Clinical / Counselling Psychologist

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join our progressive and supportive Dorset All Age Community Eating Disorder Service, which provides assessment, treatment, and ongoing care for individuals of all ages with eating disorders and their families.

This is a part-time, permanent post. We welcome applications from individuals with experience in eating disorders, as well as those who bring a broader understanding of mental health conditions to support their effective management within our service.

The successful applicant will be primarily based at Kings Park Hospital, Bournemouth, with plans for the service to relocate to St Ann’s Hospital, Poole, in 2027. The role will also involve working from Dorchester, contributing to the wider delivery of care across the locality.

You will be joining an experienced, multidisciplinary team committed to delivering high-quality, NICE-concordant care within a psychologically informed framework. The role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the psychological assessment, formulation, and treatment of individuals with eating disorders, as well as to work collaboratively within an MDT.

Regular clinical supervision and access to a wide range of CPD opportunities will be provided to support your ongoing professional development.

Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful.

Main duties of the job

To deliver a highly specialist clinical psychology service to people with an eating  disorder and their families, based in the community arm of the Dorset All Age  Eating Disorders Service.

Direct clinical work would include specialist assessment and tailored therapeutic interventions for individual and families, as well as developing and facilitating therapeutic group work within the inpatient and day program.

You would play a valuable role within multi-disciplinary team discussion, with regular attendance at the Treatment Reviews - contributing psychological formulations and making recommendations for the ongoing assessment and treatment of patients.

Consultation to and supervision of colleagues within the service and within broader mental health services.

You would be an integral member of the senior staff team, actively contributing to service development and in promoting quality and a compassionate, client-led ethos within the service.

An important part of the Psychologist role is to view and represent people with eating disorders as complex, unique individuals rather than diagnoses and involve them collaboratively in the understanding of their difficulties and the planning of appropriate interventions.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.  Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification.  When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application.  However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate’s individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience.  If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety.  If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [email protected]