Job summary
Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist or Psychological Therapist (including Arts Therapists) with a passion for psychologically informed approaches in mental health?
Devon Partnership NHS Trust is offering an exciting fixed-term opportunity for a Principal Clinical Psychologist / Psychological Therapist (including Arts Therapists) to join our supportive Adult Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs), based at Sherbourne House in Newton Abbot.
- This post is fixed term until 1st May 2026.
About the Role
The principal purpose of the role is to improve the psychological health and wellbeing of individuals within the post-holders specialist field of practice. You will work collaboratively with Adult Community Mental Health Teams and their leadership to deliver high-quality, person-centred services that are:
- Aligned with national professional guidance
- Informed by NICE recommendations
- Delivered in accordance with key national policy documents
- Integrated within a broader evidence-based care pathway
This role combines clinical leadership and direct service delivery. You will contribute to service development and help embed psychologically informed practices across the community teams.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of the job:
1. To
ensure the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service in
specialist field of practice, across identified locality area, as a key
component of integrated mental health and wellbeing services across Devon
Partnership NHS Trust.
2. Providing
clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and
volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service.
3. Carrying
a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to
patients and professionals.
4.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and
exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice
within professional and Trust
guidelines as lead specialist.
5.
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.
6. 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
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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities:
Communication and Working Relationships
- 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 service 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.
Planning and Organisation
- 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 Judgement and Analysis
- 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.
- To provide complex assessment of specialist conditions
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.
Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and
Improvement
- 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 Supervision, Leadership 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
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 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
Duties and Responsibilities:
Communication and Working Relationships
- 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 service 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.
Planning and Organisation
- 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 Judgement and Analysis
- 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.
- To provide complex assessment of specialist conditions
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.
Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and
Improvement
- 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 Supervision, Leadership 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
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 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.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of work in adult mental health services or agencies and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical 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, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
Desirable
- Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
Knowledge
Essential
- Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology is commonly applied.
- Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical/Counselling Psychology.
- Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting.
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol, MA Arts Psychotherapy or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society.
- Registered with HCPC.
- Further training or experience in clinical specialism
- Further training in related area
Desirable
- Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy, e.g. family or systemic therapy
- IT Skills
Other
Essential
- Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group.
- Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
- Strong leadership qualities, resilience and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty.
- Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims
- Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
- Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
- Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines
Desirable
- Project management skills / experience
Physical Skills
Essential
- Clear telephone voice
- Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
- Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of work in adult mental health services or agencies and work with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical 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, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
Desirable
- Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
Knowledge
Essential
- Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology is commonly applied.
- Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical/Counselling Psychology.
- Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting.
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol, MA Arts Psychotherapy or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society.
- Registered with HCPC.
- Further training or experience in clinical specialism
- Further training in related area
Desirable
- Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy, e.g. family or systemic therapy
- IT Skills
Other
Essential
- Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group.
- Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
- Strong leadership qualities, resilience and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty.
- Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims
- Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
- Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
- Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines
Desirable
- Project management skills / experience
Physical Skills
Essential
- Clear telephone voice
- Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
- Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people
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.
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.
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).
