Job summary
12 month maternity cover secondment.

The South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to join our Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Team for a 12 month secondment to cover for maternity leave. We are currently recruiting for 30hrs 8a Clinical Psychologist/Counselling Psychologist/Senior CBT/EMDR Psychotherapist to work in the Wakefield locality.

We are looking for a highly motivated HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist/Counselling Psychologist/Senior CBT/EMDR therapist. The posts are supported in the service by a Principal Clinical Psychologist and there is specialist supervision available.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to have their up-to-date flu vaccination to protect staff and patients.

At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for women experiencing complex mental health issues during pregnancy and the first 2 years postnatally, alongside their babies and families. The post also involves working closely with colleagues across the specialist multidisciplinary team and will include providing clinical supervision and consultation to multidisciplinary colleagues. The post requires excellent communication skills alongside competence in working with and managing risk in relation to both mother and baby.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the unique challenges of working with women during the perinatal period. Experience of working clinically with parent-infant relationships, couples/families or groups would be advantage.

The post advertised is to work in the Wakefieldarea but travel across the Trusts footprint is required on an ad-hoc basis as we are a trust wide service to help manage capacity and demand. The Service operates Monday-Friday; 9.00am-5.00pm however successful applicants would be expected to have the flexibility to work occasional extended hours to facilitate service effectiveness. Car driver essential.

Please contact Claire Lowe Perinatal Service Manager claire.lowe@swyt.nhs.uk for further details or Jo Yates Perinatal Principal Clinical Psychologist joanna.yates@swyt.nhs.uk.

About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means were accountable to our members, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Details
Date posted
11 August 2026

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 8a

Salary
£57,528 to £64,750 a year

Pro Rata

Contract
Secondment

Duration
12 months

Working pattern
Part-time,

Flexible working

Reference number
C9378-CK2533

Job locations
8 Fox View Hub, Dewsbury District Hospital

Halifax Road

Dewsbury

WF13 4AD

United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Psychologist
JOB SUMMARY
This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The postholder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the postholder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

JOB PURPOSE:
The post holder will provide a high quality specialist clinical psychology service to clients as part of the multidisciplinary team within the service.

Provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention.

Provide advice and consultation on psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues, and other, non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines, and the overall framework of the team and trusts policies and procedures.

Supervise and support Psychology Assistants, Trainees and Band 7 HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologists.

To utilise research skills for audit, policy, service development and research within the areas served by the team/service.

JOB DIMENSIONS:
(e.g. budgetary or supervisory responsibilities)
To offer consultation and supervision when required by other agencies involved in the psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being of service users.

To provide supervision of Band 7 Clinical Psychologists, doctoral level clinical psychology trainees, assistant psychologists and trainees from other disciplines as appropriate.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Clinical

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment for service users experiencing moderate, severe and complex mental health/psychological problems based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect observation and semi-structured interviews with service users, their family and/or carers.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological intervention and/or management of mental health/psychological and/or behavioural difficulties based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and exercising expert clinical judgement based on the highest standards of evidence based practice across a full range of care settings.

To establish rapport and build effective working relationships with service users and all those involved in their psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes.

To work jointly with other team members and professionals in delivering the most appropriate clinical service to service users and, where appropriate, their families/carers.

To follow appropriate local Safeguarding Adults and Children policies in all clinical work, including close liaison with all relevant agencies.

To provide specialist risk assessment of, and intervention to, service users who may present in local acute settings in line with agreed procedures

To liaise and consult with the wider professional network in the care of service users, offering consultation and supervision where necessary.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychological interventions and to autonomously manage a caseload of clients.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users, the settings in which they present, and agencies involved in the psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to effectively evaluate progress.

To participate in the multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of service users.

Highly Specialist Psychotherapist
JOB SUMMARY
The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines to provide Psychotherapy services to the Service. As part of the multi-disciplinary team and working in partnership with other lead agencies when appropriate, the post holder will be responsible for providing highly specialist assessment of service users and the planning, implementation and evaluation of highly specialist psychotherapy.

The post holder will provide specialist advice and consultation to NHS colleagues, referrers and other external agencies.

KEY RESULT AREAS:
Clinical Duties

• Working autonomously as part of a multidisciplinary team, provide assessments and psychotherapy for service users practicing at a high level of clinical expertise and within relevant Codes of Practice and drawing on a wide range of models and techniques.
• To formulate a range of treatment options based on an appropriate conceptual framework. To identify priorities of action in complex circumstances. As part of this practice, there will be the need to identify risk and take appropriate action.
• To work in ways which are sensitive to and appropriate for the needs of service users from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. This includes abilities to understand and offer therapeutic interventions to service users
• To provide psychotherapy as an autonomous clinician, drawing on a range of models and techniques when required. To practice in a way that is inclusive and considerate of the needs of each individual and their current emotional state. Ensuring that consultation, assessment and treatment interventions are provided in partnership with service users and their families.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychotherapeutic interventions for service users, adjusting and refining formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the patient and their difficulties.
• To ensure that appropriate feedback on caseload is provided to relevant stakeholders, and that feedback from service users is utilised to enhance and develop service delivery. To be responsible for attending CPA meetings and reviews where appropriate.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients as appropriate. Responsible for ensuring that referrals and discharges are made in accordance with relevant policy and procedures and the principles of good practice. Include elements of risk assessment in all work.
• To assist the Clinical Lead and Service Manager in the on-going development and provision of Psychotherapy Services, promoting a high level of clinical practice to ensure a needs-led service.
• To facilitate other team members work with service users through joint work and supervision.
• To manage complex clinical planning, and provide specialist consultation, advice and guidance to other professionals. The post holder will attend training and monthly supervision for their clinical work and will be expected to contribute to the supervision of others. This will include liaison and working with professional networks involved with highly complex, emotive and often conflictual issues.
• To maintain high standards of clinical record keeping and to adhere to policies and procedures as defined by the Trust and Other Statutory Bodies and to adhere to professional ethical standards and codes of practice of professional bodies and UKCP or HCPC. To provide comprehensive reports as required.
• Demonstrate awareness of research and its application to clinical practice.
• Ensure that appropriate feedback on work is provided to relevant stakeholders/referrers/ researchers, and that feedback from service users is utilised to enhance and develop service delivery.
• Communicate in highly skilled and sensitive manner information concerning assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients. Effectively communicate professional opinion, verbally and in writing to service users, other professionals, statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Contribute to the writing of information sheets and leaflets as necessary.
• Working in partnerships with other lead Agencies, to ensure that Child & Adult Protection issues are addressed effectively and within all local procedures.
• Communicate effectively with service users, members of the multidisciplinary team and other statutory and voluntary agencies and maintain close links with relevant clinicians and services.

