Job summary
- Main area
- Rehabilitation Pathway
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 294-MHCA-7445430-JB
- Employer
- South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Springfield University Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £64,156 - £71,148 pro rata per annum inclusive of inner London HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 14/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Clinical/Counselling or Forensic Psychologist & Psychology Lead
Band 8a
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.
We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ however we aim to be ‘outstanding’.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".
When you join us, you’ll be part of something special – an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.
As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
We are looking to appoint a passionate Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychologist to join the Trust’s inpatient rehabilitation teams based on Phoenix Ward and at Burntwood Villas step-down service, both located at Springfield Hospital.
Phoenix Ward is a Level 2 high dependency rehabilitation ward which has a focus on managing severe and complex mental disorders within the recovery model. The ward provides intensive support to those patients who present with severe and treatment resistant symptoms of mental illness, associated with multiple or severe co-morbid conditions, and significant risk histories. The ward has a total of 16 beds, and all patients are detained under the Mental Health Act. Patients are admitted from acute psychiatric wards, forensic settings, as well as from the private sector. The expected length of stay is six months to a year.
Burntwood Villas is a Level 1 Community Rehabilitation facility which comprises an 8-bedded unit with 1 satellite self-contained 4 bedroomed unit. Staff strive to support residents in their recovery through meaningful and purposeful activities, hobbies, learning, and self-development. The shared goal is to support residents back to a community setting, enhancing confidence, communication skills and coping strategies. The expected length of stay is six months to a year.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will provide psychological assessments as well as group and individual treatment interventions to patients from both services. In addition, they will have a key role in providing education, training and consultation to MDT colleagues working across the rehabilitation pathway (incl. psychiatrists, nurses, OTs, assistant psychologists). They may also be asked to contribute to wider service line initiatives and improvement projects that would benefit from their specialist clinical expertise.
The successful applicant will receive regular one-to-one clinical supervision and will also be able to access peer supervision via the Trust’s Forensic Psychology and Psychotherapies team. The postholder will be actively supported via funding and study leave to undertake relevant further training as required for the role.
Working for our organisation
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ - we aspire to be ‘outstanding’.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the team 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 clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems and problematic/offending behaviour, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and reformulating the therapeutic models as appropriate on the basis of feedback and follow up, drawing on a number of different explanatory theoretical models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.
To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all residents.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide specialist advice to other professionals in the NHS on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management, as well as to other external agencies concerned with Public Protection, such as Social Services, Probation, Multi Agency Public Protection Panels (MAPPPs) where necessary.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during multi-disciplinary care.
Person specification
TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria
- Doctorate level training in clinical, forensic or counselling psychology, including specifically: models of psychopathology; clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies as accredited by the BPS
- Registered with the HCPC under the appropriate domain specific title
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
- Trained in the theory and practice of clinical supervision of psychological therapy practice
- Advanced supervision training in a therapeutic model (e.g. psychodynamic, systemic, CBT, MBT or DBT).
EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of people with mental health problems, personality disorder and offending behaviour problems.
- Experience of co-facilitating psychosocial groups.
- Experience of working within a Multi-Disciplinary Team.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified applied psychologist
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in forensic and/or substance misuse services
- Experience of leading on areas of service development.
- Experience of leading a research project
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
Essential criteria
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information, including contentious and highly distressing information, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, psychological formulation, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. This requires the use of highly developed analytical skills and judgement.
- High standard of report writing for communication with professionals from NHS, Local Authority and other agencies, parents/carers and clients.
- Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence-based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance, including regular supervision, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical and applied psychology.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies to treat people in secure settings
- High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
- High-level knowledge and skills in specialist neuropsychological assessment of adults
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Emma Clark
- Job title
- Clinical Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07543508248
- Additional information
Dr Hendrik Hinrichsen, Head of Psychology and Psychotherapies for Specialist Services on 07736 818 236 / [email protected]
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