Clinical Psychologist Mental Health Support Team In Schools
Company: Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
Job ID: C9152-26-1164
Closing date: 10 November 2026

Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and enthusiastic Clinical Psychologist (Band 8a) to join Dorset HealthCare's expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working across Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP).

MHSTs are a key part of the national transformation programme for children and young people's mental health, providing early intervention and evidence-based support for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties within educational settings. We work collaboratively with schools, colleges, families and partner agencies to promote emotional wellbeing, improve access to mental health support and strengthen whole-school approaches to mental health.

We are seeking a highly skilled Clinical Psychologist who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and who can provide strong clinical leadership within our multidisciplinary MHST workforce. The successful candidate will bring specialist psychological expertise, consultation and supervision skills, and a commitment to supporting both workforce development and high-quality clinical practice.

This role offers the opportunity to combine direct clinical work, consultation, supervision, training and service development within a dynamic and innovative service. The post holder will work closely with education settings, MHST colleagues, CAMHS services.

Main duties of the job
As a senior clinician within the MHST service, you will:

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children, young people and families experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
• Offer psychological consultation, advice and guidance to MHST practitioners, schools, colleges and partner agencies.
• Provide clinical leadership, supervision and support to Team Leads, Counsellors, Senior Clinical Supervisors and other MHST staff.
• Support practitioners in the assessment and management of complexity, uncertainty and risk.
• Deliver training, consultation and reflective practice sessions to MHST staff, education professionals and partner agencies.
• Support schools and colleges in developing and sustaining effective Whole School Approaches to emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• Contribute to workforce development, clinical governance, service evaluation, audit and quality improvement.
• Work collaboratively with the wider CAMHS Clinical Psychology Service and contribute to psychology pathways, professional leadership and service innovation.

About us
At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.

Details
Date posted: 27 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year pa
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 152-M357.26

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and current HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Desirable: Additional training in the supervision of others
• Desirable: Training in evidence based approaches appropriate to BABCP registration requirements

Experience

• Essential: Extensive experience of delivering psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based interventions with children, young people and families.
• Essential: Experience of providing clinical supervision, consultation and support to practitioners and multidisciplinary teams.
• Essential: Experience of working with complexity, risk and safeguarding, including supporting others in risk assessment and management.
• Essential: Experience of working collaboratively with education settings and partner agencies, and an understanding of the factors affecting children's learning, emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• Desirable: Evidence of working closely with education settings

Leadership

• Essential: Ability to provide clinical leadership and contribute to service development, quality improvement and the delivery of psychologically informed practice.

Travel

• Essential: Ability to travel independently across Dorset and BCP and work flexibly across multiple community and education settings

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.

Employer details
Employer name: Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Pan Dorset, 59 Stokewood Road, Bournemouth, BH3 7ND, United Kingdom
Contact: Dr Laura Artis, Clinical Lead for Early Help, Laura.Artis@nhs.net, 01305255705

Apply through our website.