Clinical Psychologist - Ampthill/Mid-Bedfordshire - #1691618

We have an opportunity for a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join us in our mental health services in Mid-Bedfordshire, based in Ampthill. You will join us in our new multi-agency blended primary/secondary care MDTs which includes the Principal Psychologist, Psychologists, CBT therapist, CAPs and Assistant Psychologists. This means there are opportunities to work with local mental health networks, service users and VCSE organisations in work streams to shape the future of psychologically-informed mental health care in Mid-Bedfordshire.

Newly qualified psychologists could be appointed at band 7 under a preceptorship to work towards requirements for band 8a, subject to satisfactory completion of preceptorship process.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity before applying, please do make contact with us.

The post-holder will provide specialist evidence-based psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for people with a range of complex mental health needs, including individual, couple/family and group interventions. They will possess an enthusiasm for multidisciplinary team working and the skills to help steer the team to trauma-informed psychological understanding of their clients and the development of psychologically informed services.

The team values the role of Psychologists highly and, as such, the role is multifaceted and includes consultation, teaching, and supervision roles, as well as active involvement in quality improvement projects, staff support initiatives and wider Trust initiatives. We are therefore looking for someone with good knowledge and skills within these domains, and someone who is ready to join an innovative and efficient service. You will also have opportunities to supervise Assistant Psychologists and Trainee Psychologists.

We have a good track record in providing therapies training and CPD to support development in clinical and leadership roles. In ELFT we are passionate about our Quality Improvement approach and psychologists are key players in many projects. We have a thriving therapies workforce in the Trust with opportunities for learning and supporting each other.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations

Please could you kindly refer to the job description and person specification attached to this vacancy.

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology or equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist) and HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist


• Further training or qualifications in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.


• Quality Improvement Training.


• Clinical supervision training for doctoral psychology trainees.

• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of care settings, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the treat of physical abuse.


• Experience of providing teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision


• Experience in working in multidisciplinary settings and representing a psychological perspective in teams and services.


• Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists.


• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.


• Experience in the recruitment of psychology staff.


• Experience in contributing to service development, redesign and improvements in secondary mental health services

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, psychometrics and neuropsychology.


• Able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts and situations, requiring sustained and intense concentration, to arrive at appropriate formulation and compare and select from a range of treatment options. Skills in two or more distinct psychological therapies.


• An in depth knowledge and skills in applying clinical risk assessment and management in own and others' clinical caseload.


• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and delivery of specialised psychological practice relevant to a secondary mental health setting (e.g. psychosis, personality disorder, complex trauma).

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.

£53,755 to £60,504 a yearPer Annum, Pro Rata