Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

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Oxford Health NHS Trust Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

The closing date is 29 September 2026

Apply for this job

Job summary

Are you passionate about supporting older adults with complex mental health needs?

Would you like to develop your clinical/counselling psychologist skills working within a specialist older adults psychological therapies team and making a genuine difference to patients' lives?

We are seeking a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join our Psychological Therapies Team on a 12-month fixed-term contract to provide maternity leave cover. This rewarding role offers the opportunity to provide specialist psychological assessments and deliver evidence-based psychological interventions to older adults with a range of complex mental health needs, working as part of the North Oxfordshire Older Adult Community Mental Health Team (CMHT).

This post provides an excellent opportunity to develop your expertise within a secondary care psychological therapies team and gain valuable experience working with older adults in a supportive multidisciplinary locality team.

Main duties of the job

In this role, some of your key responsibilities will include to:

• Work as part of the locality psychological therapies team within the Older Adult Community Mental Health Team, providing formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client's mental health problems.
• Be responsible for the assessment, treatment, and discharge of patients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
• Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning the patients mental health difficulties.
• Provide specialist psychological advice, guidance, and consultation to the wider Older Adult Community Mental Health Team to help develop their patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
• Receive professional clinical supervision for yourself from other appropriately trained senior psychological therapy staff.
• Contribute to the development and evaluation of the teams operational practices to ensure high quality, responsive and accessible services are available

About us

Please note that this role will require us to undertake a DBS check as a part of your onboarding.

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

o Opportunities for career progressiono Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and developmento 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous serviceo NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailerso Competitive pension schemeo Lease car schemeo Cycle to work schemeo Employee Assistance Programmeo Mental Health First Aiderso Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Details

Date posted

16 September 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum | pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

267-OA8272280

Job locations

Older Adults Community Mental health Team The Elms Centre

Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

Person Specification

Qualifications - Academic/Skills/Professional

Essential

• Doctoral level training in Clinical /Counselling psychology including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Registration with HCPC.

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications or experience in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology. Training in neuropsychology in use of specialist psychometric assessments for dementia and other cognitive disorders.
• Eligible for BABCP accreditation

Knowledge Requirements

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with clients with severe and complex mental health problems

Desirable

• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health

Further Training or Job Related Aptitude and Skills

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• 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 the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant professional body.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of older clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, day services and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and threat of physical abuse

Desirable

• Experience of working with people with dementia
• Experience of working within the NHS

Personal Qualities

Essential

• A positive approach to working with older people with psychosis, dementia and other mental health difficulties
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Ability to travel between sites, to patients' homes, other care settings and to regional meetings.

Desirable

• An awareness of own strengths and limitations

Person Specification

Qualifications - Academic/Skills/Professional

Essential

• Doctoral level training in Clinical /Counselling psychology including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Registration with HCPC.

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications or experience in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology. Training in neuropsychology in use of specialist psychometric assessments for dementia and other cognitive disorders.
• Eligible for BABCP accreditation

Knowledge Requirements

Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with clients with severe and complex mental health problems

Desirable

• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health

Further Training or Job Related Aptitude and Skills

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• 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 the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant professional body.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of older clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, day services and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and threat of physical abuse

Desirable

• Experience of working with people with dementia
• Experience of working within the NHS

Personal Qualities

Essential

• A positive approach to working with older people with psychosis, dementia and other mental health difficulties
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Ability to travel between sites, to patients' homes, other care settings and to regional meetings.

Desirable

• An awareness of own strengths and limitations

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

Older Adults Community Mental health Team The Elms Centre

Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

Older Adults Community Mental health Team The Elms Centre

Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Consultant Psychologist & OA Locality Lead

Dr Carla Runchman

[email protected]

01865902005

Details

Date posted

16 September 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum | pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

267-OA8272280

Job locations

Older Adults Community Mental health Team The Elms Centre

Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

United Kingdom

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