Are you an experienced Practitioner Psychologist, or a newly qualified Psychologist interested in a preceptorship position, to join our Inpatient Psychology Team.
As the Practitioner Psychologist you work will involve a combination of direct and indirect clinical work, ranging from brief assessments and interventions with clients, to team formulation and reflective practice with ward teams. You will work directly with adults who are admitted to the psychiatric wards, working together with their personal and professional networks. You would also provide consultation, supervision and training to the ward teams to ensure that psychological thinking and formulation is a key part of the care that patients receive.
You would be joining an invested, established and valued team of Psychologists, Art Psychotherapists and Assistant Psychologists. We pride ourselves in our connections to the wider MDTs across the various assessment and treatment wards at both sites. You would have the opportunity to design your regular working days between Forston Clinic (near Dorchester) and/or St Ann's Hospital (in Poole), according to your preferences and the needs of the service.
We believe in supporting clinicians who have more recently qualified and help them to progress and develop, so we are also keen to hear from newly qualified psychologists who are curious about the exciting and meaningful work that Psychology can contribute to the wards and their service users. If you are interested in taking a preceptorship and progressing to a Band 8a when all competencies are met, we would be very interested to hear from you.
You would receive regular supervision from a Clinical Psychologist experienced in acute ward work, together with any specific modality-based supervision you may require as agreed with your line manager.
You will be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for October 2025 individuals, carers, families and groups. Adjusting and refining psychological formulations either as stand-alone interventions or working in collaboration with teams, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining and number of provisional hypotheses.
At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.
We do things differently here – it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.
Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.
Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.
For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.
As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact
If you are interested in moving to Dorset we also offer a generous relocation package of up to £10,000. For further details on relocation expenses please email
Applications from candidates that require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.