Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Psychologist to join a supportive, progressive and inclusive team with psychologists centrally positioned and key to providing clinical leadership and oversight. You will be an enthusiastic and highly motivated, full-time member of the Newbury Community Mental Health Psychological Therapies Team (CMHPT) and deliver psychological services to users presenting with severe/complex mental health difficulties. The successful candidate will join an NHS Trust that is dedicated towards creating a progressive, warm and friendly environment for service users.

Main duties of the job

• A key element of the role is providing clinical and leadership skills, supervision, consultation and expertise to junior psychological and other professionals, practitioners, and trainees within the service.
• You will provide direct and indirect psychological assessments and interventions, as well as specialist consultation, supervision and training within the clinical team and across all sectors of related care.
• You will have capacity to work autonomously within professional and local guidelines and policies, as well as competence in collaborative, inclusive, and multi-agency working and service user engagement.
• You will be proficient in conducting comprehensive risk assessments, formulating and facilitating the utilisation of effective risk management plans, and working alongside other agencies where wider case management is indicated.
• You will utilise audit and research skills, suggest and implement improvements in the service, and participate in the development and delivery of service improvement initiatives to improve clinical care and value for money.
• You will be committed to championing diversity, fostering inclusiveness, ensuring ease of access to psychological treatments, as well as being committed to providing neuro-affirmative, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.

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: 07 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 371-MHS1101
Job locations: Hillcroft House, Rooke's Way, Thatcham, RG18 3HR, United Kingdom

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

• 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) and registered with the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling)
• Evidence of substantial post-qualification training and expert knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches with an evidence base within the area of specialism and a commitment to ongoing Continuing Professional Development
• Significant experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the profession, including demonstrable post qualification experience at a highly specialist level in the area of specialism
• Significant and varied experience of working in the NHS
• Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence-based assessments and therapeutic interventions within designated clinical area, and the ability to lead the provision of these.
• You will need access to your own car and be able to travel independently across Berkshire when needed. The requirement will be for you to be present at base or available to attend, every day you are employed.

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 are 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.

We encourage informal approaches and conversations. Please do not hesitate to contact and we will be delighted to help answer any questions you may have. You may contact Dr Elizabeth Bazalgette (Principal Psychologist) on 0118 904 3200 or email: elizabeth.bazalgette@berkshire.nhs.uk

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

• 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

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, Health Psychology, Neuropsychology etc.)

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

Previous 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)

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)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
Address: Hillcroft House, Rooke's Way, Thatcham, RG18 3HR, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Principal Psychologist
Dr Elizabeth Bazalgette
elizabeth.bazalgette@berkshire.nhs.uk
01189043200