Clinical Practitioner Psychologist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for Band7 / Band 8aClinical / Practitioner Psychologists (0.5wte) to become part of the Gwent Attachment Service. The service aims to provide support for highly vulnerable children who have experienced complex developmental trauma and disrupted attachment histories. We believe in focussing on early intervention and prevention. Our focus is on creating the environments in which secure attachments can develop and in which young people have the best chance of building resilience and recovering from trauma.

The successful candidates will join a lively and proactive team of Child Psychologists and Therapists. We meet weekly for professional support and peer supervision, and value a culture of reflective practice and rich continuing professional development. Our team base is both welcoming and supportive, enabling clinicians to hold a strong psychological perspective in the wide range of settings we deliver services across.

A key part of the role involves working with those in the systems around these young people to create a knowledge and understanding of the impact of trauma and attachment difficulties. The service also works to support individuals and agencies (including health, social care, education and youth justice) to consider how to embed attachment principles into their service planning and delivery, provide timely interventions and contribute to the evidence base for this population.

There will be opportunities for the successful candidates to develop skills in each of these service strands.

This post is being advertised as a Band 8a but we invite less experienced applicants to apply with a view to starting on Band 7 and to commit to a plan to develop into the Band 8a role.

This post is fixed term until
31st March 2027 to meet the needs of the service.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is a multi-award-winning NHS organisation with a passion for caring. The Health Board provides an exceptional workplace where you can feel trusted and valued. Whatever your specialty or stage in your career, we have opportunities for everyone to start, grow and build your career. The health board provides integrated acute, primary and community care serving a population of 650,000 and employing over 16,000 staff.

We offer a fantastic benefits package and extensive training and development opportunities with paid mandatory training, excellent in-house programmes, opportunities to complete recognised qualifications and professional career pathways including a range of management development programmes. We offer flexible working and promote a healthy work life balance, provide occupational health support and an ambitious plan for a Wellbeing Centre of Excellence to support you at work.

Our Clinical Futures strategy continues to enhance and promote care closer to home as well as high quality hospital care when needed. Join us on our journey to pioneer new ways of working and deliver a world-class healthcare service fit for the future.

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac

• HCPC Registered
• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology accredited by the BPS or equivalent accredited by the BPS
• Other related academic qualifications

• Doctorate training across a range of client groups but must include children
• Significant experience of working with children with developmental trauma and attachment difficulties and their families
• Has completed at least 10 training days per year on courses relevant to the provision of Child & Family Psychology and Therapies Service
• Has begun to develop special expertise in the relevant clinical area and to have undergone or is undergoing post qualification training in it as part of the CPD process (e.g. DDP / Theraplay / DBT)
• Post qualification work experience in a relevant clinical or care setting
• Post qualification experience of working in Child Psychology specialising in working with children with a developmental trauma / attachment difficulties
• To have obtained further experience of working within other Clinical Psychology e.g. Child Services or Learning Disability Service
• Research experience and statistical expertise

• Ability to communicate and relate to people warmly and with empathy
• Ability to understand the highly complex and conflicting messages from clients and organise this in a way that allows them to guide the client through a complex process of change. To be able to do this even when the client is highly distressed, there is a highly charged atmosphere, and/or when the client is expressing high levels of anger
• Ability to assess, interpret, formulate and intervene in situations where the material is highly complex, where there are a range of possible options, where different courses of action could be taken and where expert opinions may differ
• Ability to…