Job overview
Are you an experienced and motivated Principal Clinical Psychologist looking to make a meaningful impact within a Core CAMHS team? In Dorset, we are transforming our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services into a Family Mental Health model that embraces and adopts the THRIVE framework. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to service development and innovation, supporting a whole-family approach grounded in compassion, collaboration, and shared decision-making.
In this role, you will provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention to children and young people, alongside their families, within a multidisciplinary team. Working within the THRIVE framework, you will contribute to delivering evidence-based, person-centred care, ensuring that psychological formulation and thinking are embedded at the heart of service delivery.
You will offer a range of therapeutic interventions, alongside consultation, training and supervision to colleagues, working closely with partners across education, social care and the voluntary sector to support integrated care.
You will receive regular clinical supervision from the Clinical Lead Psychologist, alongside access to ongoing training and development opportunities.
The Clinical Psychologist role is a permanent, part-time post of 15 hours per week. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm. We are flexible in how these hours are worked, and this can be discussed further at interview.
Main duties of the job
To conduct thorough psychological assessments, formulating problems and delivering evidence-based programmes of care with children and families who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties.
To regularly review and monitor outcome of assessment and effects of treatment in line with goal-based outcomes and the care programme approach.
To plan and prioritise own workload whilst coordinating with colleagues in the CAMHS locality teams so service users do not wait longer than necessary for a planned intervention.
To plan and chair multi-disciplinary/ multi-agency professional and family meetings (e.g. care planning/ discharge planning). To implement the participation agenda.
To provide specialist psychology supervision, training and consultation to colleagues working across agencies, with the approval of the Team Leader. To contribute to recruitment and selection of less senior staff.
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]
Applications from candidates that require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.
Person specification
Information Technology
Essential
- Ability to use a computer and Internet for word processing, keeping electronic notes, spreadsheets, presentations, teaching and information seeking purposes
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability to conduct complex risk assessments and develop appropriate strategies to minimise risk.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the BPS and HPC and working to professional guidelines. Must be capable of working on their own initiative and acting independently
- Subject to the provisions of the Equality Act, able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business.
- Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English to a standard which enables the post holder to carry out the full range of duties and responsibilities of the role effectively
Job specific experience
Essential
- Training to work as a qualified clinical psychologist.
- Clinical experience with children and adolescents mental health
- Ability to sit in a restricted position for a substantial proportion of the working time Ability to concentrate intensely for long periods of time
- Ability to deal with exposure to highly distressing/ emotional circumstances
Desirable
- Ability to undertake clinical audits
- Leadership experience
- Management experience
Personal Qualities/Attributes
Essential
- Must be capable of working on own initiative and acting independently
- Need to tolerate working conditions which may be unpleasant and where there is some exposure to vandalism and aggressive incidents.
- Ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive information where there may be barriers to understanding or where professional opinions may differ and to form relationships where there may be barriers to these relationships being formed.
- Ability to use a range of assessment materials (including psychometric tests). Ability to manipulate test materials that require a high level of speed, accuracy and concentration.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to “hold” the stress of others.
Knowledge, skills and training
Essential
- 2:1 honours degree in Psychology or better. Eligibility for Graduate Membership of BPS.
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or those in lateral transfer or with Statement of Equivalence) as accredited by the BPS or HPC.
- Specialist Supervisory training.
- Clinical supervision for trainee and assistant clinical psychologists
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Knowledge of legislation, white papers, etc. and implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to CAMHS
Desirable
- Extended skills and training specifically related to child and adolescent mental health
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Clinical Psychologist - CAMHS with Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust in Poole, South West, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £57,528 - £64,750 p.a., pro rata for part time. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 23 Jul 2026.
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