Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Team in North East Essex (Colchester and Tendring).
Our EIP teams across Essex provide specialist services for people aged 14 - 65 years old who are experiencing psychosis for the first time. We support people and their families through what can be a difficult and confusing time, helping them to make sense of what is happening, feel more in control, and work towards their goals.
National standards for EIP highlight the importance quick access to services and we develop a collaborative plan with people within two weeks of referral. These standards also emphasise timely interventions, specifically CBT for psychosis (CBTp), evidence-based Family Interventions (FIp), and psychological support for carers and family members. We have innovative approaches for early access to psychological interventions. Psychologists are supported and encouraged to pursue further training, with people recently trained in CBTp and FIp (including supervision training), and EMDR. Value is also placed on psychologists being involved in service development, including working with our developing At Risk Mental States (ARMS) service.
We also welcome applications from newly qualified Clinical Psychologists seeking a preceptorship opportunity.
For further information, please contact Dr Claire Wheeler, Principal Clinical Psychologist (claire.wheeler5@nhs.net, 01206 334000)
Main duties of the job
The EIP team provides a community based service for people from 14-65 who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis. The psychological therapists in the teams work autonomously within professional guidelines to provide a high quality specialist psychology service to service users, their families, and other professionals/services involved in the life and care of service users.
You would ensure that effective, tailored, evidence based psychological assessments and interventions are delivered to service users and their families and deliver interventions underpinned by evidence based practice, NICE guidance, and DH guidance.
You would be responsible for robust assessment and formulation of a service user's psychological needs, offering highly skilled care planning in response to the formulation and communicating this accordingly to those involved in the care of the service user.
You would contribute to the management of referrals by attending MDTs and weekly team meetings, assisting colleagues to develop working hypotheses of patients' presenting needs and informing the next steps in their care.
You would assist in and contribute to the development of services, teams, projects and interventions and contribute to the review and evaluation of these developments, giving expert clinical advice to management.
In delivering your duties you are expected to display behaviours that are aligned with the Trust values and your professional body.
About us
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
Details
Date posted
08 August 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 7
Salary
47,810 to 62,682 a year per annum pro rata
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part-time
Reference number
364-A-9244
Job locations
Holmer Court
Colchester
CO3 3BT
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached and Person Specification for a detailed list of responsibilities. Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached and Person Specification for a detailed list of responsibilities.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications / Knowledge
Essential

• Professional qualification from an accredited course with relevant (e.g. HCPC) registration
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment and intervention
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in written reports, letters and other health correspondence, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information

Desirable

• Training in additional specialised areas of psychological practice e.g. CBT, CBTp, EMDR or other.
• Experience of working in EIP or other specialist mental health services with people experiencing psychosis
• Formal training in supervision of other psychological therapists

Skills/Experience
Essential

• Post-qualification experience with psychosis, complex mental health, young adult, or adult populations
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and/or in-patient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
• Experience of delivering supervision, teaching and/or training

Desirable

• Demonstrate advanced specialist training and/or experience
• Experience of delivering evidence-based Family Interventions
• Training/experience in neuropsychological models

Person Specification
Education / Qualifications / Knowledge
Essential

• Professional qualification from an accredited course with relevant (e.g. HCPC) registration
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment and intervention
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in written reports, letters and other health correspondence, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information

Desirable

• Training in additional specialised areas of psychological practice e.g. CBT, CBTp, EMDR or other.
• Experience of working in EIP or other specialist mental health services with people experiencing psychosis
• Formal training in supervision of other psychological therapists

Skills/Experience
Essential

• Post-qualification experience with psychosis, complex mental health, young adult, or adult populations
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and/or in-patient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
• Experience of delivering supervision, teaching and/or training

Desirable

• Demonstrate advanced specialist training and/or experience
• Experience of delivering evidence-based Family Interventions
• Training/experience in neuropsychological models