Clinical/Forensic/Counselling Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Rooted in ABLs innovative, person-centred model, IPS combines clinical insight with relational practice, supporting children, young people, families and, in some cases, adults who are at risk of placement breakdown, care escalation, or social exclusion.

We provide intensive, high-impact support typically delivered over several months, with multiple sessions per week lasting around 34 hours each. These sessions are facilitated by a dedicated team of support workers, assistant psychologists, and PBS practitioners, all working under the guidance of our experienced clinical team. Each support package is tailored to build trusting relationships, address individual goals and challenges, strengthen families and support systems, and promote long-term, sustainable change enabling us to step back once consistent progress is achieved. When required, qualified psychologists or members of our operational leadership team provide additional input through more complex assessments or interventions. Safeguarding is a fundamental part of our practice, supported by access to designated senior safeguarding officers.

Our model follows four key stages: Assessment & Relationship Building, where we co-produce outcomes with clients and commissioners and develop informed intervention plans; Active Intervention, where support is delivered and continuously refined through clinical review; Maintenance, which ensures that positive change remains stable and consistent; and Positive Endings & Transitions, focused on concluding support in a planned and supportive way, recognising the impact endings may have on individuals with previous difficult experiences.

Although originally centred around individuals with autism and learning disabilities, our service has evolved to meet a broader range of complex needs. We now work with children, young people, and families dealing with mental health challenges, trauma, family dysfunction, criminal or risky behaviours, and disengagement from services. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we design every intervention plan around the unique needs of each person, offering 1:1, 2:1, or family-based sessions as required to manage risk, complexity, and context effectively.

About the Role

As a Clinical, Counselling, or Forensic Psychologist, you will provide clinical leadership and oversight across all IPS operations. You will work as part of a dynamic, supportive management team to shape a service that is truly life-changing for those it supports.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in complexity, enjoys developing others, and wants to work beyond traditional clinical environments.

Job Purpose:

As a key member of the Intensive Personalised Support (IPS) management team, the Clinical, Forensic, or Counselling Psychologist plays a pivotal role in shaping and guiding the clinical integrity of the service. This dynamic position involves providing strategic clinical leadership, high-quality oversight, and expert consultation across all aspects of IPS operations. From referral through to case closure, the post-holder will collaborate closely with management colleagues and delivery teams to ensure that every client receives personalised, evidence-based support that drives meaningful, measurable outcomes.

Operating predominantly within a consultancy model, the psychologist will provide clinical oversight through the supervision of assistant psychologists and positive behaviour support practitioners, while supporting front-line delivery staff to maintain safe, effective, and person-centred care. In more complex or high-risk cases, the role may also involve direct clinical assessment or intervention, as well as participation in multi-agency meetings alongside supervisees. There are also opportunities to extend their expertise beyond IPS, offering consultation to other ABL services and contributing to service-wide development initiatives.

The role goes beyond individual client work; it includes a strong focus on holistic wellbeing supporting clients and families experiencing a wide range of psychological challenges, including mental and physical health conditions, neurodivergence, and trauma. In addition, the psychologist is encouraged to support the wellbeing and reflectiveness of the IPS team, helping to cultivate a resilient, compassionate workforce capable of navigating the complexities of high-impact support work.

Key Responsibilities:

As the Psychologist within the IPS leadership team, you will play a vital role in safeguarding client wellbeing, driving service quality, and embedding clinical best practices throughout our operations. This is a varied and rewarding role with a strong focus on clinical leadership, collaboration, and service development. Your core responsibilities will include:

