Job summary
- Main area
- LD Psychology
- Grade
- Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 371-CFS687
- Employer
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- LD Psychology , Time Square
- Town
- Bracknell
- Salary
- £66,653 - £77,094 per annum , pro rata ( Incl of HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
Band 8b
Job overview
Interview will be held on 17th March 2026
Are you an innovative, passionate and experienced clinical/counselling psychologist with a background in Learning Disability services for people with complex behaviour and severe mental health problems? Do you have experience of working in successful psychological services, of managing strategic projects, and of working effectively in multi-disciplinary settings? Are you energetic and ready for your next career move?
This is a rare opportunity to join a well-established psychology service where psychologists work closely with other multi disciplinary professionals to offer high-quality care to adults with learning disabilities both in community settings and in an inpatient unit. You will be leading a staff team who are passionate about improving the lives of people with learning disabilities and who are keen to be creative in implementing evidence-based interventions to meet people’s needs. We are a values led service, working to improve access to evidence based psychological interventions for people with learning disabilities, challenging behaviours and mental health problems. This is a great time to become involved to support and lead this work.
Main duties of the job
The psychology service provides psychological input into six Community Teams for People with Learning Disabilities across Berkshire, as well as psychological input into a nine bedded inpatient assessment and treatment unit for people with learning disabilities.
The successful applicant will work with the existing psychology management structure to lead the psychology provision across three of those community teams as well as contribute to the leadership of the psychology provision into the inpatient unit.
The successful applicant will do this by
- Ensuring relevant clinical supervision is provided to staff.
- Ensuring the current standards of service provision are monitored and maintained.
- Working with the Consultant Psychologist to further develop a standardised psychological service into the inpatient assessment and treatment unit.
- Providing high quality assessment, formulations and interventions for people with learning disabilities who have been referred to the service as well as consultations within the wider system.
- Working with the psychology management team on service development and evaluation.
The successful applicant will be based at Times Square, Market Street, Bracknell RG12 1JD and will need to travel across Berkshire.
Working for our organisation
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
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The “must haves” for this role:
- Post graduate doctoral qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or equivalent)
- Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Significant post qualification experience of working as a psychologist with people with learning disabilities, of working in a multi disciplinary and multi agency way, of managing a complex caseload and of managing complex situations concerning risk management.
- Experience in supervising psychologists and/or psychological therapists; as well as delivering teaching and training.
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.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Dr Sarah Walden, Consultant Lead Clinical Psychologist, on 07890 395584 or email: [email protected] or Dr Kate Ferrara, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, on 07976 411309 or email [email protected] 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.
We have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and ‘Other’ Ethnic Groups.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria
- 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)
- Accreditation with Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling)
- (Eligibility for) Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Clinical supervision training for doctorate psychology trainees (BPS Registered course) and other qualified clinicians.
- Post qualification specialist training to accreditable level in at least two areas of psychological practice directly related to the clinical requirements of this post
- Accreditations to reflect post qualification training (e.g., BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, SRCN).
- Proven ability in teaching and formal training in professional/clinical supervision.
Continuous Professional Development
Essential criteria
- Evidence of substantial post-qualification training and expert knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches with an evidence base within the area of specialism.
- Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body.
Experience
Essential criteria
- 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 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 teaching and providing professional and clinical supervision, as well as experience of developing, delivering and leading training programmes.
- Experience of service evaluation and implementing change 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 and equality, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism and equality of access to services
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Able to manage a demanding and complex caseload and support colleagues to do so.
- Well-developed skills and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside 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.
- Exceptional interpersonal and highly effective communication skills with the ability to support, engage and lead patients, clinicians and other stakeholder groups in change, development, and improvement.
- Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS office/Teams, and the internet).
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates a consistent ability to sensitively respond to people’s needs, particularly with reference to all aspects of diversity.
- Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
- Able to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Sarah Walden
- Job title
- Consultant Lead Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07890395584
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