Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 20 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £64,455 - £74,896 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 April 2026 |
| Location: | Thatcham, RG18 3HR |
| Company: | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7888526/371-MHS985-B |
Summary
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Psychologist to join a supportive, progressive and inclusive team with psychologists centrally positioned and key to providing clinical leadership and oversight. You will be a member of the Newbury Community Mental Health Psychological Therapies Team (CMHPT) and deliver psychological services to users presenting with severe/complex mental health difficulties. The successful candidate will join an NHS Trust that is dedicated towards creating a progressive, warm and friendly environment for service users.
• The post holder will be a valued member of Newbury CMHPT and the Mental Health Services (MHS) as well as being a part of Berkshire’s wider Psychological Therapies team.
• A key element of the role is providing clinical and professional leadership, supervision, consultation and expertise to junior psychological and other professionals, practitioners, and trainees within the service.
• You will provide direct and indirect psychological assessments and interventions, as well as specialist consultation, supervision and training within the clinical team and across all sectors of related care.
• You will have capacity to work autonomously within professional and local guidelines and policies, as well as competence in collaborative, inclusive, and multi-agency working and service user engagement.
• You will be reliable and knowledgeable, and you will have great IT skills and be familiar with various IT systems and software packages.
• You will need access to your own car and be able to travel independently across Berkshire when needed. The requirement will be for you to be present at base or available to attend, every day you are employed.
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
The “must haves” for you to be considered for this role:
Post graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996 or for those who completed their training overseas) and registered with the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling)
• Evidence of substantial post-qualification training and expert knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches with an evidence base within the area of specialism and a commitment to ongoing Continuing Professional Development
• Significant experience working as a qualified specialist practitioner in the profession, including demonstrable post qualification experience at a highly specialist level in the area of specialism
• Significant and varied experience of working in the NHS
• Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence-based assessments and therapeutic interventions within designated clinical area, and the ability to lead the provision of these
• Able to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position
• An enhanced DBS check.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: 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 have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and ‘Other’ Ethnic Groups.
We encourage informal approaches and conversations. Please do not hesitate to contact and we will be delighted to help answer any questions you may have. You may contact Dr Rashmi Shankar (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) on 0118 904 3200 or email: rashmi.shankar@berkshire.nhs.uk
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.
This advert closes on Wednesday 1 Apr 2026
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