Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist(UK Visa Sponsorship)

Job Description

Make Psychological Thinking Central to Mental Health Care

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) is pleased to invite applications for a Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist to join our Access to Mental Wellbeing Team.

This is a senior clinical role for an experienced psychologist who is passionate about working with people experiencing severe mental health problems (SMHP) and about strengthening psychologically informed practice across multidisciplinary teams.

About the Service

The Access to Mental Wellbeing Team provides specialist psychological input to people with complex and enduring mental health needs. We work collaboratively with service users, carers, and partner organisations to promote recovery, resilience, and meaningful change.

Psychology plays a central leadership role within the team, shaping assessment, formulation, intervention, staff wellbeing, and service development.

The Role

As a Band 8a Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist, you will balance direct clinical work with clinical leadership, supervision, and service development.

You will bring psychological theory to life within the MDT, supporting colleagues to think psychologically, develop shared formulations, and deliver high-quality, evidence-based care.

This is a role for someone who enjoys working at both depth and system level — supporting individuals with complex presentations while also strengthening the wider service.

Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention for people with severe and complex mental health difficulties
• Deliver and supervise evidence-based psychological therapies for SMHP
• Offer clinical supervision, consultation, and joint working to MDT colleagues
• Promote psychologically informed practice across the service
• Support staff wellbeing, reflective practice, and resilience
• Contribute to training and teaching in psychological theory and its application
• Play an active role in clinical leadership, service development, and quality improvement
• Provide professional leadership for psychological professions within the locality

About TEWV

TEWV is the NHS Mental Health and Learning Disability Trust for:

• County Durham and Darlington
• Teesside
• North Yorkshire
• York and Selby

Our services span prevention, early intervention, crisis care, and specialist provision. We work closely with communities, service users, carers, local authorities, and voluntary sector partners to ensure people feel safe, heard, and supported.

We are committed to innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement — and to ensuring that psychological approaches are at the heart of mental health care.

Development, Research & Academic Links

We actively support:

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Peer support and high-quality supervision
• Teaching and training opportunities
• Research, audit, and service evaluation

The Trust has strong academic links with the Hull and Teesside Doctoral Clinical Psychology Programme, and psychologists play a key role in teaching, supervision, and trainee development.

Person Specification (Summary)

Essential Qualifications

• Doctoral-level training in Clinical, Counselling, or Forensic Psychology (or equivalent pre-1996), accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)
• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Post-doctoral training in one or more specialist psychological approaches
• Training and experience in clinical supervision, including doctoral trainees
• Evidence of ongoing CPD
• Training in care coordination

Desirable

• BPS registration

Experience & Skills

Essential

Significant experience working as a qualified applied psychologist with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties, including psychosis and personality disorders

• Full clinical responsibility for psychological care within an MDT
• Experience of teaching, training, and clinical supervision

Doctoral-level knowledge of:

• Evidence-based practice
• Risk assessment and management
• Clinical governance
• Mental health legislation
• Audit and research methods
• Social inclusion and recovery-oriented practice

Desirable

• Experience of joint working with statutory, voluntary, and private sector organisations
• Experience in research and service development

Personal Attributes

You will be:

• Compassionate and able to work effectively with people in distress
• Flexible, resilient, and collaborative
• Confident working autonomously and using professional judgement
• Reflective, self-aware, and committed to continuous development
• Open to feedback and committed to high-quality supervision

Pre-Employment Checks & Sponsorship

• This post requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Applications requiring Skilled Worker visa sponsorship are welcomed
• Overseas applicants may need to provide criminal record certificates
• Applicants must hold current UK professional registration
• Careers information for psychologists in the NHS

Employer Details

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Huntington House
Jockey Lane
York
YO32 9XW