Job summary
Are you looking for your first position as a qualified Psychologist, or are you an experienced practitioner seeking to work with children and young people?
We have an exciting Band 7-8a developmental opportunity in our Children and Young Person's team. This flexible arrangement allows us to appoint directly at Band 8a for experienced Psychologists, or recruit at Band 7 with a comprehensive professional development plan to support progression to an 8a role.
In this position, you will work with a broad range of mental health presentations to develop in-depth expertise in young people's mental health and to hone skills for supporting individuals with neurodiversity. Your role is integral to the Getting More Help (GMH) Pathway, which provides expert support to young people experiencing moderate to severe mental health conditions through a single point of access. You will be part of a multidisciplinary team collaborating closely with partner organisations to deliver holistic, high-quality mental health services.
We operate a hybrid working model, combining both face-to-face and remote service delivery, with bases across the county, including Aylesbury and High Wycombe.
Whether you're soon to qualify, newly qualified, or an experienced Band 7 or 8a Psychologist, we invite you to apply and become part of our commitment to improving the mental health and well-being of children and young people.
Main duties of the job
In this role, you'll have the opportunity to really get involved in the Psychology provision offered within Buckinghamshire. On a day-to-day basis, this will include:
- Offering psychology assessments.
- Offering psychology consultation to both CAMHS clinicians (within and external to our team) and Multiagency services (e.g. social care and schools) providing opportunities to engage with other professionals to share and disseminate psychological knowledge/understanding.
- Delivering psychological interventions using a range of models through 1:1 sessions, joint parent and young person work. There are opportunities for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, DNA-V (adolescent model for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and Compassion Focused Therapy in line with the existing evidence bases
- Delivering clinical supervision and supporting Psychology Trainees (both CBT trainees and trainee Clinical Psychologists).
- To support the duty provision, by undertaking the role of duty on a rota basis as shared out within the team.
Applicants must have a full valid driving license and have access to a vehicle for work. Adjustments can be considered in line with the Equality Act 2010 where required.
About us
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team".
Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
- Excellent opportunities for career progression
- Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
- 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
- NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
- Competitive pension scheme
- Lease car scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
- Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Buckinghamshire CAMHS GMH team is renowned for being creative, innovative, forward-thinking, dynamic, and research led. We foster a strong ethos of collaboration, shared reflection, and team working, offering various opportunities for professional development and learning. Our commitment to staff well-being is evident through our active Wellbeing Team, regular staff support sessions, reflective practice groups, and social events.
Our psychological approaches are integrative, encompassing Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), third-wave therapies such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed practice, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and systemic practices. We emphasise understanding the context of each young person, allowing us to tailor interventions that meet the diverse needs of our population.
We are dedicated to continuous service development, including establishing more trauma-informed care and responsive intervention packages to ensure timely support following referrals. Opportunities for involvement in service evaluation and research projects are available for those interested.
Training and development are priorities within our Trust. We support clinicians pursuing further qualifications, such as BABCP accreditation, and offer supervision and training opportunities in various therapeutic modalities, including DNV-A, CBT Trauma-Focused Therapy, supervision skills, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Our culture of skill-sharing and professional growth ensures that all development opportunities are considered through the Personal Development Review (PDR)/Appraisal framework.
If you are an enthusiastic, personable, and resourceful individual committed to delivering high-quality mental health care to young people and eager to develop your skills within a supportive and dynamic team, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity within the GMH Pathway.
We spoke with the team and here's what they said:
"I am incredibly proud to work for our Trust and to work with so many people who are so committed to helping to support young people and their families. CAMHS feels like one big family, and it is a great place to be where everyone works collaboratively and helps supports each other in the quest to trying to provide the best care to our patients."
"I cannot speak highly enough of the team I work with. Getting more help is full of compassionate , kind, hardworking people who are an absolute pleasure to work with. Best team I have ever worked in by far."
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Buckinghamshire CAMHS GMH team is renowned for being creative, innovative, forward-thinking, dynamic, and research led. We foster a strong ethos of collaboration, shared reflection, and team working, offering various opportunities for professional development and learning. Our commitment to staff well-being is evident through our active Wellbeing Team, regular staff support sessions, reflective practice groups, and social events.
Our psychological approaches are integrative, encompassing Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), third-wave therapies such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed practice, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and systemic practices. We emphasise understanding the context of each young person, allowing us to tailor interventions that meet the diverse needs of our population.
We are dedicated to continuous service development, including establishing more trauma-informed care and responsive intervention packages to ensure timely support following referrals. Opportunities for involvement in service evaluation and research projects are available for those interested.
Training and development are priorities within our Trust. We support clinicians pursuing further qualifications, such as BABCP accreditation, and offer supervision and training opportunities in various therapeutic modalities, including DNV-A, CBT Trauma-Focused Therapy, supervision skills, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Our culture of skill-sharing and professional growth ensures that all development opportunities are considered through the Personal Development Review (PDR)/Appraisal framework.
If you are an enthusiastic, personable, and resourceful individual committed to delivering high-quality mental health care to young people and eager to develop your skills within a supportive and dynamic team, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity within the GMH Pathway.
We spoke with the team and here's what they said:
"I am incredibly proud to work for our Trust and to work with so many people who are so committed to helping to support young people and their families. CAMHS feels like one big family, and it is a great place to be where everyone works collaboratively and helps supports each other in the quest to trying to provide the best care to our patients."
"I cannot speak highly enough of the team I work with. Getting more help is full of compassionate , kind, hardworking people who are an absolute pleasure to work with. Best team I have ever worked in by far."
Person Specification
Knowledge Requirements
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with clients with severe and complex mental health problems
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology and psychotherapy.
Desirable
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
Qualifications - Academic/Skills/Professional
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical/ counselling psychology including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Registration/Due to apply for registration with HCPC (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications or experience in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
- Masters/Diploma in CBT with a core qualification in a field of mental health, including psychiatric nursing, social work or occupational therapy.
Further Training or Job Related Aptitude and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant professional body.
Desirable
- Willingness to work towards accreditation with accrediting body such as BABCP, SfDBT or ACAT.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, day services 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 threat of physical abuse.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Experience of running/corunning groups.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- A positive approach to working with adults children and young people with mental health difficulties.
- Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Person Specification
Knowledge Requirements
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with clients with severe and complex mental health problems
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology and psychotherapy.
Desirable
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
Qualifications - Academic/Skills/Professional
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical/ counselling psychology including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Registration/Due to apply for registration with HCPC (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications or experience in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
- Masters/Diploma in CBT with a core qualification in a field of mental health, including psychiatric nursing, social work or occupational therapy.
Further Training or Job Related Aptitude and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant professional body.
Desirable
- Willingness to work towards accreditation with accrediting body such as BABCP, SfDBT or ACAT.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, day services 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 threat of physical abuse.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Experience of running/corunning groups.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- A positive approach to working with adults children and young people with mental health difficulties.
- Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
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).
