Principal Psychologist

Job summaryUNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFEWe have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Psychologist to join our integrated Mental Health team at HMP Wymott. HMP Wymott, a category C Prison located in Leyland, Lancashire.The site houses around 1100 patients aged 21+. We are seeking a strong clinical, counselling or forensic psychologistwho has previously worked within a fully integrated mental health service, and understands the needs of the Psychological services required and delivered within a prison healthcare setting. As part of this role you will be managing an Assistant Psychologist as well as developing the psychological services at the site. Hours2.5 days per week between Monday to Friday 8am-4pm. If you are looking for full time position we can offer additional sessions working at HMP Garth.SalaryYou'll receive an annual salary of between 64,455 and 74,896per annum depending on experience FTE, which will be pro rata for the part time hours.How will we support you? Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course Competency framework Regional and national career development opportunities Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needsCandidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks.Main duties of the jobAs a Principal Psychologist, your responsibilities will vary. You will:Support the development and embedding of a trauma-informed mental health service model across sitesOffer clinical support and oversight to the Integrated Mental Health Team (IMHT)Undertake psychological assessmentsSupport complex multi-disciplinary formulationsDeliver psychological interventions to cases of complexityDeliver and oversee 1:1 and group intervention as part of the Trauma Informed 'Making Sense' ProgrammeDeliver teaching and training to healthcare and prison staff where requiredContribute to the development of audit, service evaluation and research profile as appropriateIf you are interested in career development, we have a wide range of opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience, which include both internal and external options for development and learning.It doesnt stop there we also offer:Discounts on shopping and leisure activitiesSupport to grow in your role and continue your professional development24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when you need itAbout usPractice Plus Groups purpose is to Unlock your best work life and we stand by our core values:we treat patients and each other as we would like to be treatedwe act with integritywe embrace diversitywe strive to do things better togetherWe are looking for caring, compassionate but also driven professionals who can help us drive our vision for a fair and inclusive healthcare access to all.Qualifications, skills and experience required:Qualified clinical, counselling or forensic psychologist and registered with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist;Postgraduate qualification/training in at least one specific mode of psychological therapy relevant to people with severe and long standing mental health difficulties eg: CBT, Systemic /family therapy, Mindfulness based therapies, CAT, DBT, Mentalisation, Schema TherapyCritical awareness of a range of psychological models applicable to delivering psychological approaches in remand prisons .A working knowledge of current good practice and recent government policies relating to health services and professional guidelines; Secure environments are one of the most challenging, yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If you're looking for a role where you can develop your existing healthcare skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this could be the right opportunity for you. DetailsDate posted02 September 2026Pay schemeOtherSalary Depending on experience 64,455 and 74,896 per annum ContractPermanentWorking pattern Part-time Reference number14953-2Job locationsWymott Prison, Ulnes Walton LaneLeylandLancashirePR26 8LWUnited KingdomJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesIn this senior clinician role, the Principal Psychologist will provide clinical leadership to the mental health team, ensuring the delivery of effective psychological services that support the unique challenges faced by individuals in prison. The Principal Psychologist will work collaboratively with the prison's senior leadership team and external stakeholders, and will actively contribute to regional quality review processes and service development meetings, ensuring that mental health services are continuously improved and aligned with best practices and meeting agreed targets. This role will work closely with the wider national psychological therapies team and contribute to service model review and improvement against new research and in line with best practice and NICE guidelines. Additionally, the role involves contributing to regional quality review and service development meetings to ensure that mental health services are responsive to the needs of individuals in prison and actively work to minimize the cycle of intergenerational trauma. By leading initiatives that connect individuals with essential resources and support, the Principal Psychologist will play a vital role in promoting the mental well-being of both patients and staff within a remand prison setting.MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical - To provide highly specialist psychological assessment of high complex patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members (when appropriate) and others involved in the patients care. To make highly specialist clinical decisions and clinical judgements about patient care, processes and service developments; To provide specialist trauma informed, psychological insight, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan; To lead and evaluate the implementation of a range of psychological interventions for individuals and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models, and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses; engage in structured and dynamic risk assessments; To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking in to account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors including historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group; To contribute directly and indirectly to a trauma informed, psychologically-based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, promoting the psychological mindedness of staff; To contribute a psychosocial, trauma informed perspective within the multidisciplinary team including for those patients not directly on the psychologists caseload and attend individual patient reviews and risk management meetings where appropriate; To attend ACCT reviews and segregation reviews in the prison as appropriate and to offer psychological opinion about management and appropriate referrals in that context and, offer psychological understanding into CSIP plans to support management of patients within the wing by prison staff; Foster good working relationships with Offender Management, Probation to Reconnect services to a psychologically informed understanding of patients needs during transition into open conditions or release into the community; To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex/sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans to the patient, appropriate professional colleagues and to family members, as appropriate, and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of multi-disciplinary discussions; To be able to complete and interpret formal psychometric assessments; To maintain accurate clinical records and keep the PTS dashboard up to date with outcomes data for patient/service and staff outcomes; To