Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist or Psychotherapist/CBT

The closing date is 06 November 2025

Job summary

'Discovery' is an Intensive Intervention Risk Management Service (IIRMS) covering the West and South Yorkshire area. This innovative team is part of a wider 'Offender Personality Disorder Service'; a joint initiative between the NHS and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), supporting individuals under probation supervision who present with complex personality difficulties, often linked to early trauma and offending behaviour. We are seeking a compassionate and skilled Psychologist to join Discovery's multidisciplinary team of probation staff, NHS professionals and housing support workers, to guide our service users in making the challenging transition from custody to community living.

The Discovery service covers a large region of Yorkshire, and the role involves travel to various probation offices, probation approved premises and community locations to meet service users for direct work. Whilst being a car driver is not essential, it would be advantageous in this respect.

Join us in making a meaningful difference to the lives of individuals with complex needs, while developing your career in a dynamic and supportive environment.

Main duties of the job

As a Band 7 Psychologist, you will be responsible for delivering trauma-informed psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions to high-risk individuals. You will work across community settings, including probation offices and Approved Premises, providing psychologically-led case management and psychoeducational interventions.

You will also offer supervision, consultation and training to NHS, probation and third sector staff, helping to embed psychologically-informed practice across the service. The role involves close collaboration with NHS and criminal justice colleagues, contributing to service development, audit, and research across the wider 'Offender Personality Disorder Service'.

The service offers a supportive environment with opportunities for supervision, training, and career progression.

About us

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have a bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that individuals requiring a visa to work in the UK, the Trust only provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles(this does not include Healthcare Support Workers). This is an essential requirement, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you do not meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Details

Date posted

23 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

173-49125-RSP

Job locations

Offender Personality Disorder Service

St Mary's Hospital

Leeds

LS12 3QE


Job description

Job responsibilities

We recruit people based on their values and qualifications (where required) and believe that their lived experience is an advantage, this means that together we are as diverse as the communities we care for. Simply put, when we employ caring people who act with integrity and have the right skills, we can give those with mental health challenges, learning disabilities and neurodiversity high-quality care and support to live fulfilling lives, and make our staff feel purposeful, happy and valued.

All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team recruitment.lypft@nhs.netAttached to this advert is our candidates guide to values-based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments.

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We recruit people based on their values and qualifications (where required) and believe that their lived experience is an advantage, this means that together we are as diverse as the communities we care for. Simply put, when we employ caring people who act with integrity and have the right skills, we can give those with mental health challenges, learning disabilities and neurodiversity high-quality care and support to live fulfilling lives, and make our staff feel purposeful, happy and valued.

All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team recruitment.lypft@nhs.netAttached to this advert is our candidates guide to values-based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments.

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Doctorate level training in Clinical Psychology as accredited by the BPS (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996) with HCPC registration OR doctorate level training in Forensic Psychology OR Counselling Psychology, with registration as a practitioner psychologist with HCPC OR Masters or above in a psychotherapy, and accredited as a psychotherapist with UKCP or BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council) OR Postgraduate Diploma qualification in Cognitive and/or Behavioural Psychotherapy AND Accreditation with BABCP as a CBT therapist AND with either a prior core profession or via KSA route

Skills

Essential

  • Specialist psychological assessment and treatment across diverse care settings (outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient, forensic setting).
  • Effective communication of complex, technical, and sensitive information to clients, families, carers, and professionals.
  • Skilled in providing consultation to both professional and non-professional groups.

Experience

Essential

  • Work with diverse client groups across the lifespan, including those with complex and severe presentations.
  • Professionalism in managing highly emotive and distressing situations.
  • Use of clinical governance mechanisms to support safe and effective practice in challenging environments.

Knowledge

Essential

  • In-depth understanding of specialised psychological therapies relevant to the service user population.
  • Awareness of clinical governance principles and their application in forensic and community settings.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Doctorate level training in Clinical Psychology as accredited by the BPS (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996) with HCPC registration OR doctorate level training in Forensic Psychology OR Counselling Psychology, with registration as a practitioner psychologist with HCPC OR Masters or above in a psychotherapy, and accredited as a psychotherapist with UKCP or BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council) OR Postgraduate Diploma qualification in Cognitive and/or Behavioural Psychotherapy AND Accreditation with BABCP as a CBT therapist AND with either a prior core profession or via KSA route

Skills

Essential

  • Specialist psychological assessment and treatment across diverse care settings (outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient, forensic setting).
  • Effective communication of complex, technical, and sensitive information to clients, families, carers, and professionals.
  • Skilled in providing consultation to both professional and non-professional groups.

Experience

Essential

  • Work with diverse client groups across the lifespan, including those with complex and severe presentations.
  • Professionalism in managing highly emotive and distressing situations.
  • Use of clinical governance mechanisms to support safe and effective practice in challenging environments.

Knowledge

Essential

  • In-depth understanding of specialised psychological therapies relevant to the service user population.
  • Awareness of clinical governance principles and their application in forensic and community settings.

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.

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.

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

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Offender Personality Disorder Service

St Mary's Hospital

Leeds

LS12 3QE


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Offender Personality Disorder Service

St Mary's Hospital

Leeds

LS12 3QE


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Senior Forensic Psychologist

John Atkinson

John.atkinson5@nhs.net

07790977037

Details

Date posted

23 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

173-49125-RSP

Job locations

Offender Personality Disorder Service

St Mary's Hospital

Leeds

LS12 3QE


Supporting documents

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