Specialist / Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist

Specialist / Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 16 October 2025

We are seeking to appoint two enthusiastic and suitably experienced Applied Psychologists to work within an innovative multidisciplinary and multiagency service with close links to the Regional Adoption Agencies across the North East of England, supporting adopted children and their families. These posts are initially fixed term until March 2026, however, a funding review is due in autumn 2025 which we anticipate will lead to these posts becoming permanently funded.

Although this post is advertised as an 8a post, we are willing to consider applications from Psychologists who do not yet meet the essential criteria for a Band 8a, but who would be interested in undertaking the post at a Band 7 initially, with a supportive plan for development and progression in due course.

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. Please see notes below regarding trainee eligibility to apply.

Main duties of the job

The posts will involve working in the community within the newly developed multidisciplinary team to provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions to children and their families seeking adoption support. The service aims to improve outcomes for children by reducing the time taken to assess need and provide more effective pathways to therapy and support. The service comprises of Consultant Social Workers, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Occupational Therapist and a Speech and Language Therapist, as well as the Applied Psychologist posts. Operational leadership will be provided by a Service Manager who will be responsible for delivery of the project's objectives under the guidance of a Delivery Board.

The team works with children aged between 4 and 11 years who request adoption support regarding behaviours which may be indicative of neurodiversity and/or attachment and trauma, and which have resulted in emerging difficulties in education, peer relations and the adoptive home and which, without intervention, are likely to escalated in severity and complexity. The team is also developing a system wide understanding of trauma and attachment in order to successfully integrate and embed this new team within existing adoption support social work and health service referral and support pathways.

About us

There is a strong Psychology network across the Trust and within the CAMHS directorate. We provide training placements for the local DClinPsy and DCounsPsy courses, and encourage Psychology staff to contribute to relevant research opportunities. The post holder would also develop strong links into our neighbouring mental health Trust, CNTW. 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. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy's Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website.

Job responsibilities

We are looking for a highly motivated and reflective applied psychologists who have both passion for, and experience of working with, young people and their families. Suitable applicants will have good clinical and developing leadership skills. If you are passionate about being innovative in your work and making a real and meaningful difference to the lives of young people, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Experience of working with children and families is important, as well as the ability to work effectively within the multi-disciplinary team and with our multi-agency partner organisations. Prior training & experience in utilising Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) would be desirable, but training can be provided.

The successful candidates will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention to young people and families accessing the service. They will support the clinical work of the multidisciplinary team and help foster a culture of reflective practice underpinned by attachment and trauma informed principles. The post holders will support clinical guidance and training to the team, and to partner agencies as required.

They may be expected to contribute to audit, service evaluation and/or research as needed as part of service development and evaluation of the effectiveness of the project, with the hope of being able to extend this. Excellent multi-agency working skills are essential to the role. Service development ideas and innovation in the role are actively encouraged. The successful candidates will be under the support and guidance of the Consultant Psychologist. We are keen to support the ongoing development of Psychologists through training and CPD opportunities both in-house and also externally.

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 eligibility

Trainee clinical psychologists are eligible to apply when they are in their third year of training.

Psychologist Trainee Counselling Psychologists are eligible to apply 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:

• All clinical competencies.
• 80% of the 450 supervised clinical practice hours (360 hours)

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

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
• Post-graduate qualification showing evidence of supervised practice in an evidence-based psychological therapeutic model

Experience

• Working as a qualified applied psychologist including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
• Teaching, training and clinical supervision and field supervisor for doctoral theses.
• Experience working with children with complex developmental trauma and/or attachment difficulties

Knowledge

• Evidence- based practice relevant to the role
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Risk assessment and risk management

Skills

• Communicate highly complex and highly sensitive information effectively, to a wide range of people
• Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake care co-ordination/lead practitioner responsibilities
• Utilise psychometric tests competently

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.

Address

within North East and North Cumbria footprint

Salary

£47,810 to £62,682 a year. This is a B7-8a vacancy dependant on experience (see info)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

6 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

346-DDC-046-25-A

Job locations

within North East and North Cumbria footprint