Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

We are seeking a passionate and experienced Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (Band 8a, 1.0 WTE) to help shape and deliver psychologically-informed care in our 24/7 recovery house service—a short-stay alternative to hospital admission for adults experiencing acute mental health distress.

Working flexibly within a multidisciplinary team, you’ll provide trauma-informed assessments, brief interventions, and psychological leadership in a recovery-focused, inclusive environment that centres lived experience and cultural safety.

Recovery House (RH)is a new and innovative service we are launching that meets an important need for people(18+)experiencing poor mental health. The RH will provide those in crisis with a safe, secure and welcoming environment to support the de-escalation of crisis. The House will be open to new and existing BSMHFT service users and will provide a homely environment, allowing people to retain independence, whilst receiving person centred and appropriate care.

The service which is part of the Trust’s Urgent Care pathway is a partnership with Birmingham Mind and builds on the range of strong collaborations we have with the voluntary sector.

The RH will serve as a base for community integration, allowing service users to connect with local communities and provision, as well as their family/carers.

Tasks include: 

• Provide psychological formulations and short-term interventions (CBT, trauma-informed approaches)

• Supervise and develop an Assistant Psychologist, colleagues in the team and support workers

• Support the team in crisis planning, reflective practice, and risk formulation

• Embed culturally responsive and trauma-informed care across the service

• Liaise with NHS and community services to support safe transitions

You will be professionally accountable to the Principal Psychologist Lead for Urgent Care and line managed by the Recovery House’s Team Manager.

• Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical/forensic/counselling psychology completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists.
• Current registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• Further training/qualifications in physical health related disciplines
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including forensic contexts with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Experience of working therapeutically with ‘difficult to treat’ clients.
• Experience of working therapeutically with physical health difficulties
• Well developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience during a minimum of 18 to 24 months as a Specialist Clinical/Forensic Psychologist.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment commensurate with doctoral level training, including specialist clinical interviewing, behavioural observation, complex psychometric testing and specialist neuropsychological testing.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific ’difficult to treat’ groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism, and to reflect on and manage own emotions and those of others, when faced by highly distressing material, problems and circumstances.
• Personal experience of physical and/or mental health problems.

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.