Clinical Psychologist

Job overview

The ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) Service is primarily based at the Child Development Centre, Seaside View, on the Brighton General Hospital site. Young people accessing the service are under the care of paediatricians at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital (RACH), Brighton.

The multidisciplinary team, including psychologists and occupational therapists, works closely together, undertaking joint initial assessments and collaborating with referring paediatricians, as well as professionals and agencies both within and outside the hospital as required. The service provides specialist support in sleep, energy management, and mental health and wellbeing for young people under 19 (in education) living in Brighton & Hove. Strong links with schools and home tuition services are a key component of the service.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking a Psychologist with experience in paediatric settings, ideally with skills in working with young people and their support networks, even if they have not worked directly with ME/CFS. Experience of multi-agency collaboration across health, education, and social care is essential. The successful candidate will support young people in adjusting to and managing ME/CFS, promoting coping strategies and facilitating recovery and improvement.

Key skills include consultation, training, and group facilitation, alongside competence in bio-psycho-social assessment and a range of therapeutic interventions. Experience in audit and service evaluation is important to support ongoing service development. Strong therapy skills grounded in systemic and attachment-based frameworks are required, as well as the ability to develop clear clinical formulations and make informed care decisions in line with current NICE guidelines for ME/CFS.

The post holder will also be part of the wider Brighton & Hove Psychology team, a dynamic and supportive network of psychologists working across Specialist Tier 3 CAMHS, Learning Disability services, Community Child Health, Neurodevelopmental Services, Social Care, and Education.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Outline The post holder will work as part of the ME/CFS team to provide a high-quality, specialist applied psychology service to young people and their families/carers. They will contribute to psychological practice within the team through consultation, supervision, formulation, and training.

Responsibilities include participation in clinical governance processes, provision of supervision to assistant, trainee, and junior psychologists, and contributing to team development through joint working and knowledge sharing. The role also involves using research skills to support audit, service evaluation, and development within the service.