Practitioner Psychologist

Main area Clinical Psychology / Early Intervention in Psychosis

Grade Band: 7

Contract: Permanent

Post to start: Autumn 2025

Hours: Part time - 30 hours per week (May require occasional evening work)

Job ref: 327-25-120

Site: GRIP Town Gloucester

Salary: £46,148 - £52,809 per annum (pro rata)

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 02/03/:59

Interview date: 20/03/2025

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people's own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking 'what matters to you'.

We're passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.

Job overview

We are pleased to offer the opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated Band 7 Practitioner Psychologist to join the Gloucestershire Recovery in Psychosis (GRIP) team, as part of a small and supportive team of psychological therapists working in the wider team.

We are looking for this post to start in Autumn 2025 and we welcome applications from those currently in training.

GRIP is a county-wide Early Intervention in Psychosis team, providing care to people experiencing their First Episode of Psychosis or those at risk of developing psychosis. The team works intensively over a period of up to three years with clients, their families, and the wider community to provide the best possible outcomes for people experiencing psychosis and to mitigate the long-term effects of serious mental illness.

This role is for 30 hours per week - we are open to discussion with the successful candidate on how these hours can be worked across the week.

We are a dynamic, expanding multi-disciplinary team with a strong focus on taking a flexible, compassionate, and person-centred approach to working with people at a difficult stage in their lives, promoting hope for the patient and their family.

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible for promoting the psychological health and well-being of clients in the Early Intervention Team within the Trust.
• To directly provide specialist psychological assessment and intervention services to individuals/groups/organisations, using a variety of applied psychology models.
• To provide clinical supervision of junior staff.
• To participate in relevant research and audit activity.
• To provide clinical services within the service area covered by the countywide Early Intervention Team.
• The team comprises 2 qualified Psychologists and around 17 WTE multi-disciplinary staff.

Person specification Qualifications

• Post graduate doctoral level of training in clinical psychology, or counselling psychology, as accredited by the professional body.
• Eligible for chartered status.
• HCPC registered.
• Membership of specialist interest groups relevant to client group.

Length and/or nature of experience

• Experience of maintaining working relationships and a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical aggression.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside of the NHS.
• Evidence of maintaining effective communication when there are barriers to understanding and in circumstances where hostility, manipulation, conflict, and antagonism are present.
• Proficient in the manipulation of complex psychological test equipment for use in formal testing situations, including neuropsychological assessment.
• Is in the process of acquiring clinical experience of an increasingly specialist nature.
• Some prior experience of supervising and teaching.
• Ability to adapt style and/or assessment and intervention strategies to meet the challenges of complex clients/situations. Experience of working with both young people and adult service users and their families.
• Experience of providing family work in psychosis interventions.
• Prior experience of working within the early intervention setting.
• Experience of assessing and providing psychological interventions with service users presenting with a range of difficulties and severities, across a range of settings including community, inpatient, and residential based settings.

Professional / Managerial / Specialist knowledge

• Highly developed knowledge of lifespan and developmental psychology, models for psychological, psychometrics, up-to-date practice with client group, and two more psychological therapies.
• Experience of working with individuals with psychotic presentations and applying evidence-based interventions with this client group.
• Knowledge of research methodology, research design, and complex multivariate data analysis consistent with chartered psychologist status and as practiced within the chartered psychologist professions.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice for the delivery of EI services for individuals and their families.
• Experience of multi-agency and multi-disciplinary working.
• Some prior experience of contributing to service development and thinking strategically about the service requirements.

Personal skills, abilities and attributes

• Emotional robustness to frequently work with the intense distress of others.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Able to exercise professional autonomy and clinical responsibility in the multi-disciplinary environment and as a lone worker.
• Competence in breakaway techniques (and resistant as necessary) established and maintained via Trust training.

Other requirements

• Keyboard skills and ability to word-process, spreadsheets, and statistical analysis software.
• Ability to get to required locations in a timely and efficient manner.
• Commitment to develop knowledge and practice towards more highly specialist levels through a variety of appropriate methods (short courses, reading, clinical supervision of practice, on-the-job learning, etc.).
• Ability to travel independently around the country.

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites.
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service.
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when working unsocial hours.
• Flexible, family-friendly, and agile working opportunities.
• Recognition and long service awards.
• Fast Track physiotherapy.
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure, and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.