South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Parent Infant Psychotherapist

The closing date is 04 August 2025

Job summary

The South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to join our Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Team. We are a multi-disciplinary team working across the Trusts footprint: Calderdale, Kirklees, Huddersfield and Barnsley. This post is to cover North Kirklees and Calderdale.

We are looking to recruit a highly motivated Parent Infant Psychotherapist who is interested in working with mothers during pregnancy, birth, and in the first two years of the mother/baby relationship, to promote and provide interventions to support positive bonding and attachment. All applicants must have excellent clinical skills and confidence and enthusiasm for working with perinatal partner agencies in networks that extend beyond traditional specialist mental health boundaries.

We welcome applications from suitably qualified and registered Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists, Highly Specialised Psychoanalytic psychotherapists and Clinical/Counselling Psychologists if they have additional qualifications and special interest in working with parents and infants. We are also able to offer preceptorship for people looking to develop their expertise in the perinatal field and applicants will be recruited at band 7 or 8a according to experience. We support continuing professional development in the perinatal specialism. The successful candidate will have access to specialist supervision.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for women and their babies experiencing complex mental health issues during pregnancy and up to the baby being two years of age. As well as providing Psychotherapy, the post holder will have an opportunity to develop/provide other evidence-based interventions for example, VIG, the Circle of Security, Watch me Play, and groupwork. Any parent infant work undertaken is planned in the context of the multi-disciplinary provision, and perinatal network, and inclusive of the mother and babys wider comprehensive needs.

The post involves providing clinical supervision to multidisciplinary colleagues and requires excellent communication skills alongside competence in working with and managing risk in relation to both mother and baby. It also provides an opportunity to offer consultation within the service and to other professionals working within the Perinatal network, as well as develop specialist training.

The Service operates Monday-Friday; 9.00am-5.00pm however successful applicants would be expected to have the flexibility to work occasional extended hours to facilitate service effectiveness. Car driver essential.

Please contact Jo Frost Parent Infant Psychotherapist by emailing Joanna.Frost@swyt.nhs.uk or Jo Yates Principle Clinical Psychologist at Joanna.Yates@swyt.nhs.uk for further details.

About us

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means were accountable to our members, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Details

Date posted

21 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9378-CK2270

Job locations

8 Fox View Hub, Dewsbury District Hospital

Halifax Road

Dewsbury

WF13 4AD


Job description

Job responsibilities

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

Child Adolescent Psycotherapist

The post holder will provide a comprehensive and specialist child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment and treatment service for children and adolescents, their parents/carers and families, who may be experiencing severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems. She/he will provide specialist supervision, consultation, teaching and training within the service and to staff of related agencies (social services, health, education, voluntary sector, etc.) including second opinions, reflecting his or her experience and post qualification professional development. She/he will work autonomously within professional guidelines and will contribute to the evaluation, monitoring, development and implementation of the overall framework of the Trusts policies and procedures. She/he will contribute to audit procedures, policy and service development and research. The post holder will function as a member of a multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will contribute to and support, as appropriate depending on experience and level of professional development, to the training activity of the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Trust staff.

This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The postholder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.

The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the postholder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

JOB DIMENSIONS

The post holder will undertake responsibility for clinical supervision, individual and group, for service clinicians and where appropriate assistant child and adolescent psychotherapists. She/he may undertake line management and supervisory responsibility for a child and adolescent psychotherapy clinical trainee. The post holder will have responsibility for maintaining adequate stock of essential materials for use in treatment.

If the service has an on call rota the post holder will participate in this.

To provide specialist psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment for children/adolescents and their parents who may be experiencing severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems. To make decisions about treatment options taking into account relevant evidence based research, theory, practice and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes which have shaped the child/adolescent, their parents/carers and family. To formulate and implement plans for therapeutic intervention and management from the point of referral.

To provide specialist short-term psychotherapeutic treatment for highly disturbed children, adolescents, their parents/carers and families, who may be vulnerable, have mental health problems, be highly dysfunctional and have complex and persistent problems. To provide specialist brief interventions in particular, parent-infant psychotherapy.

To provide specialist long term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for clients with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems.

