Clinical Psychologist

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Psychologist - Clinical School Mental Health Service (CSMHS)

The closing date is 13 October 2025

12 Month Fixed-Term Contract - Maternity cover.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed Clinical Psychologist with an interest in providing evidence based psychological therapies to Cambridge University's Clinical School Mental Health Service (CSMHS).

The post will be based in CPFT/'s Psychological Medicine Service working with Medical Students in Cambridge University/'s Clinical School who are experiencing mental health challenges. The post holder will work closely with the Consultant Psychiatrist already employed by this service.

The Psychological Medicine Service includes Liaison Psychiatry and Clinical Health Psychology for both adults and children. There are over 50 Clinical Psychologists working across Adult and Paediatric Psychology. Some of these posts are embedded with specialist teams and others are part of the general services. Psychologists have a professional network within Psychological Medicine and are also part of the CPFT professional group. The service provides placements for the University of East Anglia Clinical Psychology training course.

Main duties of the job

This is a one and a half day a week maternity leave cover post with the University of Cambridge/'s Clinical School/'s Mental Health Service (CSMHS), with flexible and hybrid working.

This role involves providing evidence-based assessments, formulations, and psychological therapy to Clinical School Students at the University of Cambridge/'s School of Clinical Medicine. The Clinical Psychologist will be part of the Psychological Medicine Service, which encompasses Adult and Paediatric Psychology and Liaison Psychiatry. They will work close with the service/'s Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychologist, and the Clinical School/'s Sub-Dean for Student Welfare.

There is potential to collaborate with other relevant services, contribute to national initiatives and develop research opportunities. You would be part of the Psychological Medicine Service which has expertise in a range of therapeutic modalities, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and there are excellent opportunities to develop skills and attend relevant CPD in clinical health psychology within this well-established service.

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children/'s, adult and older people/'s mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Job responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation, and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

Please see attached full job description for more detail.

To develop psychological formulations that integrate information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence, and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors.

To develop and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients psychological problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

- Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, and neuropsychology, two or more distinct therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Registered as Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
- Chartered Clinical Psychologist (BPS).
- Undertaken training in the supervision of Trainee Clinical Psychologists.

Other

- Positive approach to older people.
- Recognise people/'s right to privacy and dignity, treating every person with respect.
- Willingness to embrace integrated model and new ways of working.
- Willingness to be flexible in approach and attitude.
- Expert knowledge of Clinical Health Psychology.
- Specialist knowledge of working with this client group.
- Good understanding of other professionals/' theoretical perspectives of this service user group.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of Clinical Psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the service user group and the setting, and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC.
- Formal training in supervision of other Clinical Psychologists.
- High level of knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies relevant to CSMHS.

Skills & Abilities

- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration requiring the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
- Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning. Planning and organising skills for caseload management. Skills in self management, including time management.
- Excellent communication skills. Able to communicate verbally and in writing, complex, highly technical and / or clinically sensitive information including contentious and highly distressing information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance.
- Skills in providing consultation and supervision to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Advanced IT and keyboard skills.

Experience

- Substantial experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and treatment, across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, and inpatient settings.
- Substantial experience of working in mental health settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, across the whole life course, and the range of clinical severity. 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 exercising full clinical responsibility for the delivery of psychological care and treatment.
- Experience of teaching training and clinical supervision.
- Able to demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Experience of working with medical students.
- An enthusiasm and/or experience for working within a systemic or interpersonal framework (i.e. cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) or Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).

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.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum, pro rota

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