Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 310-OPAC-7226012
- Employer
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Brookfields Hospital
- Town
- Cambridge
- Salary
- £37,338 - £44,962 pa pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP)
Band 6
Job overview
We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) to join our Stepped Care Therapy Team, part of the Older Peoples’ Mental Health Secondary Care Services in Cambridge and Ely.
The friendly and supportive team comprises Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, a CBT Therapist, Occupational Therapists and an OT Assistant. We regularly host trainees from all disciplines. We are a proactive and friendly team who use a broad range of therapeutic approaches and work sin a person-centred way.
The role will include assessment, formulation and evidence-based interventions. The post holder will work closely with the wider multidisciplinary team (Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers and Support, Time and Recovery Workers). There will also be opportunities for service development and audit. The ideal candidate will have a strong team work ethic, an ability to work under considerable pressure, and have a passion for working with older people.
We aim to support staff to develop specialist knowledge and expertise, for the benefit of our service and patients. Creativity and innovation are encouraged.
Main duties of the job
As a Clinical Associate Psychologist, you will be a core member of staff offering specialised psychological assessment and formulation for clients presenting with complex mental health problems. You will also provide evidence based psychological interventions, as appropriate to your skills and training.
All clinical work will be overseen and reviewed regularly through supervision provided by an HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologist.
Throughout the role, there will be opportunities for continued professional development and individual and group supervision by a qualified clinical psychologist will be provided to enable you to feel confident in this role.
Please see the attached job description and person specification for further information on this role.
We welcome informal enquiries about the post. Please just drop an email to the team leads, Loveday Newman ([email protected]) and Alistair Gaskell ([email protected]).
Working for our organisation
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
On a day-to-day basis the role will involve the following tasks:
- To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon information from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
- To develop psychological formulations of presenting problems or situations that integrate information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence, and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors
- Delivering therapeutic interventions and therapeutic relationship with clients.
- Delivering therapeutic interventions and therapeutic relationship with clients.
- Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a range of tasks, including, but not limited to;
a. Interface meeting
b. Clinical meetings
c. Peer Supervision
- To provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals from the multidisciplinary team.
* DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- An approved qualification in psychology conferring eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society, (Class 2.2 or higher)
- Completed BPS [British Psychological Society] accredited CAP apprenticeship training programme including EPA to IFA standards.
Desirable criteria
- Undertaken post-qualification further training in a specialised area of psychological intervention e.g DBT/ ACT/ CFT/SCM
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of clients in mental health community settings.
- Experience of working with complex presentations.
- Experience working with people with a range of mental health problems or learning disabilities.
- Experience of applying and reviewing risk assessments and formulations when working with complex patients within scope of practice.
- Experience in service development including service evaluation, audit.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a mental health service for older people.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, psychological formulation, intervention and management.
- Ability to be able to assess and formulate someone’s experiences drawing on a range of psychological models and theory
- Ability to communicate effectively, share information and check understanding using clear language and appropriate, written materials, making reasonable adjustments where appropriate to optimise people’s understanding.
- Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance, including regular supervision, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Skills in self-management, including time-management, planning, prioritising, problem solving and reasoning.
- High standard of report writing for communication with professionals from NHS, Local Authority and other agencies, parents/ carers. and clients.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information, including contentious and highly distressing information, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to maintain accurate clinical records.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Good team worker with effective interpersonal skills.
- Knowledge of information governance and confidentiality guidelines.
- Knowledge of theory and processes involved in service development.
Desirable criteria
- High-level knowledge and skills in working with carers.
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Skilled in continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop. professional knowledge and skills.
- Willingness to be flexible, adaptable and innovative.
- Capable of being individually accountable for own clinical intervention.
- Ability to assess limits of professional boundaries and capacity and understand when to seek appropriate supervision/advice on practice.
Other
Essential criteria
- Positive approach to older people.
- Recognise people’s right to privacy and dignity, treating every person with respect.
- Ability to travel independently in the community.
- Ability to sit for extended periods.
- Advanced keyboard and computer skills.
- Ability to exercise appropriate levels of self-care and monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by BPS.
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Loveday Newman
- Job title
- Clinical Psychologist Team Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Alistair Gaskell ([email protected]).
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