To be responsible for working within the appropriate Child Protection and Deliberate Self Harm guidelines in relation to own cases. This includes reporting to and liaising with multi-disciplinary service and external agency staff (e.g. Social Services staff, CAMHS colleagues, adult mental health staff, primary health and hospital staff, education staff, the service Consultant Psychiatrist, named child protection worker).

To be responsible for continually monitoring and evaluating risk to/from children and young people in own caseload and during supervision/consultation discussions.

To provide specialist assessment reports for social services, courts and solicitors as required.

To contribute directly to the service provision for Deliberate Self Harm presentations.

To contribute as an independent clinician to a multidisciplinary team. Including generic CAMHS assessments and joint/co-working.

To participate in regular review and on-going discussion of cases in treatment with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and to provide specialist expertise in psychoanalytic techniques.

To provide comprehensive clinical, consultive, supervisory and teaching service as required internally or on an outreach basis.

To co-ordinate and organise, where appropriate, network meetings with professional members of other agencies.

To be responsible for the application of a range of theoretical and practical knowledge acquired over a significant period of time, (e.g. developments in psychoanalysis, child and adolescent development, neuroscience, attachment theory and adult psycho-pathology).

To participate in the evaluation of clinical work and to contribute to the development of best evidence based practice based evidence within the service.

To provide autonomous professional responsibility based on the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

To take part in the induction of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training.

To assist in the management of the workloads of assistant and trainee child and adolescent psychotherapists within the framework of the teams policies and procedures.

To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant and trainee child and adolescent psychotherapists.

Clinical Psychologist

This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The postholder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed. The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the postholder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

JOB PURPOSE:

The post holder will provide a high quality specialist clinical psychology service to clients as part of the multidisciplinary team within the service.

Provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention.

Provide advice and consultation on psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues, and other, non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines, and the overall framework of the team and trusts policies and procedures.

Supervise and support Psychology Assistants, Trainees and Band 7 HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologists.

To utilise research skills for audit, policy, service development and research within the areas served by the team/service.

JOB DIMENSIONS:

To offer consultation and supervision when required by other agencies involved in the psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being of service users.

To provide supervision of Band 7 Clinical Psychologists, doctoral level clinical psychology trainees, assistant psychologists and trainees from other disciplines as appropriate.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Clinical

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment for service users experiencing moderate, severe and complex mental health/psychological problems based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect observation and semi-structured interviews with service users, their family and/or carers.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological intervention and/or management of mental health/psychological and/or behavioural difficulties based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and exercising expert clinical judgement based on the highest standards of evidence based practice across a full range of care settings.

To establish rapport and build effective working relationships with service users and all those involved in their psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes.

To work jointly with other team members and professionals in delivering the most appropriate clinical service to service users and, where appropriate, their families/carers.

To follow appropriate local Safeguarding Adults and Children policies in all clinical work, including close liaison with all relevant agencies.

To provide specialist risk assessment of, and intervention to, service users who may present in local acute settings in line with agreed procedures

To liaise and consult with the wider professional network in the care of service users, offering consultation and supervision where necessary.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychological interventions and to autonomously manage a caseload of clients.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users, the settings in which they present, and agencies involved in the psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms.Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

Child Adolescent Psycotherapist

The post holder will provide a comprehensive and specialist child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment and treatment service for children and adolescents, their parents/carers and families, who may be experiencing severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems. She/he will provide specialist supervision, consultation, teaching and training within the service and to staff of related agencies (social services, health, education, voluntary sector, etc.) including second opinions, reflecting his or her experience and post qualification professional development. She/he will work autonomously within professional guidelines and will contribute to the evaluation, monitoring, development and implementation of the overall framework of the Trusts policies and procedures. She/he will contribute to audit procedures, policy and service development and research. The post holder will function as a member of a multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will contribute to and support, as appropriate depending on experience and level of professional development, to the training activity of the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Trust staff.

This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The postholder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.

The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the postholder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

JOB DIMENSIONS

The post holder will undertake responsibility for clinical supervision, individual and group, for service clinicians and where appropriate assistant child and adolescent psychotherapists. She/he may undertake line management and supervisory responsibility for a child and adolescent psychotherapy clinical trainee. The post holder will have responsibility for maintaining adequate stock of essential materials for use in treatment.

