Principal Clinical Psychologist
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Chester, CH2 1BQView on map(opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Salary
£66,582 to £77,368
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Not specified
Closing date
3 November 2026
13 days leftJob description
An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Clinical Psychologist to apply for the role of Principal Clinical Psychologist in the West Complex Needs ...
Psychological approaches are highly valued within our team and Clinical Psychologists are integral in this process, providing specialist assessment and interventions, as well as contributing to the clinical thinking and decision making of the team. The post-holder will join a supportive and friendly senior leadership team which includes other clinical psychologists and other professionals. Alongside their leadership roles, they will also carry a clinical caseload, working directly and indirectly with service users. They will also provide supervision, consultation and training to the wider service. We are keen to recruit someone with experience, specialist knowledge and skills of working with personality based difficulties and complex trauma. We also value leadership skills and the ability to develop innovative practice and play a role in service development. We are looking for someone who can contribute at a senior level to the vision for the service, working closely with colleagues in different parts of the system, including primary care and third sector.
We prioritise investment in staff training but would particularly welcome applications from people who are trained in the following therapeutic modalities: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Mentalisation Based Therapy, Structured Clinical Management, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing, Cognitive Analytic Therapy.
Please download a copy of the job description (see documents to download section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.
At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.
CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trusts Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.
An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: cwp.recruitment@nhs.net or by calling 01244 393100.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
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. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.
We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.
Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.
As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.
All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.
Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Registered with the Health Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice. Post-qualification specialist training in particular psychotherapeutic approaches e.g. cognitive analytic psychotherapy, ACT, EMDR, dialectical behaviour therapy.
Knowledge & Expertise
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, highly technical, and 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.
- 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 client group and mental health
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists or equivalent experience 50 hours supervision in a specific modality, case presentations, group supervision supported by short courses approved by the Psychology Head of Service
- Knowledge of attachment theory
Desirable
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of four years with 2 years at a highly specialist level.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in patient and residential care settings 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.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, as a qualified Clinical psychologist and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
Desirable
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
- Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
Trust Values
Essential: - Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)
How to apply
Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.
Provenance
Source
NHS Jobs
First seen
20 October 2026
Last checked
21 October 2026
Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.
About the employer
NHS organisation
This listing was structured from NHS Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.
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