Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a registered Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to play a pivotal role in delivering this new service, as well as planning, evaluating, and contributing to its development.

We are looking for a newly qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist at Band 7 level, who is driven, passionate and excited to be part of a strategically important service provision, in line with our programme of Community Mental Health Transformation which is aiming to transform and enhance the way we deliver our mental health services.

The service will employ an innovative model to provide rehabilitative care to people with complex and severe mental health issues and the role will offer the opportunity to make a real difference to people's lives, including supporting them to engage with activities of daily living and to integrate with their local communities, allowing them to lead meaningful and more independent lives.

The role will offer autonomy, variety, and significant development opportunities, both in leadership and clinical skills.

The ideal candidate will:

• have some desirable knowledge of working or understanding patients with complex mental health rehabilitative needs
• be a registered Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
• be able to empathise, be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others, and themselves
• be passionate about supporting people to live fulfilling lives independently

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist in our new Community Rehabilitation Enhanced Support Team (CREST). As this is a brand-new initiative, the suitable candidate will support the Principal Psychologist to input into the development of the service, including feeding into processes and procedures, and supporting with the recruitment of staff to the service.

On a day-to-day basis, the individual will support patients through a needs-led, client-centred approach and formulation to care. Each patient will have a bespoke care plan agreed at MDT.

This will include supporting patients with developing their skills and relationships to enable them to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

Details
Date posted: 14 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £51,657 to £58,785 a year per annum (inc. of HCAS)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 371-MHS1097-A
Job locations: London House, London Road, Bracknell RG12 2UT

Job responsibilities
The must haves for you to be considered for this role:

• A registered Clinical/Counselling Psychologist with recognised degree-level qualification and HCPC registration.
• Desirable knowledge in working/or understanding patients with complex rehabilitative needs.
• Kindness, empathy and a passion for supporting people to live independent, fulfilling lives.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being 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: 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.

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.

Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential

• Postgraduate 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
• (Eligibility for) Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)

Desirable

• Additional training and accreditations (or working towards these) in relevant therapeutic approaches or psychological models to reflect post qualification interests/ specialism (e.g., specific therapy models and accreditations, Health Psychology, Neuropsychology etc).

Continuous Professional Development
Essential

• Evidence of training and/or interest and knowledge in psychological models or therapeutic approaches relevant to the post
• Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body

Experience
Essential

• 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 working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environments
• Experience of service development and carrying out clinical audits, evaluative research and applying the findings
• Experience of working with, and addressing, issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to the service

Desirable

• Experience of delivering teaching and training to staff
• Experience of providing clinical supervision, mentoring and structured guidance to other staff

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential

• Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the specialist modality and service area
• Knowledge and understanding of service evaluation, audit and research and how to undertake these activities in an NHS context, including how to implement learning
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or sensitive information to service users, their carers/families and other professional colleagues, both within and outside of an NHS setting
• 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)

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

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.