If the service has an on call rota the post holder will participate in this.

To provide specialist psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment for children/adolescents and their parents who may be experiencing severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems. To make decisions about treatment options taking into account relevant evidence based research, theory, practice and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes which have shaped the child/adolescent, their parents/carers and family. To formulate and implement plans for therapeutic intervention and management from the point of referral.

To provide specialist short-term psychotherapeutic treatment for highly disturbed children, adolescents, their parents/carers and families, who may be vulnerable, have mental health problems, be highly dysfunctional and have complex and persistent problems. To provide specialist brief interventions in particular, parent-infant psychotherapy.

To provide specialist long term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for clients with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems.

To be responsible for working within the appropriate Child Protection and Deliberate Self Harm guidelines in relation to own cases. This includes reporting to and liaising with multi-disciplinary service and external agency staff (e.g. Social Services staff, CAMHS colleagues, adult mental health staff, primary health and hospital staff, education staff, the service Consultant Psychiatrist, named child protection worker).

To be responsible for continually monitoring and evaluating risk to/from children and young people in own caseload and during supervision/consultation discussions.

To provide specialist assessment reports for social services, courts and solicitors as required.

To contribute directly to the service provision for Deliberate Self Harm presentations.

To contribute as an independent clinician to a multidisciplinary team. Including generic CAMHS assessments and joint/co-working.

To participate in regular review and on-going discussion of cases in treatment with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and to provide specialist expertise in psychoanalytic techniques.

To provide comprehensive clinical, consultive, supervisory and teaching service as required internally or on an outreach basis.

To co-ordinate and organise, where appropriate, network meetings with professional members of other agencies.

To be responsible for the application of a range of theoretical and practical knowledge acquired over a significant period of time, (e.g. developments in psychoanalysis, child and adolescent development, neuroscience, attachment theory and adult psycho-pathology).

To participate in the evaluation of clinical work and to contribute to the development of best evidence based practice based evidence within the service.

To provide autonomous professional responsibility based on the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

To take part in the induction of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training.

To assist in the management of the workloads of assistant and trainee child and adolescent psychotherapists within the framework of the teams policies and procedures.

To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant and trainee child and adolescent psychotherapists.

Clinical Psychologist

This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The postholder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed. The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the postholder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

JOB PURPOSE:

The post holder will provide a high quality specialist clinical psychology service to clients as part of the multidisciplinary team within the service.

Provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention.

Provide advice and consultation on psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues, and other, non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines, and the overall framework of the team and trusts policies and procedures.

Supervise and support Psychology Assistants, Trainees and Band 7 HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologists.

To utilise research skills for audit, policy, service development and research within the areas served by the team/service.

JOB DIMENSIONS:

To offer consultation and supervision when required by other agencies involved in the psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being of service users.

To provide supervision of Band 7 Clinical Psychologists, doctoral level clinical psychology trainees, assistant psychologists and trainees from other disciplines as appropriate.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Clinical

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment for service users experiencing moderate, severe and complex mental health/psychological problems based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect observation and semi-structured interviews with service users, their family and/or carers.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological intervention and/or management of mental health/psychological and/or behavioural difficulties based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and exercising expert clinical judgement based on the highest standards of evidence based practice across a full range of care settings.

To establish rapport and build effective working relationships with service users and all those involved in their psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes.

To work jointly with other team members and professionals in delivering the most appropriate clinical service to service users and, where appropriate, their families/carers.

To follow appropriate local Safeguarding Adults and Children policies in all clinical work, including close liaison with all relevant agencies.

To provide specialist risk assessment of, and intervention to, service users who may present in local acute settings in line with agreed procedures

To liaise and consult with the wider professional network in the care of service users, offering consultation and supervision where necessary.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychological interventions and to autonomously manage a caseload of clients.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users, the settings in which they present, and agencies involved in the psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms.Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Psychologist
  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
  • Significant Post qualification experience in a Setting relevant to the post.
  • HCPC Registration as a Clinical Psychologist.
  • Psychotherapist
  • Doctorate level or Doctorate level equivalent qualification, including comprehensive study of highly complex, specialist psychoanalytic theories of development and psychopathology.
  • Full membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

Desirable

  • Psychotherapist
  • Further academic or research work (not necessarily leading to formal qualification).

