Highly Specialist psychological practitioner

For enquiries about the post, please contact Dr David Aaron (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) by e-mail ([email protected]).

Please note that the interview for this post will be held on Monday 6th October 2025.

About The Role

This post is a fixed-term (up to) 9 month 0.5 wte AfC Band 8a Highly Specialist Psychological Practitioner post (or a band 7 depending on experience) working into MY Psychological Services for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Critical Care. This post offers the opportunity to develop skills in specialist psychological assessment and therapeutic intervention working with a range of presentations, including psychological trauma, appearance related concerns, and adjustment to injury, across a range of settings in two full patient pathways. There will also be opportunity to work with and into different MDTs, offering consultation, supervision to non-psychological professionals and teaching/training. The postholder will be part of two MDTs, a wider Surgery Psychological Section and a growing MY Psychological Services department, with access to strong and supportive groups of professionals. Although working with initiative and autonomy is important to this role, you will work closely with others.

Main duties

• To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients (whether individuals or team-based clients), based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources.
• To formulate and implement psychological intervention based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patient's presentation, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
• To communicate verbally and in writing, highly complex information in a manner that is clear, understandable and appropriate to a range of settings and audiences.
• To support the team in providing teaching, training and consultation.
• To undertake appropriate research and participate in the routine collection of data for purposes of outcome evaluation.
• To participate in regular clinical supervision and and develop skills in offering supervision to others, accessing appropriate training to support your development.
• To regularly attend and participate in team meetings, away-days and other professional meetings and support the development of MY Psychological Services for Surgery.
  
  

Essential Person Specification Requirements

• Core professional qualification in one of the psychological professions (e.g. Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Health Psychology, CBT Therapy or equivalent).
• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 2000) as accredited by the BPS.
• Accreditation or registration with a relevant professional body (e.g. HCPC, BABCP, BPS, UKCP).
• Knowledge and skills in the use of psychological assessment, formulation and intervention to work with individuals and teams presenting with complex difficulties.
• Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients and other professional colleagues.
• Enthusiasm for the development and delivery of psychological services focused on improving the wellbeing of staff and patients.
• The ability to provide effective teaching and training.
• The ability to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a team.
• The ability to use own initiative and make decisions independently, whilst being aware of own limitations.
  
  

Be part of MY team

We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients’ homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work.

We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust.

If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.

Application Guidance

We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It’s important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Our Benefits

• Access to the NHS pension plan
• Generous holiday allowance of 27 days plus bank holidays, increasing with 5 and 10 years of service
• Exceptional employee health and wellbeing services
• Extensive benefits and support, including:
• Onsite nurseries and childcare salary sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Home electronics scheme
• Car lease salary sacrifice scheme
• Working carers support and advice, carers network and carers passport
• Flexible working options and family and carer-friendly policies
• Established staff networks, including LGBTQ+ and Race Equality
• Career progression, training and support
  
  

Skilled worker sponsorship

You can find out more about skilled worker and health and care visas on our .