Job summary

An exciting opportunity to join a well-established & supportive Older People's Mental Health Service, comprising a Community Mental Health Team, Memory Clinic(College of Psychiatrists-accredited ) Home Treatment Team, & a co-located Social Care service. Our service offers a rich & varied clinical experience, providing opportunities to work across multiple settings & develop a broad range of specialist skills.

We are seeking a passionate & motivated Clinical or Counselling Psychologist who is committed to delivering high-quality, formulation-driven care for older people experiencing complex mental health difficulties, including those living with dementia. The role offers excellent opportunities to further develop your expertise in areas including:

• Psychological therapy
• Neuropsychological assessment and intervention
• Consultation & multidisciplinary teamwork
• Working with people living with dementia & their families
• Service development & quality improvement initiatives

We welcome discussions about individual interests & career goals &are keen to support you in developing your specialist skills & advancing your professional journey. If you are enthusiastic about making a meaningful difference to the lives of older people & their families, we would love to hear from you.

The post holder will work from the team base & home, as well as completing visits to clients' homes within the Bracknell borough. Travel across Berkshire will occasionally be required.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments for clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources. The role will include delivering psychological therapy, completing neuropsychological assessments and formulating Positive Behaviour Support plans for people with dementia who present with behaviour that challenges.

• To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of clients' mental health problems.

• To implement specialist psychological interventions for individuals and groups, which are formulation-led & informed by the clinical evidence-base.

• To communicate in a skilled & sensitive way, both orally and in writing, assessment results, formulation, treatment plans and sensitive or complex information.

• To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance & consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients' formulation, diagnosis & treatment plan. This includes supervision of junior psychological professionals.

• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients.

• To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

• To contribute to service development, evaluation and quality improvements.

Details

• Date posted: 02 November 2026
• Closing date: 15 November 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 7
• Salary: £51,657 to £58,785 a year per annum (Incl. of HCAS)
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 371-MHS1207-A
• Job locations: OPMH Services , Church Hill House, 51-52 Turing Drive, Bracknell RG12 7FR, Bracknell, RG12 7FR, United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

The 5 must have's for you to be considered for this role are:

• Doctoral level training in Clinical/Counselling Psychology, with HCPC registration.

• Experience in, and passion for, working with older people and their families/carers.

• Experience in offering a psychological perspective in an MDT setting.

• Ability to work with people with complex and comorbid presentations, including cognitive impairment or physical health conditions.

• To have received training in completing Neuropsychological Assessment and formulation.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, its important that examples and responses given in your supporting statement genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

In addition to explaining how you meet the person specification, you must complete your employment history for at least the last five years. Any experience, skills or responsibilities referenced in your supporting statement should be evidenced within your employment history. Applications that do not include sufficient employment history to support the experience claimed may not be shortlisted.

Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Stonewall Proud Employer, 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.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Dr Emma Barnett (Principal Clinical Psychologist): 0118 904 6900 or email [email protected] who'll be delighted to help.

Working pattern: Normal working hours are 9-5pm, 37.5 hours a week with some flexibility regarding working days, within the needs of the service.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential

• Postgraduate 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 (HCPC)
• (Eligibility for) Chartered Membership of British Psychological Society (BPS)

Desirable

• Additional training and accreditations (or working towards these) in relevant therapeutic approaches or psychological models to reflect post qualification interests/ specialism (e.g., specific therapy models and accreditations, Health Psychology, Neuropsychology etc).

Continuous Professional Development

Essential

• Evidence of training and/or interest and knowledge in psychological models or therapeutic approaches relevant to the post
• Commitment to continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant accrediting body

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in evidence-based ways with services 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 working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency environments
• Experience of service development and carrying out clinical audits, evaluative research and applying the findings
• Experience of working with, and addressing, issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to the service

Desirable

• Experience of delivering teaching and training to staff
• Experience of providing clinical supervision, mentoring and structured guidance to other staff

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of assessment, formulation and intervention, relevant to the specialist modality and service area
• Knowledge and understanding of service evaluation, audit and research and how to undertake these activities in an NHS context, including how to implement learning
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or sensitive information to service users, their carers/families and other professional colleagues, both within and outside of an NHS setting
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster positive relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of the service within the wider health care system
• Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS Office/Teams, One Consultation and the Internet)

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required
• Ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire 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.

UK Registration

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

About us

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're 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 are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. 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
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• 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

Employer details

• Employer name: Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
• Address: OPMH Services , Church Hill House, 51-52 Turing Drive, Bracknell RG12 7FR, Bracknell, RG12 7FR, United Kingdom
• Employer's website: https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/