Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Band 7

The closing date is 26 May 2025

Job summary

We at HPFT have a long history of delivering outstanding care, and are taking our Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Service to the next level. Through an extensive expansion of our psychology provision, we are in a period of skill development with the wider workforce and embedding trauma informed approaches. This is an exciting time of change.

We are looking for a caring and committed HCPC registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist who enjoys working flexibly and in collaboration as part of an MDT, supporting psychological ways of thinking. Experience of working within acute or crisis settings or specialist services engaging people with who have attracted psychosis or personality disorder diagnoses would be beneficial, but not essential. Willingness to work in community settings is essential.

If you have the relevant skills, are energetic, imaginative and, above all, care passionately about working with people and their families towards recovery, then we want to hear from you!

The role is based in the South-East CRHTT in Ware, where psychology is highly valued and sought after. You will be part of a vibrant, passionate, and supportive psychology crisis service that consists of APs, Therapists, Psychologists and a Lead Psychologist. The broad spread of roles gives real opportunity for progression within the service.

We don't want you to miss out: if we have a high level of interest in this role, the vacancy may close prior to the advertised closing date - Apply now!

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will:

o Provide a specialist psychology service to service users who are currently in a mental health crisis and are being supported by the South-East Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team.

o Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions, in both individual and group formats.

o Provide clinical supervision to the Assistant Psychologist embedded within the team along with advice and consultation to colleagues, and to other non-professional carers, on psychological aspects of assessment, formulation, care and treatment.

o Provide compassionate care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect and dignity, and underpinned by principles of recovery and knowledge of trauma informed ways of working.

o Support the development and roll out of Trauma Informed Approaches across HPFT crisis services as we change the question people ask from "What is wrong with you?" to "What hashappened to you?"

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trustare one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Details

Date posted

12 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£48,270 to £54,931 a year per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

367-A&UC-9375

Job locations

Cygnet House

Priory Street

Ware

SG12 0DE


Job description

Job responsibilities

To work with service users who are in a mental health crisis; to seek to understand and resolve the crisis through psychological means; to support the discharge of those service users back to mainstream services as quickly and safely as possible.

To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Services based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

To provide specialist psychological supervision, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.

To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory with a focus on Trauma Informed Approaches.

For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To work with service users who are in a mental health crisis; to seek to understand and resolve the crisis through psychological means; to support the discharge of those service users back to mainstream services as quickly and safely as possible.

To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Services based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

To provide specialist psychological supervision, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.

To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory with a focus on Trauma Informed Approaches.

For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Training

Essential

  • Experience working as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with clients with moderate to severe mental illness within a mental health setting.
  • Current full registration with HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist or BABCP

Desirable

  • Additional training and qualification in one of NICE recommended therapy modalities

Areas of Experience, Knowledge

Essential

  • Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life span's presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
  • Knowledge of whole life span development and the impact on emotional, psychological and mental well-being.
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one evidence based psychological interventions such as CBT, Systemic Therapy or Family Interventions.
  • Ability to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or offering supervision

Desirable

  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients who are experiencing a mental health crisis
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration.

Communication Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Ability to work and communicate therapeutically with clients and their families consistent with their level of understanding, culture, background and preferred ways of communicating.

Analytical Skills

Essential

  • Positive problem-solving approach.
  • Ability to critically evaluate and review developments made by others to determine if and how they could be applied within own area of work.

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Able to move between bases and offices, as required, using suitable mode of transport.
  • IT Skills; including the use of Microsoft Office and Outlook, entering data onto electronic patient records.
Person Specification

Knowledge, Training

Essential

  • Experience working as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with clients with moderate to severe mental illness within a mental health setting.
  • Current full registration with HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist or BABCP

Desirable

  • Additional training and qualification in one of NICE recommended therapy modalities

Areas of Experience, Knowledge

Essential

  • Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life span's presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
  • Knowledge of whole life span development and the impact on emotional, psychological and mental well-being.
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one evidence based psychological interventions such as CBT, Systemic Therapy or Family Interventions.
  • Ability to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or offering supervision

Desirable

  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients who are experiencing a mental health crisis
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration.

Communication Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Ability to work and communicate therapeutically with clients and their families consistent with their level of understanding, culture, background and preferred ways of communicating.

Analytical Skills

Essential

  • Positive problem-solving approach.
  • Ability to critically evaluate and review developments made by others to determine if and how they could be applied within own area of work.

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Able to move between bases and offices, as required, using suitable mode of transport.
  • IT Skills; including the use of Microsoft Office and Outlook, entering data onto electronic patient records.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Cygnet House

Priory Street

Ware

SG12 0DE


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Cygnet House

Priory Street

Ware

SG12 0DE


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Principal Clinical Psychologist

Dr Aaron Rai

aaron.rai10@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

12 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£48,270 to £54,931 a year per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

367-A&UC-9375

Job locations

Cygnet House

Priory Street

Ware

SG12 0DE


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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