Principal Applied Psychologist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Applied Psychologist (Band 8b) to join Walsall CAMHS in a permanent, part‑time (0.71 WTE) senior leadership role.

The post holder will deliver highly specialist psychological care for children and young people with complex mental health needs and act as clinical and strategic lead for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), ensuring high‑quality, evidence‑based delivery within CAMHS.

The role includes clinical leadership, supervision, service development and quality improvement, working closely with senior clinicians and managers to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

Main duties of the job

Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children and young people with complex, high‑risk and enduring mental health presentations.

Act as the clinical and strategic lead for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) within Walsall CAMHS, ensuring high‑quality, evidence‑based delivery aligned with best practice.

Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of the DBT pathway, including oversight of referrals, care pathways, clinical governance and outcomes.

Provide expert consultation, supervision and leadership to staff delivering DBT, promoting fidelity to the model and workforce capability.

Hold professional and clinical supervisory responsibility for applied psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainees, contributing to psychologically informed MDT supervision.

Work collaboratively within the MDT to ensure psychological input informs risk assessment, care planning, safeguarding and service delivery.

Lead and contribute to multi‑disciplinary training, including DBT, trauma‑informed care and complex presentations.

Play a key role in service development, quality improvement, audit and research, supporting NICE compliance, outcome monitoring and continuous improvement.

Work with service managers and senior clinicians to support service redesign and strategic priorities, promoting a compassionate, inclusive and psychologically informed service aligned with governance and Trust values.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder is a Principal Applied Psychologist (Band 8b) within Walsall Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), delivering highly specialist psychological services to children, young people and their families presenting with complex, high‑risk and enduring mental health difficulties.

The role combines advanced clinical practice with strategic and professional leadership, including acting as the clinical and strategic lead for the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) provision in Walsall CAMHS. The post holder will ensure high‑quality, evidence‑based DBT delivery, support service development and workforce capability, and embed a strong psychological perspective across multi‑disciplinary care pathways.

The post holder is professionally responsible for their own practice and provides clinical supervision, line management, training and consultancy to applied psychologists and other staff. They play a key role in service development, quality improvement, governance, audit and research, contributing to service redesign and culture change in line with Trust values.

1. Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children and young people with complex mental health presentations, working closely with families and carers.
• Undertake and oversee risk assessment and risk management, providing expert psychological advice in relation to high‑risk presentations, safeguarding, and crisis planning.
• Develop, implement and review evidence‑based treatment plans, adapting psychological formulations and interventions in response to progress and complexity.
• Provide specialist consultation to the MDT to inform diagnosis, formulation, care planning and clinical decision‑making.
• Lead and contribute to multi‑disciplinary care planning, monitoring outcomes and supporting coordinated delivery of care.

2. Leadership of DBT Provision (Walsall CAMHS)

• Act as the clinical and strategic lead for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) within Walsall CAMHS.
• Lead the development, implementation and ongoing evaluation of the DBT pathway, ensuring fidelity to the DBT model and alignment with national and local best practice.
• Provide expert clinical leadership, supervision and consultation to staff delivering DBT interventions.
• Support workforce development and training in DBT, including maintaining competencies and embedding psychologically informed practice.
• Oversee clinical governance, outcome monitoring and quality assurance for the DBT provision.

3. Supervision and Professional Leadership

• Provide clinical supervision to applied psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists.
• Line manage assistant psychologists where required.
• Support psychologically informed supervision and reflective practice across the MDT.
• Maintain responsibility for own professional development and HCPC requirements, contributing to teaching and supervision on applied psychology training programmes as appropriate.

4. Multi‑Disciplinary Training and Development

• Promote and embed psychologically informed and trauma‑informed approaches across the MDT.
• Deliver and coordinate training and consultation to multi‑disciplinary colleagues, including DBT‑related training where appropriate.
• Assess training needs within care pathways and contribute to workforce development plans.

5. Service Development, Quality Improvement and Governance

• Contribute to and lead service development initiatives, quality improvement projects (QIPs), audit and NICE benchmarking.
• Work collaboratively with service managers, consultant psychologists and senior clinicians to identify service priorities and support service redesign and cultural change.
• Represent a psychological perspective in service‑level forums relating to governance, quality and service improvement.

6. Service Evaluation and Research

• Lead and contribute to service evaluation and outcome monitoring, including DBT‑specific outcomes.
• Initiate, develop and deliver research and evaluation projects, engaging service users and carers where appropriate.
• Supervise trainee and qualified staff undertaking service evaluation and audit projects.

7. Professional, Safeguarding and Organisational Responsibilities

• Uphold professional, ethical and legal standards in line with HCPC requirements and Trust policies.
• Take responsibility for safeguarding children and young people, confidentiality, data protection, infection control and health and safety.
• Work in accordance with Trust values, promoting compassion, respect, inclusion and collaboration.