Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
Our innovative Psychologically Informed Consultation and Training Team (PICT) has been established to support the delivery of great care for individuals who have difficulties which may be associated with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder.
This is a stimulating role in a compassionate and enthusiastic team of Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Lived Experience Practitioners delivering specialist training and consultation to staff working with people who have difficulties associated with personality disorder. The post holder will provide support to different parts of the system including staff in Berkshire Healthcare (inpatient and outpatient settings), local Primary Care Networks and key partner agencies.
Key to the role is to support the development, delivery and governance of high quality, psychologically-informed and evidence-based care. This includes provision of supervision, line management and expertise to junior staff, other professionals (e.g. SCM practitioners), and sub-teams in the Personality Disorder pathway, such as Service User Network (SUN) and Assertive Interventions & Stabilisation Team (ASSIST).
This role can be filled by either a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or a Principal Psychotherapist. If you are a Principal Psychotherapist, please use the following link to apply: https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9371-26-0343
Main duties of the job
This is a hybrid role with opportunities for work online and in person. The post holder will bring a personal and professional approach and leadership style that enables positive engagement, containment, and skills development.
Supervision, Consultation and Advice: Offer expert clinical supervision, consultation, and advice to individuals and teams delivering care to people with difficulties which may be associated with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder.
Training and Teaching: Deliver training and teaching to increase skills and confidence across the workforce when working with individuals who may have a diagnosis of Personality Disorder. This will include local NHS staff and the wider system such as those working in Primary Care Networks, emergency services, and the voluntary sector.
Assessment, Formulation and Intervention: Provide expert clinical assessments, psychological formulation, and evidence-based intervention within the area of specialism.
Clinical leadership: Ensure the systematic provision of high‑quality psychological services for individuals and their families/care‑givers within the area of responsibility.
Governance: Work autonomously within professional and local guidelines and policies and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service.
Research and Audit: Utilise research and audit skills to inform service and policy development.
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated "outstanding" by the CQC, we are committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we are committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work‑life balance
- 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Job responsibilities
PICT is a sub‑team within the Intensive Management of Personality Disorder and Clinical Therapies Team (IMPACTT). IMPACTT is a specialist service delivering assessments and evidence-based interventions (MBT, DBT), hosts a Service User Network (SUN), Carers programme, and an alternative to admission team known as the Assertive Intervention and Stabilisation Team (ASSIST).
The must haves for this role in PICT:
- Be an innovative and forward‑looking Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist
- Have post‑qualification training and clinical expertise in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mentalization‑Based Treatment (MBT), and/or Structured Clinical Management (SCM)
- Have a substantial record of working within multi‑disciplinary settings with people with complex needs often associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder and high risk presentations.
- Be someone who enjoys working with colleagues and systems to enable people with a diagnosis of personality disorder to achieve positive outcomes.
- Have a record of developing and delivering training, supervision and consultation to others to effectively share skills and understanding and enhance outcomes.
- Be someone who believes in the vision of changing the culture around how people with difficulties associated with personality disorder are supported within mental health services and are excited by the challenges of enabling and supporting this.
We have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and Other Ethnic Groups.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
- Post graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas)
- Registered as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council
- Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS) or eligibility for it
- Clinical supervision training for doctorate psychology trainees (BPS Registered course) and other qualified clinicians.
- Post qualification specialist training to accreditable level in at least two areas of psychological practice directly related to the clinical requirements of this post
- Accreditations to reflect post qualification training (e.g., BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, SRCN).
- Proven ability in teaching and formal training in professional/clinical supervision.
Continuous Professional Development
- Evidence of substantial post‑qualification training and expert knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches with an evidence base within the area of specialism.
- Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body
Previous Experience
- Significant experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the profession, including demonstrable post qualification experience at a highly specialist level in the area of specialism.
- Significant experience of working in evidence‑based ways with service users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics.
- Experience of teaching and providing professional and clinical supervision, as well as experience of developing, delivering and leading training programmes.
- Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions.
- Experience of working with, and addressing issues of diversity and equality, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism and equality of access to services
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Able to manage a demanding and complex caseload and support colleagues to do so.
- Well‑developed skills and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
- Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence‑based assessments and therapeutic interventions within designated clinical area, and the ability to lead the provision of these.
- Exceptional interpersonal and highly effective communication skills with the ability to support, engage and lead patients, clinicians and other stakeholder groups in change, development, and improvement.
- Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, and the internet).
Additional Requirements
- Demonstrates a consistent ability to sensitively respond to people's needs, particularly with reference to all aspects of diversity
- Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
- Able to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position.
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.
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full‑time
Reference number
371‑MHS1024‑B
Job locations
Erlegh House, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6BZ
Salary
£68,852 to £79,638 a year (Inc. of HCAS)
#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-05-12”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__429304490__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=424” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “Reading” } } }Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
Our innovative Psychologically Informed Consultation and Training Team (PICT) has been established to support the delivery of great care for individuals who have difficulties which may be associated with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder.
