Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Applied Psychologist
The closing date is 04 May 2026
An opportunity has arisen to be part of two existing well-established services within HMP Low Newton. The post will involve working alongside existing services whilst developing and implementing some new elements of service specification. The first part of the role will include a link with the MH team and requires the development of a psychologically informed care pathway for women who experience trauma responses to intimate health interventions. This links with the development of the new trauma informed health and well‑being hub. The role will involve working collaboratively with commissioners to develop and agree a clearly defined measurable evaluation framework.
The second part of the role sits within the Primrose provision but will be involved in the new development in the service to offer an additional non‑residential dynamic offer within the wider establishment. The Primrose Service is part of the Women Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (WOPD) and is concerned with exploring the relationship between the psychological needs of women and their violent and criminal behaviour.
Across both roles, a range of therapeutic orientations are represented and can be drawn from. We are looking for a committed and enthusiastic individual to join our team, to help develop and contribute to providing these new high quality psychological services.
Main duties of the job
Psychological interventions & Formulation
Develop psychological formulations that integrate theory, evidence, and service‑user context.
Provide risk assessments and contribute to risk management plans.
Deliver a governed psychological therapy and support the services in delivery of psychological interventions in line with each service model.
Develop and deliver trauma focused interventions.
Consultation and Multi‑disciplinary Working
Offer psychologically‑informed support to colleagues.
Contribute to supporting clinical decision‑making and care planning at MDT reviews.
Indirect Work and Service Development
Contribute to service improvement initiatives, pathway development, and quality assurance processes.
Participate in clinical governance, audits, and service evaluations.
Teaching, Training, and Supervision
Provide supervision to staff.
Deliver training sessions on psychological models, trauma‑informed practice, risk, formulation, etc.
Professional Leadership
Take responsibility for defined areas of clinical practice or small‑scale service initiatives.
Support the implementation of Trust‑wide psychological strategies (e.g., trauma‑informed care, relational security).
Work autonomously within professional guidelines (HCPC, BPS) and Trust policies.
Research, Evaluation, and Evidence‑Based Practice
Use outcome measures, service evaluation tools, and research evidence to inform practice.
Contribute to or lead small‑scale research projects, audits, or service evaluations.
About us
We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.
From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care – our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.
We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.
We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.
Job responsibilities
Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academys Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.
We welcome applications from staff who are currently coming to the end of their training in Clinical or counselling psychology that on successful completion will achieve the required qualification and registration with HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist. Trainee counselling psychologists are eligible to apply for and to be shortlisted for interview and to be offered qualified posts when they are in their 3rd year of the doctoral training and have the following confirmed as completed by the university. This information may be requested prior to interview: a. All clinical competencies. b. 80% of the 450 supervised clinical practice hours (360 hours)
Trainee clinical psychologists are eligible to apply for and to be shortlisted for interview and to be offered qualified posts when they are in their third year of training, as they will have completed their core clinical competencies by this stage of the course.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.
This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. However, sponsorship can only be provided where applicants meet the specific requirements, therefore, we recommend that you assess your eligibility before applying for this position. Visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Post‑graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical / counselling / forensic psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS
* HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
* Trained in clinical supervision (within agreed timescale)
* Trained in care co‑ordination (within agreed timescale)
* Evidence of continuing professional development
* Post‑graduate qualification showing evidence of supervised practice in an evidence‑based psychological therapeutic model
* Registration with BPS
Skills
* Must be able to: Communicate complex and highly sensitive information effectively, to a wide range of people
* Adapt creatively the evidence base for interventions in mental health for clients with communication difficulties / learning disabilities
* Provide (within agreed timescale) effective teaching, training and clinical supervision
* Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake care co‑ordination/lead practitioner responsibilities
* Undertake complex multi‑agency working and liaise with multiple systems
* Utilise psychometric tests competently
* Identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours
* Utilise appropriate clinical governance mechanisms within own work
* Use approved breakaway techniques
* Skills in using multimedia materials in presentations
Experience
* Must have experience/interest in: Working with mental health/learning disability clients (depending on designated service area)
* Multi‑disciplinary team working
* Experience of CBT, DBT, Psychodynamics, systematic therapy
* Experience of research and audit
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
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