Special Knowledge & Skills

Essential

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Good Psychometric Assessment skills.
  • Experience of assisting in training of Post Graduate Clinical Psychology Trainees.
  • Exceptional communication skills in verbal, non verbal and written modes.
  • Ability to empathise and develop good therapeutic alliance.
  • Ability to Formulate Complex processes.
  • Capacity to conduct Psychometric Assessment.
  • Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.
  • Keyboard skills.
  • Manual Dexterity for conducting tests.
  • Child Psychotherapist.
  • Doctoral level (or equivalent) knowledge of child and adolescent psychotherapy, including highly developed knowledge of psychoanalytic theories and models of development, psychopathology and family and institutional dynamics and defences.
  • Knowledge of current NHS policy and legislation and its implications for clinical practice in relation to the mental health of children, adolescents and parents.
  • Capacity to contribute to policy implementation and service development with the Trust.
  • Skills in the use of specialist, complex psychoanalytical methods of assessment, intervention and management in work with children and families, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • A high level of ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex highly technical and clinically sensitive information to children and young people, their carers and families and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
  • Ability to integrate psychoanalytic theories and outcome data with clinical practice and service provision.
  • Ability to integrate highly complex clinical information into a coherent formulation and to apply it in treatment and clinical management.

Desirable

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Working with people in Crisis.
  • Working on an in-patient Psychiatric ward.
  • Child Psychotherapist.
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology.
  • Experience in designing, planning and undertaking clinical research, audit and service evaluation.
  • Record of having published in peer reviewed publications

Physical Attributes

Essential

  • Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Experience

Essential

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
  • 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.
  • Frequent, protracted sustained and intense concentration.
  • Show respect and treat people with dignity.
  • Be able to give bad news sensitively.
  • Be able to sustain empathy in difficult situations.
  • Be aware of all interviewees in any situation.
  • Child Psychotherapists.
  • Professional qualification and experience with children, adolescents and families (e.g. clinical psychology, educational psychology, teaching, social work) prior to qualification as a child psychotherapist.
  • Substantial experience of relevant patient groups presenting high levels of complexity and difficulty, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
  • Experience in psychotherapy assessment and therapeutic work with children and families across the age range, with a full range of presenting problems and across settings including community, outpatient and clinic settings.
  • Substantial experience of consultation, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
  • Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of groupwork.
  • Child Psychotherapists
  • Experience of audit.
  • Experience of the application of child psychotherapy in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of presenting child psychotherapy in local policy fora.
  • Experience in a leadership/management role.
  • Highly specialised skills in a particular clinical area e.g. looked after children, autism, early intervention with young families, self-harm.

Training

Essential

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Completion of formal training to meet eligibility as clinical supervisor of Doctoral Trainee Clinical Psychologists.

Desirable

  • Child Psychotherapist
  • Completion of specific training in the supervision of trainee child psychotherapists.

Personal Attributes

Essential

  • Clinical Psychologist.
  • Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.
  • To transport Psychometric testing equipment.
  • Child Psychotherapists
  • Ability to cope with stressful interpersonal situations including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse and communication in situations in which there may be barriers to the acceptance of communications.
  • Capacity to work as an autonomous and independent practitioner, responsible for own work and interventions and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and policies.
  • An ability to function effectively in a group/team context.
  • Having undergone a full personal psychoanalysis for a minimum period of five years.
  • Flexibility in working arrangements.
  • A capacity to manage stressful situations without adverse impact on capacities and functioning.
  • A clear commitment to effective multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working.
  • A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).
  • The post holder will be required to participate in the on call rota if part of the service offer.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Psychologist
  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
  • Significant Post qualification experience in a Setting relevant to the post.
  • HCPC Registration as a Clinical Psychologist.
  • Psychotherapist
  • Doctorate level or Doctorate level equivalent qualification, including comprehensive study of highly complex, specialist psychoanalytic theories of development and psychopathology.
  • Full membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

Desirable

  • Psychotherapist
  • Further academic or research work (not necessarily leading to formal qualification).