contribute to the development of specialized individual treatment plans or packages of care for patients with complex psychological problems and who may present a risk of harm to themselves or others; To be able to manage the emotional impact of working, often one-to-one, with people who can be in crisis, who can show high levels of arousal and can be actively self-harming or suicidal; To work jointly with other psychologists/therapists, to plan and hand over the psychological assessment and treatments of patients that may continue after either transfer to other prisons or released in the community or other recovery-based settings. In liaison with Mental Leads and/or Heads of Healthcare and the National Head of Psychological Therapies, identify opportunities for and conduct service development projects in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team; Participate in and contribute to CPD and peer supervision within the wider healthcare team; Active engagement in appropriate practice supervision.Teaching, training and supervision To receive regular clinical supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor, in accordance with the BPS and the HCPC guidelines and, where appropriate, from other senior professional colleagues and, to supervise junior psychology colleagues and other therapists and MDT colleagues as appropriate;To provide training and supervision for members of the service (healthcare and prison) in the delivery of psychologically, trauma informed care and treatment; To provide specialist advice and consultation and training to members of other disciplines within the teams and to non-psychology manager of the teams on psychological understanding, interventions and evaluations; To develop and deliver teaching as appropriate for members of staff from other disciplines; Responsible for planning, delivery and clinical supervision of a specialist psychology training placement for trainees on the postgraduate doctoral courses in clinical/counselling and/ or forensic psychology; To develop further post-qualification experience in psychology over and above that provided through training by engaging in a clearly planned CPD programme in accordance with British Psychological Society guidance and in line with service model and needs; To contribute to peer psychology supervision sessions. Management, recruitment, policy and service development To plan and supervise the work of undergraduate psychology students, and trainee psychologists and be responsible for their support in their placements; To contribute to proposals and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies; To advise the Mental Health lead and/or Heads of Healthcare on those aspects of the service where psychological matters need addressing in line with best practice and service objectives; Responsible for contributing to the planning, organizing, auditing and developing of policy strategies for the delivery of the psychological therapies service; To contribute to proposals for and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies within the service; To take responsibility for representation of the profession at appropriate service development and governance meetings as agreed with their Line Manager and in line with Personal and Professional Development Plans (PDPs); To contribute to recruitment shortlisting and interviewing as appropriate across the service; Research, service evaluation & audit To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual/ group work and work with other team members; To undertake project management, including complex audit, research and service evaluation projects, with colleagues within the service, to help develop service provision; To prepare and present information from audits, evaluations and research to professional audiences within and outside the Organisation To prepare papers for publication based on audit, evaluation, research and development work To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.Professional - To attend regional and national Psychological Therapies meetings, service development and other relevant meetings regularly; To adhere to professional/accrediting body codes of conduct, policies and procedures (e.g. HCPC, BABCP, BPS); To be aware of, adhere to, and where appropriate, contribute to the formulation and review of Practice Plus Group policies and procedures; To maintain and develop high standards of psychology/psychological therapy practice by engaging in continuing professional development and co-operative working/networking with therapists, clinical, counselling and forensic psychologist colleagues; To receive regular line management supervision by the Head of Healthcare To participate in the organisations annual performance review and personal development planning process with the clinical supervisor and line manager; To keep up to date with legislation, national directives, policies and NICE guidelines in relation to the work delivered.Other This Job Description is not exhaustive and may change as the post develops, but such change will not take place without consultation between the post holder and their manager. Job descriptions should be reviewed at least annually at the appraisal meeting. Job description Job responsibilitiesIn this senior clinician role, the Principal Psychologist will provide clinical leadership to the mental health team, ensuring the delivery of effective psychological services that support the unique challenges faced by individuals in prison. The Principal Psychologist will work collaboratively with the prison's senior leadership team and external stakeholders, and will actively contribute to regional quality review processes and service development meetings, ensuring that mental health services are continuously improved and aligned with best practices and meeting agreed targets. This role will work closely with the wider national psychological therapies team and contribute to service model review and improvement against new research and in line with best practice and NICE guidelines. Additionally, the role involves contributing to regional quality review and service development meetings to ensure that mental health services are responsive to the needs of individuals in prison and actively work to minimize the cycle of intergenerational trauma. By leading initiatives that connect individuals with essential resources and support, the Principal Psychologist will play a vital role in promoting the mental well-being of both patients and staff within a remand prison setting.MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical - To provide highly specialist psychological assessment of high complex patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members (when appropriate) and others involved in the patients care. To make highly specialist clinical decisions and clinical judgements about patient care, processes and service developments; To provide specialist trauma informed, psychological insight, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan; To lead and evaluate the implementation of a range of psychological interventions for individuals and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models, and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses; engage in structured and dynamic risk assessments; To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking in to account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors including historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group; To contribute directly and indirectly to a trauma informed, psychologically-based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, promoting the psychological mindedness of staff; To contribute a psychosocial, trauma informed perspective within the multidisciplinary