Senior Practitioner Psychologist

A fantastic fixed-term or secondment opportunity (until February 2028) has arisen for a Practitioner Psychologist experienced in working with older people, or wanting to gain experience, to provide cover to our Specialist Older Adult Mental Health Service (SOAMHS) based at Millwood (Framfield Rd, Uckfield, East Sussex). This is to cover the current post holder undertaking a secondment.

Our Service provides specialist mental health care and interventions to older people who are struggling to live to their potential due to their mental health, for example difficulties with anxiety, depression, complex emotional needs or psychosis, as well as care for people with dementia. Because distress will often impact on the wider system, our support extends to families and carers.

Although this is a Senior Practitioner Psychologist role, we will consider psychologists with appropriate experience for Band 7 and adapt the role as necessary (Band 7 JD and PS also included). We can also consider flexible working, job shares and secondments., Within this post you will have several responsibilities: Working directly with clients providing psychological and neuropsychological assessments; providing psychological formulations and developing intervention plans; and offering evidence based psychological therapy for complex mental health conditions to the person and families. Equally important in this role is experience in multidisciplinary team working. You will be supporting psychological practice within the wider team through consultation, formulation, supervision, teaching, reflective practice, and training. You will provide advice and consultation to the multi-disciplinary team and other mental health and physical health professionals. We are looking for someone who has the ability to work autonomously within the context of a busy multi-disciplinary team.

Older adult services are changing in line with the national Transformation model. You will have an opportunity to contribute to and support developments to improve access to psychological therapies for older people with severe mental health problems.

You will be based within a friendly multidisciplinary team consisting of community mental health nurses, MHWPs, psychiatrists and occupational therapists. The team has strong links with the Salomon's, University of Canterbury, Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology and regularly hosts Salomon's Clinical Psychology Trainees. You will have a close relationship with the working age psychology team within the local NMHT, and the wider psychological professions within SOAMHS, providing a cohesive and supportive network. There is a valued programme of CPD, peer supervision and reflective practice for psychology staff. You will receive high standards of clinical and professional supervision from the East Sussex Professional Lead for Older Adult Psychology, who is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, as well as peer-group and modality-specific supervision where appropriate. Current supervision groups include neuropsychology, CBT and family therapy.