Job summary
- Main area
- Applied Psychology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 285-9624A-MH
- Employer
- Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Jobs are Pan-Trust
- Town
- Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley or Sandwell
- Salary
- £49,387 - £64,750 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
7 - 8a Applied psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is growing and changing. We provide specialist mental health, learning disability and community services across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, and we’re hiring people who want to shape what comes next.
Formed on 1 April 2020 through the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, we’re now focused on the future with a new Trust Strategy and our Best for the Black Country programme.
What we do
· Adult and older adult mental health
· Children and young people’s mental health
· Specialist learning disability services
· Community healthcare for children, young people and families in Dudley
Why join now
· We’ve got real momentum right now. New strategy, clear priorities and our Best for the Black Country work mean things are moving in the right way, fast.
· Our values aren’t just posters. People are genuinely compassionate, take responsibility, treat you with respect and help you feel confident and empowered.
· You’ll be looked after. Flexible working, family-friendly policies, supportive teams, proper wellbeing support and chances to learn with coaching and development.
· There’s room to grow. Loads of services to explore and real space to try ideas and be heard.
· It’s a good place to live. Friendly diverse communities, easy transport, good schools and colleges, shopping, food, lots to do, plenty of green space and a lower cost of living than many other city regions.
What it’s like to work here
You’ll join friendly, skilled teams who look out for each other. We plan together, share caseload pressures, and celebrate wins. New starters get a warm welcome and clear induction; early careers colleagues have preceptorship and buddying; experienced staff can lead, teach and innovate. You’ll have space to do good work, speak up, and see the difference you make.
Who we are
We’re 4,000+ colleagues from many backgrounds, committed to improving health and wellbeing for our communities and for each other. If you’re excited about the role but don’t tick every box, please apply. We value potential and transferable experience.
Job overview
The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHFT) is delighted to be advertising various full-time and part-time Psychological Therapies opportunities for AFC qualified Band 7, 8a and 8b roles in Adult Secondary Care Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs). Please note, the roles will be required to work across any or all of our four vibrant localities depending on need; Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall.
Psychology is a vital and influential field, represented at every level in our Trust, including the roles of our Chief Therapies Officer, and also our Chief Clinical Information Officer who are both Consultant Clinical Psychologists.
In the CMHTS, we are a combination of Practitioner Psychologists, CBT Therapists and DBT Therapists offering a range of group and individual therapies in line with recovery models of care and trauma-informed practice. We welcome applications from practitioner psychologists, and qualified therapists across a range of modalities such as CBT, DBT, EMDR and CAT. Applications from those with interest, further training or specialism in Psychosis and/or Personality Disorder are particularly welcomed.
Main duties of the job
There are opportunities to apply and develop your time limited psychological skills in CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, CFT and CAT. We treat clients with a range of complex mental health problems including CPTSD, personality disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and moderate to severe presentations of depression and anxiety including OCD, health anxiety, social anxiety with comorbidities. There are ample opportunities to develop leadership skills, supervision skills and further clinical competencies in all these roles.
All the CMHTs have a strong multi-disciplinary ethos, with good links with staff from Tier 1 (Primary Care and Talking Therapies), our Recovery College and VCSE partners. Specialist services which include psychological therapists also support the CMHTs: Complex Emotional Needs; Eating Disorders; Perinatal; 18-25s Transitions Team; Early Intervention in Psychosis; Clinical Health Psychology.
Working for our organisation
All our psychological staff are keenly supported to access further training by utilising NHS England’s continuing PT-SMHPs strategy and we fully invest in staff support and wellbeing. Staff have regular supervision, reflective practice and access to CPD to support professional growth. Whilst Operational managers provide our line management, Consultant Clinical and Counselling Psychologists provide supportive professional leadership and clinical supervision.
Whatever you see as your future in Psychology services, BCHFT can help you get there. Join us and be part of a Trust that really values your growth and wellbeing. We will empower you to provide exceptional care and services. To support your career with us, we provide an extensive array of support, development, and progression opportunities. This includes benefits such as:
- Flexible working
- Staff benefits
- Support systems
- Professional groups
- University links
The Black Country is a vibrant and diverse region in the West Midlands, near Birmingham. It is known for its strong community spirit and rich heritage.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of specialist psychological care to clients with complex mental health conditions and/or learning disabilities which may include challenging behaviours.
- To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families.
- To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.
- To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust.
- Exercise supervisory/professional responsibility for other psychological therapists
- Provide leadership in multi-disciplinary training and development
- Provide leadership in service audit and development
- Provide leadership in service evaluation and research
- Ensure that a psychological perspective is brought to service redesign and cultural change
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in Applied Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
- HCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
- Post-graduate qualification showing evidence of supervised practice in an evidence-based psychological therapeutic model
- Registration with BPS
Experience
Essential criteria
- Working with mental health/learning disability clients (depending on designated service area
- Multi-disciplinary team working
Desirable criteria
- Experience of CBT, DBT, psychodynamic therapy, systemic therapy
- Experience of research and audit
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Evidence- based practice relevant to the role
- Risk assessment and risk management
- Clinical governance
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group (define if required) and mental health.
- Audit and research methodology
- Social Inclusion agenda
- Awareness of the Trust’s Quality Improvement System
Skills/Personal qualities
Essential criteria
- Communicate complex and highly sensitive information effectively, to a wide range of people
- Adapt creatively the evidence base for interventions relevant to the client group (define)
- Provide (within agreed timescale) effective teaching, training, consultancy and clinical supervision
- Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake care co-ordination/lead practitioner responsibilities
- Undertake complex multiagency working and liaise with multiple systems
- Utilise psychometric tests competently
- Identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours
- Utilise appropriate clinical governance mechanisms within own work.
- Demonstrate effective keyboard skills
- Committed to continual quality and service improvement
Desirable criteria
- Self-aware and committed to professional and personal development. Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision
- Skills in using multimedia materials in presentations
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Dr Sarah Lack
- Job title
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01902 443964
- Additional information
We welcome informal enquiries about this post.
Please contact any of the following:
Sarah Lack, Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Wolverhampton, [email protected],
Mandeep Kaur, Consultant Counselling Psychologist in Sandwell, [email protected],
Louise Cooke, Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Dudley and Walsall [email protected]
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