team including for those patients not directly on the psychologists caseload and attend individual patient reviews and risk management meetings where appropriate; To attend ACCT reviews and segregation reviews in the prison as appropriate and to offer psychological opinion about management and appropriate referrals in that context and, offer psychological understanding into CSIP plans to support management of patients within the wing by prison staff; Foster good working relationships with Offender Management, Probation to Reconnect services to a psychologically informed understanding of patients needs during transition into open conditions or release into the community; To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex/sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans to the patient, appropriate professional colleagues and to family members, as appropriate, and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of multi-disciplinary discussions; To be able to complete and interpret formal psychometric assessments; To maintain accurate clinical records and keep the PTS dashboard up to date with outcomes data for patient/service and staff outcomes; To contribute to the development of specialized individual treatment plans or packages of care for patients with complex psychological problems and who may present a risk of harm to themselves or others; To be able to manage the emotional impact of working, often one-to-one, with people who can be in crisis, who can show high levels of arousal and can be actively self-harming or suicidal; To work jointly with other psychologists/therapists, to plan and hand over the psychological assessment and treatments of patients that may continue after either transfer to other prisons or released in the community or other recovery-based settings. In liaison with Mental Leads and/or Heads of Healthcare and the National Head of Psychological Therapies, identify opportunities for and conduct service development projects in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team; Participate in and contribute to CPD and peer supervision within the wider healthcare team; Active engagement in appropriate practice supervision.Teaching, training and supervision To receive regular clinical supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor, in accordance with the BPS and the HCPC guidelines and, where appropriate, from other senior professional colleagues and, to supervise junior psychology colleagues and other therapists and MDT colleagues as appropriate;To provide training and supervision for members of the service (healthcare and prison) in the delivery of psychologically, trauma informed care and treatment; To provide specialist advice and consultation and training to members of other disciplines within the teams and to non-psychology manager of the teams on psychological understanding, interventions and evaluations; To develop and deliver teaching as appropriate for members of staff from other disciplines; Responsible for planning, delivery and clinical supervision of a specialist psychology training placement for trainees on the postgraduate doctoral courses in clinical/counselling and/ or forensic psychology; To develop further post-qualification experience in psychology over and above that provided through training by engaging in a clearly planned CPD programme in accordance with British Psychological Society guidance and in line with service model and needs; To contribute to peer psychology supervision sessions. Management, recruitment, policy and service development To plan and supervise the work of undergraduate psychology students, and trainee psychologists and be responsible for their support in their placements; To contribute to proposals and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies; To advise the Mental Health lead and/or Heads of Healthcare on those aspects of the service where psychological matters need addressing in line with best practice and service objectives; Responsible for contributing to the planning, organizing, auditing and developing of policy strategies for the delivery of the psychological therapies service; To contribute to proposals for and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies within the service; To take responsibility for representation of the profession at appropriate service development and governance meetings as agreed with their Line Manager and in line with Personal and Professional Development Plans (PDPs); To contribute to recruitment shortlisting and interviewing as appropriate across the service; Research, service evaluation & audit To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual/ group work and work with other team members; To undertake project management, including complex audit, research and service evaluation projects, with colleagues within the service, to help develop service provision; To prepare and present information from audits, evaluations and research to professional audiences within and outside the Organisation To prepare papers for publication based on audit, evaluation, research and development work To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.Professional - To attend regional and national Psychological Therapies meetings, service development and other relevant meetings regularly; To adhere to professional/accrediting body codes of conduct, policies and procedures (e.g. HCPC, BABCP, BPS); To be aware of, adhere to, and where appropriate, contribute to the formulation and review of Practice Plus Group policies and procedures; To maintain and develop high standards of psychology/psychological therapy practice by engaging in continuing professional development and co-operative working/networking with therapists, clinical, counselling and forensic psychologist colleagues; To receive regular line management supervision by the Head of Healthcare To participate in the organisations annual performance review and personal development planning process with the clinical supervisor and line manager; To keep up to date with legislation, national directives, policies and NICE guidelines in relation to the work delivered.Other This Job Description is not exhaustive and may change as the post develops, but such change will not take place without consultation between the post holder and their manager. Job descriptions should be reviewed at least annually at the appraisal meeting.Person Specification Qualifications EssentialPlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.DesirablePlease click apply to view the job description and person specification. Experience EssentialPlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.DesirablePlease click apply to view the job description and person specification. Additional Criteria EssentialPlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.DesirablePlease click apply to view the job description and person specification. Person Specification Qualifications EssentialPlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.DesirablePlease click apply to view the job description and person specification. Experience EssentialPlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.DesirablePlease click apply to view the job description and person specification. Additional Criteria EssentialPlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.DesirablePlease click apply to view the job description and person specification.Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Employer detailsEmployer namePractice Plus Group - Health in JusticeAddressWymott Prison, Ulnes Walton LaneLeylandLancashirePR26 8LWUnited KingdomEmployer's websiteEmployer detailsEmployer namePractice Plus Group - Health in JusticeAddressWymott Prison, Ulnes Walton LaneLeylandLancashirePR26 8LWUnited KingdomEmployer's website