Clinical Psychologist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Fixed-term
- Pattern
- Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Hours / week
- 21
- Posted
- 10/09/2026
- Closes
- 25/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This fixed-term Clinical Psychologist role involves providing specialist psychological services to adults with learning disabilities. The post holder will conduct assessments, formulate interventions, and manage a caseload of clients with complex needs, including mental ill-health and challenging behaviours. They will work within a multidisciplinary team, contribute to teaching, supervision, and research, and support service users and their families in Plymouth.
Key responsibilities
- Provide assessment and treatment for a caseload of clients with complex problems including mental ill-health, challenging behaviours, and neurological issues.
- Contribute to teaching for trainee clinical psychologists and other professionals.
- Participate in research and development projects to further clinical knowledge and service evaluation.
- Work within professional guidelines of the HCPC and BPS, adhering to Livewell Southwest policies.
- Develop and deliver highly specialised individual treatment plans for service users with learning disabilities and complex psychological problems.
- Contribute a psychosocial perspective within the multidisciplinary team and liaise with other health service providers.
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
- Registered as a clinical psychologist with the HCPC
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management in adult with learning disabilities and/or other dependent/vulnerable/ disenfranchised groups.
- Skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families and professionals both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Keyboard skills sufficient to enter data/write reports.
- Experience of assessing and treating clients in a range of care settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient 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 the threat of physical abuse and/or challenging behaviour.
- Enthusiasm for working with people with learning disabilities.
- Ability to work within teams and motivate others.
- Ability to sit for prolonged periods during assessments, patient interviews, case conferences. while still responding and participating as required.
- Ability to cope with frequent exposure to highly distressing and emotional situations.
- Warmth, empathy & integrity.
- Ability to work autonomously & as part of a team.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to hold the stress of others.
- Ability to self reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentation in public, professional and academic settings.
- Works to professional guidelines.
- Is accountable for own professional actions and capable of interpreting broad occupational policies.
- Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
- 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.
Desirable criteria
- Other related academic qualifications to Masters or Doctoral level.
- Specialist skills in a specific therapeutic approach.
- Knowledge of the psychological assessment and management of neurological problems including dementia.
- Knowledge of legislation and national standards and guidelines that relate this client group.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of adapted psychological therapies used with adults with learning disabilities
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, adults with learning disabilities
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Experience of working with adults with learning disabilities and their care networks or other dependent/vulnerable/ disenfranchised client groups (e.g. people with severe mental health problems).
- Record of having published in peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervising.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of working with adults with a learning disability in a clinically relevant setting.
- Personal experience of supporting / living with a person with disabilities
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £49,387 – £56,515 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 15d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Livewell Southwest
Clinical Psychologist
The closing date is 25 September 2026
Job summary
The post is for 21 hours a week on a fixed term contract until September 30th 2027.
We
are looking for an enthusiastic and creative psychologist who is
passionate about working with people with learning disabilities.
The CLDT is a Mon-Fri 9-5 service covering the whole city of
Plymouth. You will join a supportive team of psychologists within a
psychologically minded co-located MDT with commitments to CPD and supervision,
opportunities to develop your skills and improve outcomes for service
users.
The post holder
will be confident and able to provide formulation, assessment and intervention
(at a 1:1 and systemic level) to understand and address a wide range of
presenting issues for people with learning disabilities, their families, and
the systems around them. They will show or develop skill in undertaking complex
assessments including capacity, risk and neuropsychological assessments, and
will also have an understanding of trauma informed working. They will apply or
develop compassionate leadership skills to support the CLDT team and providers.
Main duties of the job
Our cohesive team of Psychologists provide a specialist
Clinical Psychology service to service users aged 18+ with a Learning
Disability. The person will be responsible for formulation, assessment &
interv
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