals working with service users, across a range of agencies/ settings as appropriate.

  To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team.

  To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit, and to advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

  To utilise research skills to undertake service evaluation, audit and research as appropriate and disseminate the results in the service and nationally.

  To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the service.

  Person Specification

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its} equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
  • Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).

  Knowledge/Experience

  Essential

  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
  • Demonstrate specialist experience gained post-qualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours).
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
  • Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
  • Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework
  • Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
  • Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service.

  Person Specification

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its} equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
  • Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).

  Knowledge/Experience

  Essential

  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
  • Demonstrate specialist experience gained post-qualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours).
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
  • Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
  • Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework
  • Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
  • Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service.

  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

  Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Cavendish House

  Breeds Place

  Hastings

  TN343AA

  
  

  Employer's website

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

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Cavendish House

  Breeds Place

  Hastings

  TN343AA

  
  

  Employer's website

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

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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