Psychotherapist
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
The closing date is 28 June 2026
We are looking to recruit an experienced Psychotherapist to join our highly regarded psychological therapies team that works as an integrated part of Welwyn Garden City Adult Community Mental Health service (ACMHS).
The post holder will join a team including Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, CBT therapists, DBT therapists and Art and Drama Therapists.
Welwyn Garden City ACMHS provides treatment for Adults with a range of severe and complex mental health difficulties. This includes people diagnosed with psychosis, personality disorder, complex PTSD, as well as severe anxiety, depression and OCD presentations. Psychological services work alongside psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and support workers to provide holistic person-centred mental health care.
The Trust has committed to deliver trauma‑informed care which aims to understand what has happened to someone rather than what is wrong with them. This puts value on service user experience at the centre of their journey.
Main duties of the job
* Advice and consultation on client psychological care to non‑psychology colleagues and non‑professional carers.
* Specialist psychological assessment, formulation and delivery of evidence‑based psychological treatment.
* Governance of psychological practice within the service.
* Clinical supervision and support of psychological assessment interventions provided by junior members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment.
* Training to staff groups, across all sectors of care.
* Use of research skills for audit, policy and service development and research.
* Contributing psychological expertise to assist service development and policy change within the area served by the post.
About us
Hertfordshire NHS Partnership Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of Outstanding from the Care Quality Commission.
Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill‑health, physical ill‑health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
Job responsibilities
* The post-holder will provide specialist support, guidance and consultation on clients psychological care in relation to self‑management to other multi‑disciplinary professionals.
* The post-holder will support the MDT and assistant psychologists to implement a range of psychological interventions for individual clients, influence team practice and work directly with a small caseload of complex clients in relation to self‑management.
* The post-holder will take responsibility with the Consultant Psychologist for psychological practice within the service.
* The post-holder will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for groups and individuals.
* The post-holder will work closely with psychology, other psychological therapy colleagues and staff from the MDT.
* The post-holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION/TRAINING
* Post‑graduate training in Psychotherapy is provided by one of the BACP accredited courses and accreditation with the BACP. OR Post‑graduate training in Psychotherapy with a BPC accredited provider leading to Registration with the BPC.
* Evidence of further training in treatment techniques or areas of clinical need that relate to severe and enduring mental health difficulties.
* Current registration with HCPC or equivalent professional body.
* Professional qualification degree level, which should include knowledge and application of research methodology.
* Experience of supervising qualified clinical staff from a range of professional backgrounds including HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologists.
* Training in risk assessment and management.
* Post‑qualification training in assessment and intervention models in one or more of the following: CBT, Motivational Interviewing, ACT or other models supporting enhanced self‑management.
* Relevant experience working as a qualified practitioner in a relevant service.
AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
* Experience of working with diabetes / physical health problems, and the use of self‑management techniques and approaches, as well as behaviour change principles, using these approaches both directly with clients and also through working with and influencing team practice.
* Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
* Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including those with physical health conditions and or long‑term conditions across the whole life span’s 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 the threat of physical abuse.
* Knowledge of whole life span development and the impact on emotional, psychological and mental well‑being.
* Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two evidence‑based psychological interventions including CBT and at least one other relevant to the treatment of adults with complex health problems and their families.
* Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of multi‑disciplinary care.
* Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the fields of Clinical / Counselling / Health Psychology.
* Experience of multi‑disciplinary team working and inter‑agency collaboration.
* Ability to provide consultation to other professional and non‑professional groups.
* Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi‑media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
* Ability to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risks.
* Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures.
* Awareness of current NHS initiatives and developments.
* Knowledge of legislation and the national agenda in relation to adult mental health and psychological working in long‑term conditions.
* Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to clients with LTC and also the impact of mental health problems.
* Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.
* Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.
* Experience of teaching, training and/or offering supervision.
* Experience of working in physical health settings.
* Experience of service development/project management.
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.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Address
£59,798 to £67,020 a year per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS)
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part‑time, Flexible working, Compressed hours
Reference number
367‑ACMS‑101339
J-18808-Ljbffr