Job overview
Join Berkshire CAMHS Getting Help Services and help deliver high-quality, evidence-based psychological care to children and young people with anxiety and related mental health difficulties.
Working within a supportive multidisciplinary team, you will undertake specialist assessments, develop formulation-led care plans, deliver evidence-based interventions, and contribute to effective risk assessment and management. You will work collaboratively with families, colleagues, and partner agencies to provide coordinated, psychologically informed care.
As a senior clinician, you will provide supervision, consultation, teaching, and training to junior colleagues, trainees, and the wider team, supporting service quality and professional development.
Initially, you will work within a specialist team delivering interventions for young people with anxiety disorders, OCD, BDD and tic disorders. Over time, you will move into a Berkshire locality Getting Help Team, providing evidence-based interventions for a range of mild to moderate mental health difficulties, including mood disorders. This role may be based in any Berkshire locality.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced clinician to develop specialist expertise, leadership skills, and contribute to the ongoing development of an innovative CAMHS service.
If you are Specialist Psychological Practitioner (CBT) please apply using this link instead.
Main duties of the job
- To be responsible for the delivery of psychological therapy, providing expert professional leadership and advice relating to the delivery of psychological therapy for complex presentations requiring multiple interventions, complex or intensive risk management plans and high levels of multiagency working in order to ensure and develop consistently high quality, safe and cost effective services for users, working in partnership with key stakeholders internal and external to the Trust.
- As we develop our on-line offer, to undertake a role in moderating service user activity on the Trust Support, Hope, Recovery On-Line Network (SHaRON) and to participate in on-line discussions and care delivery via this modality.
- The post holder will be responsible for expert psychological assessment, case formulation, risk assessment and treatment for a designated number of patients presenting with complex mental health difficulties.
- To provide supervision and mentoring to clinicians and trainees contributing to their professional development and improving the quality of the treatment provided.
- Regularly lead on and undertake audit and research, adding to the evidence base for practice, development activities and participate in quality improvement initiatives to enhance the overall effectiveness of clinical services.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The “must haves” for this role:
- Post graduate doctoral qualification in clinical psychology (or equivalent).
- Registered and accredited with Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) or UKCP/BPC
- Evidence of post-qualification training and expert knowledge in multiple psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to the service area.
- Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a range of settings.
- Experience of managing complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, complaints and investigations.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses given in your supporting statement genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.
In addition to explaining how you meet the person specification, you must complete your employment history for at least the last five years. Any experience, skills or responsibilities referenced in your supporting statement should be evidenced within your employment history. Applications that do not include sufficient employment history to support the experience claimed may not be shortlisted.
We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Stonewall Proud Employer, Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Jemma Crocker Buque telephone number 01189044664 or email jemma.crockerbuque@berkshire.nhs.uk who’ll be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable post qualification experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the area of specialism
- Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics
- Experience of delivering interventions across different modalities (e.g. individual, group and systemic-based approaches)
- Experience of working effectively in multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environments
- Experience of providing specialist advice and consultation to multi-disciplinary and multi-agency colleagues to support the psychological care of service users
- Experience of providing effective clinical supervision, mentoring and leadership to junior staff
- Experience of developing and delivering teaching to a range of staff groups
- Experience of carrying out clinical audit, evaluative research and applying the findings
- Experience of service evaluation, quality improvement work and of implementing change from this and from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions
- Experience of working with and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to service
Desirable
- Experience of line managing staff (including junior psychological roles)
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
- Ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of highly specialised assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the specialist modality and service area
- Up to date knowledge of evidence, theory, research, policy and legislation in relation to the service area
- 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
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills enabling the sensitive communication of complex, technical and/or sensitive information to multiple stakeholders both within and outside the NHS
- Well-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement.
- The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster positive relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of the service within the wider health care system
- Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, One Consultation and the Internet)
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential
- Post graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas)
- Registered as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- (Eligibility for) Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Clinical supervision training for doctorate psychology trainees (BPS Registered course) and other qualified clinicians
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- Evidence of post-qualification training and expert knowledge in multiple psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to the post and service area. Comprehensive and up to date knowledge of the current evidence-base and developments within the area of specialism
- Training, and where relevant, accreditation in clinical supervision
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in CAMHS Anxiety Disorder Treatment Team, University of Reading - Earley Gate, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6BZ. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £59,798 - £67,020 per annum (incl. of HCAS). The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 26 Aug 2026.
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