Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist

The closing date is 31 August 2025

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and energetic Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to work in Acute Mental Health. You will be working in a very dynamic environment, which will provide you with many opportunities to learn and develop your therapeutic and systemic skills. There will also be an opportunity to be creative and innovative within the role, bringing new ideas, incorporating evidence-based practice into how the service is delivered.

Within the ward environment, you will have the opportunity to develop skills and expertise in the application of psychology not just at an individual level, but at the team and group level. A strong interest in pursuing consultation and leadership roles and developing skills in assessment and practice within a group context is desired. Running reflective practice sessions for staff, consider your position in the team and wider systemic issues, together with an interest in developing the skills to intervene via a range of formats, e.g., ward groups, staff consultation, families/carers and the MDT.

You will be well supported through regular clinical and managerial supervision as well as training to develop both professionally and personally within the role. There are many CPD opportunities as well as opportunities to join specialist supervision groups, such as the Trauma Clinical Network Group and other groups.

Experience in an Acute Setting is not required for this role and we would consider newly qualified psychologists.

Main duties of the job

You will support and assist the core aims within the service, both in direct clinical work and as a positive member of the multi-disciplinary team and wider service, having an important liaison function supporting the transition of patients between services.

You will provide psychological assessment and treatment, as well as psychological formulations and consultation to the multi-disciplinary team. You will also provide evidence-based group interventions such as DBT informed skills and support groups, as well as reflective practice/case discussions for staff.

You will also be a qualified practitioner on site to offer supervision, advice, support and to work with the assistant psychologists and trainee CAPS.

About us

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.

Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.

We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Our strategy

Our mission is what we set out to do every dayWe deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the futureTo provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Date posted

18 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per anum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

380-AC0727

Job locations

Eastern & Coastal Area Office, Canterbury

Littlebourne Road

Canterbury

CT1 1AZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

At KMPT, we are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

HCPC registration
Doctoral level training in psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies

Desirable

Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experince

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings.

Desirable

Experience of working with psychosis.
Experience of working in an acute care service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

HCPC registration
Doctoral level training in psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies

Desirable

Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experince

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings.

Desirable

Experience of working with psychosis.
Experience of working in an acute care service.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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

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

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Address

Eastern & Coastal Area Office, Canterbury

Littlebourne Road

Canterbury

CT1 1AZ

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Address

Eastern & Coastal Area Office, Canterbury

Littlebourne Road

Canterbury

CT1 1AZ

Employer's website

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