Psychology

Psychological Professions colleagues are an essential part of the workforce and play a key role in improving service users’ psychological wellbeing.

The Psychological Professions Workforce in Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

The Psychological Professions staff are an essential part of the LYPFT workforce because of their dedication to improving service users’ psychological wellbeing. Psychological professionals contribute to the wellbeing of service users by providing specialist assessments and interventions and working with colleagues through training, clinical supervision, and consultation to promote psychological understanding and interventions across pathways. Psychological practitioners are also skilled in service development, service evaluation, clinical audit, research and development.

There are over 100 Psychologists and Psychotherapists working in the organisation who work in a range of roles across clinical services, working directly with service users, leadership, management and strategic roles.

We support several students; undergraduate psychologists and postgraduate Trainees, Clinical Psychologists and Psychotherapists within the workforce. Our psychological professions workforce are a dedicated group of individuals committed to providing high quality psychological care which supports the recovery of our service users and those who care for them.

Latest jobs

Our strategies

Psychological Professions Strategy

The Psychological Professions Strategy 2021-24 has been developed in consultation with stakeholders, including service users, carers, commissioners, operational management and third sector partners.

It’s designed to support the delivery of the Trust’s strategic priorities with a focus on four key visions and ambitions:

All service user and carer contact across the organisation is psychologically informed
All psychological practice is safe, caring and compassionate, effective, cost-effective, responsive and well led
To focus on workforce development to ensure the sustainability of our skilled and knowledgeable staff
To identify and pursue strategic growth, research and innovation opportunities

You can read the strategy here.

Psychological Therapies Strategy

The LYPFT Psychological Therapies Strategy 2022-2025 outlines the vision and plan for developing psychological therapies provision for people with moderate to severe mental health problems. This is aligned with the aims of the National Community Mental Health Transformation, Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health problems (PT – SMHP) programme and is aligned to the LYPFT Psychological Professions Strategy.

The strategy has been developed alongside the new clinical model in collaboration with service users, carers, and other stakeholders across the system.

You can read the strategy here.

Principal Clinical Psychologist Selina

Principal Clinical Psychologists play a vital role in the NHS, offering expert therapy and guidance for people with complex mental health needs.

They lead psychological services, support teams through supervision and training, and help shape care across systems.

At Forward Leeds, Selina brings her experience and passion to support individuals and influence wider service development.

Discover Selina’s journey into clinical psychology and how she’s making a meaningful impact in addiction services at Forward Leeds.

Learn more about Principal Clinical Psychologist Selina

Assistant Psychologist Caitlin

Assistant Psychologists in the NHS work under the supervision of qualified psychologists to support mental health services.

They help with assessments, therapy, research, and service development, often working directly with patients and contributing to team-based care.

Caitlin’s blog shares her journey into forensic mental health, highlighting the value of varied experience and the importance of building strong, collaborative relationships with both patients and professionals.

Learn more about Assistant Psychologist Caitlin

Senior Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Jennifer

Jennifer Anderson is a qualified Social Worker with a background in counselling studies. She now works as a Senior Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) in the West Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). Her role includes providing one-to-one therapy, supervising other therapists, and supporting trauma-informed care across the team.

Jennifer has worked in early intervention and perinatal services, trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and guest lectured on CBT. She enjoys helping clients gain new insights into their challenges and encourages others to explore employer-supported training and different therapeutic approaches.

Learn more about Senior Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Jennifer

Senior Forensic Psychologist, Clinical Lead John

A Senior Forensic Psychologist works with individuals who have committed offences and often have complex mental health needs, such as personality disorders. They assess risk, develop treatment plans, and support rehabilitation, often within settings like prisons, psychiatric hospitals, or community services. Their role includes providing psychological expertise to multi-disciplinary teams, supervising staff, and contributing to service development and research.

In his blog, John Atkinson shares his journey into forensic psychology, inspired by his uncle’s work in the prison service. He describes his varied career, from working in prisons and psychiatric hospitals to leading NHS services that support people on probation. John highlights his clinical leadership in projects aimed at reducing reoffending and improving community reintegration. He values the flexibility of his current role, the opportunity to build meaningful relationships, and the chance to help other professionals grow. He also discusses the different qualification routes into the profession and offers practical advice for those considering a career in forensic psychology.