1. Referral Oversight: Collaborate with the IPS Service Lead to clinically review incoming referrals, assessing their suitability for the IPS model and identifying key risk factors or missing information early in the process.
2. Clinical Leadership: Assign a clinician to each accepted case, maintaining overall clinical responsibility. Youll oversee and guide assistant psychologists and PBS practitioners, ensuring safe, effective, and person-centred intervention.
3. Clinical Reporting: Provide supervision and quality assurance for all clinical reports, ensuring that each client receives a clear, thoughtful initial and final report reflecting their journey and progress.
4. Assessment & Intervention Planning: Supervise the development of tailored assessment and intervention plans, including both client-specific and service-wide outcome measures. When necessary, carry out complex assessments or interventions directly.
5. Clinical Supervision: Deliver robust clinical supervision, encompassing both written work and direct practice, to our assistant psychologists and PBS practitioners.
6. Training & Development: Identify training needs and deliver bespoke clinical training to both the IPS clinical team and wider service. Work alongside operational leadership to maintain and evolve the services training matrix.
7. MDT Leadership: Chair IPS internal multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and support clinicians in setting them up. Contribute actively to divisional MDTs, ensuring collaborative, multi-agency working.
8. Clinician Development: Promote CPD and skills growth among your supervisees, recommending internal or external training opportunities as appropriate.
9. Integrated Working: Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to coordinate assessments and interventions. Prioritise clear, ethical communication while navigating consent, capacity, and safeguarding frameworks.
10. Consent & Capacity: Champion high standards around consent and capacity practices, supporting both policy development and case-level application.
11. Outcome Measurement: Oversee the consistent collection, analysis, and reporting of routine outcome measures, ensuring our interventions are both impactful and measurable.
12. Collaborative Culture: Work with operational managers to integrate therapeutic thinking into daily practice, blending clinical insight with service delivery expertise.
13. Risk Management: Contribute to the creation and ongoing refinement of clinical risk assessments, ensuring a proactive approach to client safety.
14. Formulation & PBS Planning: Lead or support the development of psychological formulations and PBS plans that are accessible, meaningful, and actionable for clients, families, and teams.
15. Complex Case Guidance: Provide high-level clinical input to teams supporting clients with complex behavioural and psychological needs.
16. Multidisciplinary Insight: Facilitate psychologically informed discussions within MDTs, enhancing shared understanding and joint working.
17. Innovation & Service Improvement: Stay abreast of emerging models and innovations in complex case management, championing their integration into IPS.
18. Effective Communication: Maintain clear, respectful, and timely communication with clients, colleagues, and partner agencies. Proactively manage follow-up actions.
19. Service Evaluation: Lead or support service improvement initiatives, with a focus on systems and approaches that drive better outcomes.
20. Dissemination & CPD Contribution: Share clinical expertise across the team through formal and informal learning opportunities.
21. Therapeutic Competence: Confidently assess, formulate, and deliver psychological interventions appropriate to the diverse and often neurodivergent IPS client base.
22. Legislative Knowledge: Maintain a strong understanding of relevant legislation and its implications for practice and client rights.
23. Clinical Record Keeping: Uphold high standards of documentation and data integrity in line with ABL and professional guidance.
24. Professional Development: Engage in regular supervision, appraisal, and CPD to maintain and enhance your clinical practice.
25. Governance Engagement: Contribute to Progress Review Boards, Restraint Reduction reviews, and other divisional forums where clinical insight shapes safer service delivery.
26. Model Development: Support the evolution of clinical models and processes, helping embed consistent, effective practice across IPS.

Requirements

• HCPC-registered Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychologist
• Demonstrable experience in supervising assistant psychologists and/or PBS practitioners
• Experience working with children, young people, or adults with complex behavioural, emotional or psychological needs
• Understanding of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), formulation-led practice, and trauma-informed approaches
• Skilled in multi-agency work with families, education, social care, and health systems
• Ability to contribute to organisational development and service improvement

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Knowledge of and expertise of implementing Positive Behaviour Support strategies
• Experience (either pre-training, on training, or subsequently) of working with clients with complex needs that are relevant to the population in the service area.

Desirable

• Have an up-to-date knowledge of legislation and its implications for the professions and the client groups we work with.
• Knowledge of ongoing debates and discussions around guidelines; for ex. Regarding various diagnoses

Experience

Essential

• Able to assess, formulate and deliver appropriate interventions to afford behavioural change
• Working with and supporting people whose behaviour is described as concerning or challenging
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Experience of working with children and young people with a Learning Disability, Autism, and/or those that may be socially excluded

Desirable

• Experience of working cross-organisation to achieve outcomes

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctorate (or equivalent) in Clinical/Forensic/Counselling Psychology
• Registered with the HCPC
• 2 years post qualification experience

Desirable

• BPS Chartered
• Qualification and experience in supervising others
• Family Therapist
• Mental Health Qualification
• Qualifications and experience related to trauma-informed parenting Qualification and experience in communication strategies for individuals with additional communication needs (for ex. Talking mats)

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

ABL Health Ltd

Address

71 Redgate Way

Farnworth

Bolton

BL4 0JL

Employer's website

https://www.ablhealth.co.uk/work-for-us/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)