Specialist Psychologist / Highly Specialist Psychologist

This is a unique opportunity for an enthusiastic Psychologist to join Rharian Fields Specialist Eating Disorder Inpatient Service. This is a highly rewarding role to work within a dedicated and passionate multidisciplinary team that has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission and is part of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Quality Network for Eating Disorders accreditation scheme. The role would suit someone who is passionate about providing high quality, trauma informed care and has previous experience of working with an eating disordered client population, although there is scope to support the post holder to develop their skills and experience so we welcome applications from trainees who are due to qualify in Sept 2026.

Main duties of the job

• To provide psychological assessment, formulation and evidence based intervention for service users admitted to Rharian Fields Specialist Eating Disorder Inpatient Service.
• Contribute to risk assessment and management, including psychological input to MDT decision making including management of high risk presentations and engagement difficulties.
• Work collaboratively within the MDT, supporting reflective practice and psychologically informed care across the service.
• Liaise with families and carers where appropriate, and with partner services across care pathways.
• Deliver care within a trauma informed framework, actively minimising re-traumatisation and supporting safety, collaboration, and dignity.
• Adapt interventions for people with neurodivergence, sensory sensitivities, or communication differences.

About us

Hello! We are Navigo. We look after North East Lincolnshire's mental health and well-being, an award-winning social enterprise that provides mental health services to the NHS and beyond. The whole basis of our work is to deliver services that we would be happy for our own family to use. We offer a range of mental health services, including acute and community facilities as well as specialist support such as outstanding older adults inpatient services, rehabilitation and recovery community mental health and an outstanding specialist eating disorder facility. Ranked as one of the top UK companies to work for, we feature in the Best Companies top 100 large company list. As a social enterprise, we do things a little bit differently and have also developed income-generating commercially viable businesses that provide training, education and employment opportunities including Grimsby Garden Centre. Working at Navigo is not like working anywhere else. Lots of places say that, but we really mean it. We like to work with forward-thinking people who want to make a difference. Come and Join us!

Please note: Whilst we value all applications, if we believe an application to be AI generated, we will use a checking tool and may reject any application that has been automatically generated. Should you require any assistance in completing this application due to a disability or other needs please contact navigo.recruitment@nhs.net.

Job responsibilities

• To provide comprehensive highly specialist psychological assessments and treatments of service users referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of highly complex, contentious and/or sensitive data from a variety of sources including psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service users care.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• To formulate and implement highly complex plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a service users mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework (i.e. psychological formulation) of the service users problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist psychological interventions for individual service users, carers, families and groups.
• In conjunction with colleagues, develop outcome measures to provide an empirically measured standard for delivery of own and supervisees psychological provision.
• Clinical work will require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options, to develop complex formulations based upon a range of theoretical perspectives, which will allow the most effective highly specialised programme of care.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service whose problems are managed by psychologically-based care plans.
• To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users of the service, across all multidisciplinary teams, settings and other agencies serving the client group.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
• To manage diary to ensure adequate provision of direct clinical work, as per the minimum standards of four face-to-face direct clinical sessions of one hour per each full work day.
• The post-holder will be required to work with service users in situations that may be highly antagonistic, abusive and hostile.
• This will include the writing of clinical reports, letters, and notes in line with Trust operational standards, and liaison with the Senior Operational Manager for Adult Acute Services.

Person Specification

• Experience of working with people with severe and complex mental health needs, including eating disorders.
• Evidence of clinical experience of working with eating disorder client population particularly in assessment, formulation, treatment planning and implementation.
• Teaching and training of Psychology and other staff.
• Clinical supervision experience.
• A clear track record of managing complexity and risk whilst maintaining high standards of service delivery.
• A comprehensive understanding of the changing NHS and Social Care environment and the challenges they face.
• Evidence of specialist interest in working with service users with eating disorders during training.
• Extended casework in relevant speciality area before and during training.
• Experience of offering line management.
• Clinical audit work in specialist area.
• Experience in undertaking leadership roles within psychology services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi-disciplinary and multi-agency contexts.

Qualifications

• Doctoral Psychology qualification or equivalent.
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Relevant specialist CPD (e.g CBT-E, SSCM, MANTRA, Motivational Interviewing, DBT, EMDR).
• Post qualification training in psychological therapy.
• Accreditation in a/or multiple relevant psychological therapies.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of specialist therapeutic interventions with the client group.
• Knowledge of more than one psychological therapy.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for clinical practice.

Additional Requirements

• Must be a car driver with a valid driving licence or have access to transport with appropriate business insurance in order to travel to meet the needs of the service.
• Advanced, specialist skills in psychological assessment, formulation and intervention.
• Strong leadership qualities, resilience and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty.
• Effective team player with good liaison and communication skills.
• Very well organised with good administration skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to cope with workload pressure and prioritise workload.
• Ability to make clinical decisions around complex and emotive issues.
• Empathy/engagement with the client group.
• Self-awareness and emotional resilience.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£49,387 to £64,750 a year band 7 or 8a depending on experience.