Special Knowledge & Skills

Essential

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Good Psychometric Assessment skills.
  • Experience of assisting in training of Post Graduate Clinical Psychology Trainees.
  • Exceptional communication skills in verbal, non verbal and written modes.
  • Ability to empathise and develop good therapeutic alliance.
  • Ability to Formulate Complex processes.
  • Capacity to conduct Psychometric Assessment.
  • Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.
  • Keyboard skills.
  • Manual Dexterity for conducting tests.
  • Child Psychotherapist.
  • Doctoral level (or equivalent) knowledge of child and adolescent psychotherapy, including highly developed knowledge of psychoanalytic theories and models of development, psychopathology and family and institutional dynamics and defences.
  • Knowledge of current NHS policy and legislation and its implications for clinical practice in relation to the mental health of children, adolescents and parents.
  • Capacity to contribute to policy implementation and service development with the Trust.
  • Skills in the use of specialist, complex psychoanalytical methods of assessment, intervention and management in work with children and families, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • A high level of ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex highly technical and clinically sensitive information to children and young people, their carers and families and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
  • Ability to integrate psychoanalytic theories and outcome data with clinical practice and service provision.
  • Ability to integrate highly complex clinical information into a coherent formulation and to apply it in treatment and clinical management.

Desirable

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Working with people in Crisis.
  • Working on an in-patient Psychiatric ward.
  • Child Psychotherapist.
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology.
  • Experience in designing, planning and undertaking clinical research, audit and service evaluation.
  • Record of having published in peer reviewed publications

Physical Attributes

Essential

  • Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Experience

Essential

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
  • 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.
  • Frequent, protracted sustained and intense concentration.
  • Show respect and treat people with dignity.
  • Be able to give bad news sensitively.
  • Be able to sustain empathy in difficult situations.
  • Be aware of all interviewees in any situation.
  • Child Psychotherapists.
  • Professional qualification and experience with children, adolescents and families (e.g. clinical psychology, educational psychology, teaching, social work) prior to qualification as a child psychotherapist.
  • Substantial experience of relevant patient groups presenting high levels of complexity and difficulty, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
  • Experience in psychotherapy assessment and therapeutic work with children and families across the age range, with a full range of presenting problems and across settings including community, outpatient and clinic settings.
  • Substantial experience of consultation, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
  • Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of groupwork.
  • Child Psychotherapists
  • Experience of audit.
  • Experience of the application of child psychotherapy in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of presenting child psychotherapy in local policy fora.
  • Experience in a leadership/management role.
  • Highly specialised skills in a particular clinical area e.g. looked after children, autism, early intervention with young families, self-harm.

Training

Essential

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Completion of formal training to meet eligibility as clinical supervisor of Doctoral Trainee Clinical Psychologists.

Desirable

  • Child Psychotherapist
  • Completion of specific training in the supervision of trainee child psychotherapists.

Personal Attributes

Essential

  • Clinical Psychologist.
  • Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.
  • To transport Psychometric testing equipment.
  • Child Psychotherapists
  • Ability to cope with stressful interpersonal situations including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse and communication in situations in which there may be barriers to the acceptance of communications.
  • Capacity to work as an autonomous and independent practitioner, responsible for own work and interventions and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and policies.
  • An ability to function effectively in a group/team context.
  • Having undergone a full personal psychoanalysis for a minimum period of five years.
  • Flexibility in working arrangements.
  • A capacity to manage stressful situations without adverse impact on capacities and functioning.
  • A clear commitment to effective multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working.
  • A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).
  • The post holder will be required to participate in the on call rota if part of the service offer.

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

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Address

8 Fox View Hub, Dewsbury District Hospital

Halifax Road

Dewsbury

WF13 4AD


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Address

8 Fox View Hub, Dewsbury District Hospital

Halifax Road

Dewsbury

WF13 4AD


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Claire Lowe

claire.lowe@swyt.nhs.uk

07825262303

Details

Date posted

21 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9378-CK2270

Job locations

8 Fox View Hub, Dewsbury District Hospital

Halifax Road

Dewsbury

WF13 4AD


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)