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
• Significant Post qualification experience in a Setting relevant to the post.
• HCPC Registration as a Clinical Psychologist.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Registered qualification in core mental health/social welfare profession OR completion of Low Intensity Talking Therapies (IAPT) Training and Knowledge/Skills and Attitudes Accreditation with BABCP.
• Qualifying level course in Psychotherapy or equivalent at Masters/Doctoral level.
• Registration/ Accreditation with the relevant professional/accrediting body for the model of psychotherapy relevant to this post. , e.g. UKCP, ACAP, BABCP.

Experience
Essential

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Frequent, protracted sustained and intense concentration.
• Show respect and treat people with dignity.
• Be able to give bad news sensitively.
• Be able to sustain empathy in difficult situations.
• Be aware of all interviewees in any situation.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Substantial post qualification experience, some of which must be working with users of the service.
• Substantial experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to prioritise case referrals, assessment and discharge effectively on an individual basis or within multidisciplinary team.

Desirable

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of groupwork.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Specialist expertise in particular areas Group work experience.

Personal Attributes
Essential

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.
• To transport Psychometric testing equipment.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Enthusiastic, self-motivated team player.
• Teaching skills.
• Physical stamina to support clinical caseload which requires intense concentration whilst sitting with client groups or in video screen rooms observing clients for prolonged periods.
• Emotional stamina and ability to respond constructively in highly stressful situations where individuals hold very different perspectives and there is a high level of distress, ambiguity and conflict.
• Able to negotiate, be confident and assertive.
• Ability to work on own initiative.
• Supportive approach towards colleagues and service users.
• Able to maintain professional boundaries and conduct.
• Flexible and creative approach to treatments/models of care.
• Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.

Desirable

• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• A commitment to the continuous improvement of services using feedback from individual clients, families, user surveys and clinical research.
• A demonstrated interest in supporting the development of the field through participation in professional bodies and activities.

Physical Attributes
Essential

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Special Knowledge & Skills
Essential

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Good Psychometric Assessment skills.
• Experience of assisting in training of Post Graduate Clinical Psychology Trainees.
• Exceptional communication skills in verbal, non verbal and written modes.
• Ability to empathise and develop good therapeutic alliance.
• Ability to Formulate Complex processes.
• Capacity to conduct Psychometric Assessment.
• Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to the role.
• Keyboard skills.
• Manual Dexterity for conducting tests.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Advanced knowledge and skills in using the complete range of approaches within psychotherapeutic practice as required to meet the needs of different patients and settings.
• Highly developed skills in live supervision of both psychotherapists and multi-disciplinary colleagues.
• A highly developed ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in order to convey complex and clinically sensitive information to service users of all ages and to a wide range of professionals.
• Ability to prioritise case referrals, assess and discharge effectively on an autonomous basis or within the multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to take clinical responsibility for patient care and treatment.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical violence.
• Information technology and word processing skills.
• Skills in the use of video equipment.
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse community.
• Sufficient knowledge of other modalities to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients.
• Ability to identify and employ as appropriate, Clinical Governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice.
• Understanding of the ethical guidelines in all areas of professional conduct.
• Ability to make evidence based therapeutic interventions.
• Awareness of current relevant legislation and National Service Frameworks and their implications for clinical practice.
• Understanding of risk assessment and management.
• Excellent communication and liaison skills.
• Problem solving skills.
• Ability to work autonomously making decisions based on sound judgement and to set appropriate goals, in accordance with professional ethical guidelines and Trust policies.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Ability to manage working in situations of acute distress e.g. clients experience of physical, sexual and emotional abuse; client starvation and self-harm.

Desirable

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Working with people in Crisis.
• Working on an in-patient Psychiatric ward.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Research awareness.
• Working with service users with complex needs.
• Knowledge of associated legislation Care Programme Approach.

Training
Essential

• Clinical Psychologist.
• Completion of formal training to meet eligibility as clinical supervisor of Doctoral Trainee Clinical Psychologists.
• Highly Specialist Psychotherapist.
• Approved Clinical Supervisor.
• Post qualification training to demonstrate competency to work across a number of modalities.
• Evidence of recent and relevant continuous professional development.

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 (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Address
8 Fox View Hub, Dewsbury District Hospital

Halifax Road

Dewsbury

WF13 4AD

United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Claire Lowe

claire.lowe@swyt.nhs.uk

01924316009

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