This is a stimulating role in a compassionate and enthusiastic team of Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Lived Experience Practitioners delivering specialist training and consultation to staff working with people who have difficulties associated with personality disorder. The post holder will provide support to different parts of the system including staff in Berkshire Healthcare (inpatient and outpatient settings), local Primary Care Networks and key partner agencies.
Key to the role is to support the development, delivery and governance of high quality, psychologically-informed and evidence-based care. This includes provision of supervision, line management and expertise to junior staff, other professionals (e.g. SCM practitioners), and sub-teams in the Personality Disorder pathway, such as Service User Network (SUN) and Assertive Interventions & Stabilisation Team (ASSIST).
This role can be filled by either a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or a Principal Psychotherapist. If you are a Principal Psychotherapist, please use the following link to apply: https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9371-26-0343
Main duties of the job
This is a hybrid role with opportunities for work online and in person. The post holder will bring a personal and professional approach and leadership style that enables positive engagement, containment, and skills development.
Supervision, Consultation and Advice: Offer expert clinical supervision, consultation, and advice to individuals and teams delivering care to people with difficulties which may be associated with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder.
Training and Teaching: Deliver training and teaching to increase skills and confidence across the workforce when working with individuals who may have a diagnosis of Personality Disorder. This will include local NHS staff and the wider system such as those working in Primary Care Networks, emergency services, and the voluntary sector.
Assessment, Formulation and Intervention: Provide expert clinical assessments, psychological formulation, and evidence-based intervention within the area of specialism.
Clinical leadership: Ensure the systematic provision of high‑quality psychological services for individuals and their families/care‑givers within the area of responsibility.
Governance: Work autonomously within professional and local guidelines and policies and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service.
Research and Audit: Utilise research and audit skills to inform service and policy development.
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated “outstanding” by the CQC, we are committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we are committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work‑life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Job responsibilities
PICT is a sub‑team within the Intensive Management of Personality Disorder and Clinical Therapies Team (IMPACTT). IMPACTT is a specialist service delivering assessments and evidence-based interventions (MBT, DBT), hosts a Service User Network (SUN), Carers programme, and an alternative to admission team known as the Assertive Intervention and Stabilisation Team (ASSIST).
The must haves for this role in PICT:
- Be an innovative and forward‑looking Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist
- Have post‑qualification training and clinical expertise in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mentalization‑Based Treatment (MBT), and/or Structured Clinical Management (SCM)
- Have a substantial record of working within multi‑disciplinary settings with people with complex needs often associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder and high risk presentations.
- Be someone who enjoys working with colleagues and systems to enable people with a diagnosis of personality disorder to achieve positive outcomes.
- Have a record of developing and delivering training, supervision and consultation to others to effectively share skills and understanding and enhance outcomes.
- Be someone who believes in the vision of changing the culture around how people with difficulties associated with personality disorder are supported within mental health services and are excited by the challenges of enabling and supporting this.
We have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and Other Ethnic Groups.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
- Post graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas)
- Registered as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council
- Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS) or eligibility for it
- Clinical supervision training for doctorate psychology trainees (BPS Registered course) and other qualified clinicians.
- Post qualification specialist training to accreditable level in at least two areas of psychological practice directly related to the clinical requirements of this post
- Accreditations to reflect post qualification training (e.g., BABCP, UKCP, ACAT, SRCN).
- Proven ability in teaching and formal training in professional/clinical supervision.
Continuous Professional Development
- Evidence of substantial post‑qualification training and expert knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches with an evidence base within the area of specialism.
- Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body
Previous Experience
- Significant experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the profession, including demonstrable post qualification experience at a highly specialist level in the area of specialism.
- Significant experience of working in evidence‑based ways with service users (and their carers/families) presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of settings, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics.
- Experience of teaching and providing professional and clinical supervision, as well as experience of developing, delivering and leading training programmes.
- Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions.
- Experience of working with, and addressing issues of diversity and equality, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism and equality of access to services
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Able to manage a demanding and complex caseload and support colleagues to do so.
- Well‑developed skills and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
- Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence‑based assessments and therapeutic interventions within designated clinical area, and the ability to lead the provision of these.
- Exceptional interpersonal and highly effective communication skills with the ability to support, engage and lead patients, clinicians and other stakeholder groups in change, development, and improvement.
- Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, and the internet).
Additional Requirements
- Demonstrates a consistent ability to sensitively respond to people’s needs, particularly with reference to all aspects of diversity
- Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
- Able to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position.
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.
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full‑time
Reference number
371‑MHS1024‑B
Job locations
Erlegh House, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6BZ
Salary
£68,852 to £79,638 a year (Inc. of HCAS)
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