CYP Principal Clinical Psychologist 8b or 8a/8b Dev post
The closing date is 02 June 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a Principal Clinical Psychologist with a strong interest in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) to work within the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Service (CYPMHS) Wirral 0-18 team. This leadership post provides an opportunity to develop Wirral’s offer for children and young people with complex and high risk difficulties working closely with colleagues and partner agencies.
You will hold the senior lead role for the service DBT programme, providing continuous improvement, strategic oversight for DBT, supporting the practitioners working within the DBT programme, and direct delivery of DBT. Accreditation as a DBT Therapist is expected for this 8b Clinical Psychologist role. If entering the role as an 8a-8b development post, DBT experience is expected and a commitment to achieving accreditation as a DBT Therapist in a timely manner.
You will also contribute to other parts of the clinical offer, including Wirral’s ‘Complex Care’ pathway, which delivers more flexible and intensive community support and interventions for young people, and work closely with colleagues in CWP’s Urgent Support Team. You will also support psychological thinking and quality of care across the service, and represent psychology as part of the senior leadership team.
Main duties of the job
You will work with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist, locality leadership and specialty clinical network to develop the psychological offer within Wirral 0-18. You will provide training, consultancy, supervision and support to multi‑professional staff, teams and managers, whilst taking a strategic approach to service evaluation, audit and research.
You will provide highly specialist psychological assessment and intervention, and formulation.
There will be opportunities to join internal and external professional and clinical networks, undertake research, and provide training and support to mental health and psychological colleagues. We have strong connections to the three DClinPsy regional training programmes (Liverpool, Lancaster and Manchester).
Clinical and professional supervision will be provided, and ongoing continuing professional development supported. All applicants must be HCPC registered Clinical Psychologists with significant, relevant experience as per the job description and person specification.
Key Qualifications
- Doctoral‑level qualification in Clinical Psychology or its HCPC‑accredited equivalent
- HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Society for DBT (SfDBT) accredited DBT practitioner
- Pre‑qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff education, training and/or other fields of applied psychology
- Post‑doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
Key Knowledge and Expertise
- Extensive highly specialised knowledge and expertise in working with children/young people with complex presentations and high‑risk behaviours.
- Evidence of training or supervision of other psychologists.
- High level ability to communicate effectively at both written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to children and young people, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to communicate effectively in highly emotive situations.
- Highly developed knowledge of theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies with specific reference to children and young people with complex and high‑risk presentations.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the Health Professions Council and the British Psychological Society.
- Extensive specialist knowledge of the Mental Capacity and Mental Health Act.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and young people and mental health.
- Knowledge of neuropsychological assessment and intervention with children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
- Knowledge of theory and practice of psychological interventions in specific cohorts.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of service users and carer involvement in services.
- Experience of assessment and intervention with complex presentations.
- Experience of working alongside Tier 4 services.
Key Experience
- Extensive experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist within the designated specialty of child & adolescent mental health.
- Experience of working across a multi‑disciplinary professional network.
- Experience of exercising autonomous clinical responsibility for children/young peoples’ psychological care and development of behaviour management plans within the context of a multi‑disciplinary care plan.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional clinical supervision.
- Experience of multi‑professional leadership of teams or services within the designated specialty.
- Experience of psychological practice in managing mental health problems and behaviours that challenge.
Salary: £57,528 to £77,368 a year (pro rata).
#J-18808-Ljbffr…