Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist
About the role
Job summary
Are you an experienced Psychotherapist or Clinical/Counselling Psychologist with a passion for improving care for people with complex emotional needs?
We are looking for a skilled and compassionate clinician to join the Exeter Core Teams within Devon Partnership NHS Trust.
This Band 8a, 0.8 WTE role offers an exciting opportunity to provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention, with a particular focus on Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT). You will hold a specialist caseload, support the delivery and clinical oversight of the Exeter MBT programme, and help develop a coherent pathway for people with complex emotional needs across the Eastern locality.
Working closely with community mental health teams, Psychology and Psychological Therapies, inpatient and community services, you will provide expert consultation, supervision, teaching and leadership to support wider workforce capability and psychologically informed care.
You will practise autonomously within professional and Trust governance frameworks while contributing to service development and high-quality, evidence-based care.
Applicants must hold an appropriate professional qualification and registration, alongside MBT Practitioner-level training and experience of working with people with complex emotional needs.
Main duties of the job
You will undertake highly specialist psychological and psychotherapeutic assessments, develop complex formulations and deliver individual and group interventions, principally Mentalisation-Based Treatment. You will manage a specialist caseload and work sensitively with people, families and carers where communication, risk and emotional needs may be complex.
As a locality link clinician for complex emotional needs, you will provide expert advice, consultation and guidance to multidisciplinary colleagues across community and inpatient services. You will support teams with care planning, engagement, and promote psychologically informed and reflective practice.
You will provide clinical oversight to the Exeter MBT programme, support fidelity to the model and contribute to provision across the wider locality. The role includes supervising and developing staff, trainees and volunteers; delivering teaching and training; and contributing to service redesign, audit, research and evaluation. You will maintain accurate clinical records, collect outcome data and work collaboratively with senior leaders and partner services to strengthen an integrated, evidence-based pathway across Devon.
About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification which will provide further information on this role