Clinical Psychologist

We are looking for an experienced Band 8a Clinical Psychologist or a Band 7 Clinical Psychologist who we would support to develop within a preceptorship model.

You would be a key part of our multi-disciplinary CAMHS Therapeutic Education Team, which is part of the innovative Homes and Horizons project. Homes and Horizons is a unique and relatively new partnership between the NHS, Social Care, Education and The Shaw Trust. Homes and Horizons provides homes, therapeutic education, foster care and trauma-informed environments for a cohort of complex young people in Somerset.

We believe that healthy systems create good outcomes. This post will suit someone who wants the challenge of applying all areas of their psychological knowledge and skill to helping young people and the systems that care for them.

Within our educational settings, aside from direct clinical work, this is a unique opportunity to contribute to a rich therapeutic environment, collaborating closely with a range of staff to help young people reach their full potential.

Across the wider project, you would contribute to the development of sustainable, psychologically-informed processes, which support both our young people and staff to thrive.

We would warmly welcome informal conversations about the role.

Main duties of the job As a Clinical Psychologist in this innovative and dynamic project, you will provide a broad and impactful psychological service to young people and the systems that support them. This role requires a high level of adaptability, collaboration, and clinical expertise, with a strong emphasis on trauma-informed and relational care.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Delivering comprehensive psychological assessments, including cognitive, adaptive functioning, risk assessments, and contributions to ADHD and autism diagnostic pathways.
• Developing collaborative formulations with young people and the adults around them to guide effective, trauma-informed interventions.
• Providing individual, group, and team-based interventions, and designing therapeutic packages for delivery by colleagues.
• Offering clinical supervision to team members and care home staff, supporting reflective practice and professional development.
• Contributing to service evaluation, audit, and research to inform ongoing development and ensure high standards of care.
• Helping to maintain and nurture the psychological, trauma-informed culture of the project.
• Delivering training to staff from a range of professional backgrounds to enhance psychological understanding and practice.
• Supporting the growth and sustainability of a complex, community-focused project, drawing on relational, systemic, and community psychology models.

About us At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

• Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
• NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
• Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
• A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.

The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Job responsibilities Key Working Relationships

• Service Users, families and carers
• Therapeutic Education staff
• Care home staff and foster carers
• Operational Managers CAMHS
• Other members of the multi-disciplinary team
• Members of range of CAMHS teams including inpatient and community teams
• Children's Social Care staff
• Voluntary and private sector care organisations providing services for children and young people
• Principal psychologist for Therapeutic Education
• Head of Child Psychology

Planning and Organisation

• To ensure client records are maintained in line with Trust policy
• To work in line with Trust Lone Working Policy
• To ensure your diary is kept up-to-date
• To ensure work is prioritised in line with clinical need

Analytics

• To take part in the on-going evaluation of the post and advice/ consultation model of service delivery.
• To participate in clinical or administrative audits as required.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Responsible for providing specialist psychological assessment (including neuro psychological assessments); developing and implementing a psychological service for young people and their carers; maintaining a clinical caseload.
• To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a client's mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
• To liaise with appropriate professionals and to contribute to multi-disciplinary case discussions/planning meetings.
• To provide consultancy to colleagues from different professional groups and non-professionals.
• Responsible for updating electronic patient record systems and other IT functions.
• To be responsible for managing one's own workload and also to allocate work to trainees and assistants as appropriate.
• To interpret agreed guidelines and policies as an autonomous practitioner and to seek consultation appropriately from peers, the Head of Speciality and Clinical Supervisor.
• To write reports summarising complex information to guide clinical care.
• To work with the relevant operational managers and to advise regarding service priorities and effective implementation of best practice guidelines and propose changes for policy or service development as necessary.
• Contribute to strategic planning and proposing changes to service delivery to ensure / promote effective service delivery

Clinical Governance

• To promote the use of effective psychological models and interventions in the service.
• To participate in and promote clinical audit within the service, alongside discussion with the wider team.
• To liaise with other disciplines and agencies, as appropriate, to ensure best practice is shared.
• To liaise with other disciplines & agencies to ensure that best practice is shared.

Research & Development

• To regularly participate in relevant areas of research & evaluation and undertake service evaluation as agreed with the education team. and / or supervise the research of others.
• To encourage a culture of evidence-based practice in all parts of the service.

Clinical Supervision, Teaching & Training

• To provide specialist clinical supervision to less experienced clinical psychologists, trainees in psychology and other professionals, as appropriate.
• Responsibility for organising and undertaking teaching and training in relevant psychological skills as agreed with both professional and operational managers.
• To develop a personal professional development plan in collaboration with the principal psychologist, to be updated annually, and to participate in annual review process. To fully observe the BPS (1996) Code of Conduct and DCP (1995) professional practice guidelines
• To participate in psychology service business and professional meetings, as appropriate, and in discussion with the Head of Child & Adolescent Psychology.
• To maintain and further develop high standards of clinical psychology Practice through co-operative work with other clinical psychologists through audit and supervision.
• To be aware of, adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
• To receive regular clinical and management supervision in an agreed and appropriate format, as provided by the psychology team.
• To keep abreast of developments in the practice of clinical psychology, as agreed with the Head of Child Psychology.

Information Resources & Administrative Duties

• To make accurate observations and recordings, using Rio (electronic patient recording system).

Other Specific Tasks Required

• To undertake any other duties at a comparable level of responsibility as may be allocated or deemed appropriate by your line manager

Person Specification Qualifications

• Doctoral Clinical Psychology qualification or equivalent as accredited by the BPS
• Eligible for Chartered Clinical Psychologist status
• Registration with the Health & Care Professions Council
• Clinical supervision training

Experience

• Well-developed knowledge of specialist therapeutic interventions with the client group . click apply for full job details