Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen arisen for an 8a, or 7/8a Preceptorship Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist to come and join the MDT working on the older adult (OA) inpatient wards in Tameside.
This post has been newly created and is part of an increased investment in OA services, in recognition of the outstanding care we wish to provide for our OA communities. We hope this additional resource will develop a robust offer across the Trust's footprint.
There will be appropriate support, supervision and guidance available and you will belong to a compassionate and invested Older Adult MDT who are committed to providing evidence based, trauma informed clinical care to those who are supported by our services.
You will be afforded various CPD opportunities throughout alongside the chance to develop leadership skills that will serve to enhance your contribution to the older adult network and your own career progression.
Main duties of the job
To provide and supervise psychological assessments, formulations, interventions / therapies appropriate to a specialist psychological therapy service for service users with highly complex mental health problems / organic illnesses cared for within the Older People Inpatient Service. To support the delivery of trauma informed and personalised care to meet presenting need.
Working closely as part of the multi-disciplinary team, a key function of the role will be to support inpatient staff through consultation, care-planning, reflective practice, team formulation and training to develop a psychological understanding and context for patients and carers, that is formulation driven, recovery focussed and trauma and gender informed.
To provide line management and clinical supervision and to play an active role in service developments and governance within the service as required. The post holders will propose and implement evidence-based practice, utilising research skills for audit and service developments.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for specific details of primary responsibilities.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential
- • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- • Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
- • Knowledge of the practice implications of the National policy and guidance with secondary care service users.
- • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the secondary care service users and mental health.
Desirable
- • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. CERN, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities etc.).
- • High–level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- • Formal training in the supervision of other psychologists.
Experience
Essential
- Clinical experience as a specialist clinical psychologist in a relevant field of practice.
- • Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for service users presenting with complexity in a variety of settings including primary and secondary care, community, outpatient and inpatient settings.
- • Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- • MDT working (including across community and acute care pathways).
- • Experience of teaching, training, consultation and supervision.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- • Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- • Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing complex, highly technical and / or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- • Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- • Ability to teach and train others using a variety of complex and multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- • Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- • Experience of working with a multicultural framework.
- • Experience of working within an Older People Service.
- • Strong interest in developing ways of increasing psychologically based interventions in acute care settings.
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- • Professional Doctorate in clinical psychology recognised by the British Psychological Society / or Counselling Psychology and registration with HCPC.
- • Specialist professional knowledge of psychological needs and services for older people and their carers, with some further specialisation within this. This includes relevant psychological theories, methods and evidence.
Desirable
- • Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and / or other fields of applied psychology.
- • Further training / qualification in a specialist therapy, model of consultation or leadership skills.
- • Completion of training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologist.
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- • Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
- • Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
- • Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist OPS Acute-Tameside with Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust in Ashton Under Lyne, North West, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £57,528 - £64,750 pa. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 31 Jul 2026.
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