Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

The closing date is 19 October 2025

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Cognitive Behavioural Therapist to work in the Adult Community Eating Disorder Service based in Exeter but covering the Devon footprint. The team is an established multidisciplinary team providing a service to clients with severe and complex eating disorders and their families and carers. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with an interest in eating disorders to specialise and develop their skills and experience in the field.

The post holder would be expected to hold a caseload of clients referred to the service, delivering assessments and therapeutic interventions. The post holder would also provide consultation and training to other teams and services as required. Being part of a specialist multi-disciplinary team, you will need to be a good communicator and enjoy working as part of an MDT. Although the team base is Exeter, you will need to be prepared to travel to other parts of Devon to see clients and be flexible to meet the demands of the job.

A central aspect of the role is providing evidence based psychological interventions so experience in this area is highly desirable. There may also be opportunities for further specialist training both within the team and via external training providers and to be involved in quality improvement projects and service evaluations or audits.

Main duties of the job

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with moderate- severe eating disorders.

This will be achieved by providing assessment and evidenced based psychological therapy service to people referred to the service and contributing to multidisciplinary team discussions and formulations to ensure that the psychological needs of people who use the service and their families and carers are fully considered. There will also be opportunities to be involved in service improvements and developments under the guidance of the psychology lead and service manager including audits and evaluations and other quality improvement projects.

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.

Date posted

03 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9369-25-0513

Job locations

Wonford House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5AF

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with eating disorders who are referred to the team.

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:

1. Providing an evidenced based psychological therapy service to people with moderate-severe eating disorders

2. To provide local clinical leadership, co-ordination and supervision for trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the team, under the general direction and supervision of the Professional Lead

3. Contributing to multidisciplinary team discussions and formulations to ensure that the psychological needs of people referred to the service are fully considered.

4. The post holder will be supported by senior colleagues within their specialist field. The post holder will be expected to make good use of the expertise of others within the service to further develop their clinical skills with this client group.

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

6. The post holder will receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the BPS or appropriate designated Professional Body.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Assessment and 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

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

Client, 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 service and in DPT to foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Planning and Organisation

The service:

To plan and prioritise own workload, balancing the demands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals and service research and development activities.
To contribute to the planning and organising of the psychology and therapy services within the locality area and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within services to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.

The multidisciplinary service:

To provide psychology/therapy knowledge to the multiprofessional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services.

Responsibility for Judgment and Analysis

To provide specialist Psychological therapy expertise and advice.
To provide psychological therapies/other 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.
To support the Professional Lead, 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.

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 support proposed changes for policy and for service development.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

Careful use of equipment.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management

Leadership & supervision: To supervise the work of assistants &/or trainees as required. To provide supervision & consultancy to health and social care colleagues.
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 service
To support 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.

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 specialist Psychological therapy 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/therapists is 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.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with eating disorders who are referred to the team.

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:

1. Providing an evidenced based psychological therapy service to people with moderate-severe eating disorders

3. Contributing to multidisciplinary team discussions and formulations to ensure that the psychological needs of people referred to the service are fully considered.

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

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

Client, 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 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 service and in DPT to foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Planning and Organisation

The service:

To plan and prioritise own workload, balancing the demands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals and service research and development activities.
To contribute to the planning and organising of the psychology and therapy services within the locality area and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within services to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.

The multidisciplinary service:

To provide psychology/therapy knowledge to the multiprofessional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services.

Responsibility for Judgment and Analysis

To provide specialist Psychological therapy expertise and advice.
To provide psychological therapies/other 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.
To support the Professional Lead, 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.

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 support proposed changes for policy and for service development.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

Careful use of equipment.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management

Leadership & supervision: To supervise the work of assistants &/or trainees as required. To provide supervision & consultancy to health and social care colleagues.
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 service
To support 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.

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 specialist Psychological therapy 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/therapists is 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.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

Essential

Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
Project management skills / experience
Clear telephone voice
Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people

Other

Essential

Ability to work independently and use initiative within a service consisting of a network of teams.
Ability to work as a member of a clinical team.
Ability to tolerate ambiguity, and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts.

Experience

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
Experience of working under supervision in adult mental health or child and family services.
Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.

Desirable

Experience of working with clients with moderate-severe eating disorders
Experience of teaching, training and supervision

Qualifications

Essential

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology and registered with appropriate professional body (e.g HCPC)
Psychological Therapist or Specialist Counsellor trained to masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registration with an appropriate recognised professional body e.g. BABCP, UKCP.

Desirable

Further training or experience in clinical specialism.
Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge and familiarity of specialist services; and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychological therapies is commonly applied.
An understanding of providing psychological therapy for service users presenting with moderate to severe mental health problems.

Desirable

Knowledge of psychological approaches to working with people with eating disorders and their families or carers
Knowledge of specialist eating disorders community services.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

Essential

Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills
Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
Proven organisational, planning and time management skills
Project management skills / experience
Clear telephone voice
Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
Good communication skills when presenting / facilitating to varying groups of people

Other

Essential

Ability to work independently and use initiative within a service consisting of a network of teams.
Ability to work as a member of a clinical team.
Ability to tolerate ambiguity, and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts.

Experience

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
Experience of working under supervision in adult mental health or child and family services.
Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.

Desirable

Experience of working with clients with moderate-severe eating disorders
Experience of teaching, training and supervision

Qualifications

Essential

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology and registered with appropriate professional body (e.g HCPC)
Psychological Therapist or Specialist Counsellor trained to masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registration with an appropriate recognised professional body e.g. BABCP, UKCP.

Desirable

Further training or experience in clinical specialism.
Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge and familiarity of specialist services; and of the services in the NHS where psychology and psychological therapies is commonly applied.
An understanding of providing psychological therapy for service users presenting with moderate to severe mental health problems.

Desirable

Knowledge of psychological approaches to working with people with eating disorders and their families or carers
Knowledge of specialist eating disorders community services.

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.