Learn about Senior Forensic Psychologist and Clinical Lead John

Our staff

Psychologists

Clinical Psychologist

Clinical Psychologists undertake a three-year doctoral training course funded by Health Education England. They are trained to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy as well as at least one other major psychotherapeutic approach. They may work with specific populations to provide individual therapy, and work with couples or families, as well as teams and services. They also provide supervision and support to other professionals and teams, alongside developing services, delivering training, providing consultation, and conducting research.

Clinical psychologists use their scientist-practitioner training to address whole system problems at family, community, managerial and institutional level. They are trained to provide multidisciplinary leadership and innovation throughout the health and social care system.

Counselling Psychologist

Counselling Psychologists undertake a three-year doctoral training course to work with individuals experiencing a wide range of mental health difficulties. They consider how people relate, how they think and behave, take account of how others experience the world and how they function in their everyday life. This includes exploring people’s social, economic, cultural, spiritual, and physical health experiences. Counselling psychologists use psychological and psychotherapeutic theory and research, to reduce psychological distress and to promote the wellbeing of individuals, groups, and families.

The collaborative therapeutic relationship between a psychologist and client is a central for counselling psychologists as it helps to inform the understanding of particular psychological difficulties in the context of their client’s lives. As part of counselling psychology training and continued professional development, counselling psychologists engage in personal therapy, as a client, as they bring aspects of themselves to their work, derived from their training, wider knowledge, and lived experience.

Forensic Psychologist

A forensic psychologist is a practitioner psychologist with doctoral level training, specialising in applying psychological knowledge, usually in forensic settings such as courts, prisons, and forensic health care, as well as in the community. They offer interventions for those who have committed offences, which includes work on sexual offending, violence and aggression, interpersonal and social skills, and interventions to help stop illicit drug and or alcohol use.

Psychological therapists, psychotherapists and counsellors

Cognitive Behavioural Therapists

Cognitive behavioural therapists are trained to assess and support children, young people, and adults with common mental health difficulties. They offer interventions that are based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a talking therapy which aims to help people manage their difficulties by changing the way they think and behave. It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems. Cognitive behavioural therapy is delivered on a one-to-one basis or to groups.

Family and Systemic Psychotherapists

Family and systemic psychotherapists work with a wide range of psychological and relationship difficulties in emotional, mental, and physical health. Research shows family therapy is useful for children, young people, adults, and older adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties.

Family and systemic psychotherapists are trained in a number of systemic therapeutic approaches, and use psychological evidence and theory to create a shared map or “formulation” of psychological difficulties, which will guide therapies and other interventions provided.

Family and systemic psychotherapists may work with a specific population, such as with children and young people, adults of all ages, or people with learning disabilities. Alternatively, they may use family and systemic psychotherapy in a particular work setting such as mental health or social care. Family and systemic psychotherapists provide therapy for whole families, parts of a family, individuals, and couples, as well as teams and services.

Adult Psychotherapists

Adult psychotherapists work with adults to help tackle a wide range of emotional, social, or mental health issues. These could include behavioural issues, common challenges, such as anxiety and depression, or more complex or severe issues, such as psychosis or a personality disorder diagnosis. They may also work with individuals, couples, or groups.

Adult psychotherapists have undertaken an accredited training course in one or more psychotherapeutic approaches to deliver therapies within a specific therapeutic model (for example, psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive analytic psychotherapy, group analysis). They provide safe, expert therapy helping people to change the ways they think and behave or find better ways to cope. This therapy will provide space for individuals to express their feelings and gain a deeper insight into the issues they face.

Assistant Psychologists

Assistant Psychologists (APs) work alongside learning and supporting psychological professions staff. They are graduate psychologists who work under the direct supervision of a qualified psychologist, who retain clinical responsibility for patients and service users. APs are not registered practitioners but are usually pursuing a career as a psychological professional.

Clinical Associate Psychologists

Clinical Associates in Psychology (CAPs) have a postgraduate Masters qualification which enables them to contribute to psychologically informed intervention and service-based research. Their duties include assessing, formulating, and treating clients within specified ranges of conditions and age, either in primary care/adult mental health settings or in a range of areas involving children, young people, and their families.

CAPs have undergone an apprenticeship, supported by their employers and are only able to operate within certain specialised areas, under the supervision of a fully qualified practitioner psychologist.

If you’re interested in a Psychological Professions career but want further information, there are some valuable resources available online:

Psychological Professions Network