Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist
Aylesbury
Part Time
£57,528 - £64,750 pro rata
Expires: 25/11/2026
Band 8a
Permanent
About the Role
Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed clinical/counselling psychologist or psychotherapist, with a passion for working with complex trauma to join the ReConnect service in Buckinghamshire Adult Mental Health.
ReConnect is a small team of clinical psychologists that provide long term specialist therapeutic interventions to parents aged 18+ who present with safeguarding risks to their child (under 2 years). The clients attending the service have complex and severe and enduring mental health needs, a history of developmental trauma, experiences of domestic abuse in relationships, and may also present with symptoms of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder.
The team offers long-term therapy (12 months minimum) to support parents in retaining care of their infant, by offering psychological interventions addressing a client's complex trauma and difficulties in mentalizing their child's emotional needs. Experience and training in Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) and psychological interventions for trauma is essential to this role. Additional training in EMDR is desirable.
The postholder is expected to travel across the county to Trust sites in High Wycombe and Amersham as well as attending the team base in Aylesbury.
Main duties of the job
- The post holder will be expected to conduct extended assessments of clients referred into the service. This will include mental health assessments, risk assessments, as well as identifying risks that the client poses to their child, including an assessment of the quality of the parent-child relationship.
- The post holder will be expected to deliver individual Mentalisation Based Treatment (MBT) therapy (minimum 12 months) to clients open in the service and will co-facilitate Mentalisation-Based Treatment groups (MBTi and MBT Lighthouse).
- The post holder will be expected to offer evidence-based psychological interventions to address a client’s complex trauma. Training in and experience with EMDR are preferred.
- The post holder is expected to contribute to the professional network around the family to share risk formulations and safeguarding information while keeping in mind that the child’s welfare is of paramount importance. This will include the preparation of child protection conference reports and attendance at child protection conferences and core groups.
- To utilise research skills for audit including the collection and analysis of routine patient outcome measures.
- To offer advice, consultation and supervision, and support the work of other service staff providing psychological care and treatment, according to expertise.
- To provide training placements for a range of qualified and unqualified staff across mental health areas, as agreed.
Working for our organisation
Please note that this role will require us to undertake a DBS check as a part of your onboarding.
Give yourself the best chance of success by reviewing our Applicant Guide before applying. Your supporting statement should clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role.
Oxford Health delivers physical, mental health and social care services across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our vision is "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team", and our values are Caring, Safe and Excellent.
We are proud to offer a supportive working environment with opportunities for career progression, learning and development, generous annual leave, pension benefits, wellbeing initiatives and staff networks
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained intense concentration
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups.
- High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of the Children’s Act and child protection procedures.
- High-level knowledge of the MBT Adult Model for Borderline Personality Disorder.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Doctoral level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996, as accredited by the British Psychological Society, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology in two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Current registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- for psychotherapists "To have completed qualifying course (Masters level) in Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapy/child and adolescent psychotherapy; and to have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions or to be able to demonstrate equivalent competencies gained through experience working with people with severe and/or complex mental health problems in specialist settings
- For psychologists: Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology
Desirable criteria
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, and audit procedures.
Further traiing or Job Related Aptitude and Skills
Essential criteria
- Training in MBT (Adults).
- Training in Trauma Therapy psychological interventions.
- Training/experience in supervision/ mentorship.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Desirable criteria
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).
- Willingness to work towards MBT accreditation with accrediting body, such as Anna Freud Centre and EMDR accreditation (EMDR UK).
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working as a qualified clinician within mental health settings.
- Experience of working with clients with Complex Needs.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course, presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and threat of physical abuse.
- Experience in co-facilitating group therapy
- Experience in supervising other staff
Desirable criteria
- Experience in co-facilitating MBT groups.
- Experience of working with families where there is severe parenting breakdown or problems in the attachment relationship.
- Experience in the application of clinical work in different cultural contexts.
Documents to Download
8a Senior Clinical or counselling psychologist (PDF, 279.5KB)
8a senior psychotherapist (PDF, 282.6KB)
Guidance Notes for Candidates Applying for a job at OHFT (PDF, 424.6KB)
Recruiter Contact Details
Name: Dr Nicola Connolly
Title: Consultant Clinical Psychologist/Clinical Lead
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07901112890