Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 152-M584.24B
- Employer
- Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- St Anns Hospital
- Town
- Poole
- Salary
- £27,688 - £31,685 p.a.
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/05/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Home Treatment Team Practitioner Psychologist /Psychological Therapist
Band 7
Job overview
Are you an experienced psychologist or psychological therapist looking for a new opportunity or more recently qualitied looking for an opportunity for professional development?
We are looking for someone with a passion for working with those in mental health crisis, who enjoys collaborative working as part of an MDT, to join our Home Treatment Teams as a Practitioner Psychologist or Psychological Therapist.
Home Treatment Teams (East and West Dorset) provide short term intensive community care and treatment to those experiencing an acute and severe episode of mental illness, with the aims of supporting people to remain at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admission, and to facilitate earlier discharge from hospital.
The post holder will be directly supported by the Principal Psychologist for HTT and Patient Flow. Professional development is highly valued in the service, and we can provide supervision and offer a range of training and development opportunities.
The team is part of the Trust Access Mental Health Services – more information can be found via this link Access Mental Health Dorset (dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk)
This is a part time (22.5hours) post, covering both HTTs based at St Anns Hospital Poole and Forston Clinic Dorchester. You will be largely based on clinical sites - however we will consider all reasonable flexible working requests.
Main duties of the job
Key aspects of the role include:
- Direct specialist clinical assessment, formulation and brief interventions to patients.
- Individual and team supervision, reflective practice, case formulation
- Specialist clinical advice and participate in multidisciplinary team meetings
- Education and training within teams, and wider organisation
- Clinical and strategic leadership – contributing to service development and utilising skills for audit, policy review and research.
Alongside a fulfilling role, we offer
- Professional Development opportunities including for training and research
- Support and supervision within wider Trust psychology services and network.
- An office with a view - sea view from St Anns and rolling countryside from Forston.
- A commitment to enabling flexible working and would welcome discussions around this
Informal enquiries and discussions are welcomed, please contact Mark Draper (Principal Psychologist), via [email protected]
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.
As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare is working in partnership with The Prince’s Trust to support people getting into work, as part of this partnership, we are offering an employability service to support individuals between 16-30 years old with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support please do contact [email protected]
Person specification
Knowledge, skills and training
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, (conferring eligibility for graduate membership) including specific models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, medically unexplained symptoms and people with severely challenging behaviours etc.). This could include but is not limited to models such as Cognitive Analytic Therapy, EMDR, DBT.
- Knowledge and skills in clinical psychometrics including the use and manipulation of specialist test materials and equipment and experience of psychological assessments for a range of disorders.
- Skills in the use of complex and highly specialist methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups requiring judgements involving highly complex information and consideration of a range of provisional hypotheses and options.
- Ability to use computer systems for clinical purposes, e.g. RiO, and ability to use complex multimedia material for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and HCPC
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
- Eligibility for membership of divisions of Clinical Psychology
Experience
Essential criteria
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist (1.0 wte) for a minimum of five years, including post qualification experience within Mental Health across the life span and in particular with people with severe and complex mental health problems including psychosis and personality disorder.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological assessment, care and treatment, including within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient and residential care settings
Personal
Essential criteria
- Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
IT
Essential criteria
- Basic IT skills, normally obtained through practice or practical training. Demonstrable experience of using word processing , spreadsheet, database and or presentation software
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
- Mark Draper
- Job title
- Principal Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
We welcome all enquiries, pre-application conversations and informal visits.
Mark Draper - Principal Psychologist
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