Job summary
- Main area
- Psychotherapy
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- 18.5 hours per week (Part time - 18.5 hours per week)
- Job ref
- 222-SF-744-A-A
- Employer
- West London NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- St Bernard's Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £63,665 - £70,887 per annum pro rata inclusive of HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 16/07/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Band 8a Highly Specialist Adult Psychotherapist
Band 8a
West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.
We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Highly Specialist Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Psychotherapist to join West London Forensic Services (WLFS), based in Southall. This is a part-time (18.75 hours) permanent role within a well-established Forensic Psychotherapy Department committed to reflective practice and high-quality, patient-centred care.
The post holder will deliver a specialist psychoanalytically informed psychotherapy service in inpatient forensic settings, working with individuals with severe and complex mental health needs. This includes undertaking assessments and providing both individual and group psychodynamic psychotherapy.
A key aspect of the role is supporting the therapeutic ward environment through facilitating Reflective Practice groups, helping staff to process and manage the emotional impact of working with complex patients.
The role also involves providing consultation to multidisciplinary teams and supervision to qualified staff, trainees, and honorary therapists. Working autonomously within professional and Trust guidelines, the post holder will contribute to service development through teaching, training, audit, and research across WLFS and the wider Trust.
Main duties of the job
- To provide a highly specialised psychodynamic psychotherapy service within a secure forensic setting to individuals with severe and enduring mental disorders and complex forensic histories.
- To undertake assessments for individual and group psychotherapy, integrating complex information from multiple sources such as referral details, clinical records, multidisciplinary teams, and risk documentation.
- To produce clear assessment reports, including psychodynamic formulations and recommendations on treatment suitability, modality, duration, and risk management.
- To manage an independent clinical caseload, delivering both individual and group psychodynamic interventions for patients with complex, long-term needs.
- To facilitate regular Reflective Practice groups for multidisciplinary teams and professional groups, supporting staff to manage the emotional impact of working in forensic settings.
- To undertake Care Coordinator responsibilities where appropriate, particularly for patients supported by trainees or supervised staff.
- To communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, carers, and colleagues, promoting engagement and collaborative multidisciplinary working.
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The Person Specification below is not complete. Please refer to the Candidate Pack for the full criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
For more information or an informal discussion please contact Dr Katherine Papaspirou, Consultant Forensic Psychotherapist and Departmental Lead, Forensic Psychotherapy Department, WLFS by emailing [email protected].
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- Recognised highly specialist formal training in psychoanalysis, individual psychoanalytic or psychodynamic psychotherapy accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) or group analysis accredited by the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
- Recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions (e.g. Nursing, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Social Work) or extensive clinical experience at post qualification level.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPC/UKCP and core profession.
Desirable criteria
- Further training in another modality or type of psychotherapy e.g. group analysis/psychotherapy, brief focal therapy, Mentalisation Based Treatment, systemic therapy.
- Further training or post graduate qualification in supervision and/or institutional/ organisational dynamics.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Post-qualification clinical work and clinical management experiences as a highly specialist individual and/or group psychotherapist; or evidence demonstrating the capacity to develop towards that direction if currently working as a Specialist Psychodynamic Psychotherapist.
- Extensive experience of assessing patients for individual and group psychotherapy, particularly those with complex needs and severe difficulties, taking account of a range of theoretical models and with the ability to develop a clinical formulation and make recommendations for a treatment plan, including for brief interventions and long-term work.
- Extensive experience of working as an autonomous and independent practitioner.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, presenting with a range of clinical severity, including dual diagnosis, across care settings with the capacity to maintain professionalism while being presented with highly emotive and distressing problems.
- An in-depth experience of personal therapy of sufficient intensity and duration to be able to work psychotherapeutically with the most challenging and demanding cases and situations.
- Extensive experience of clinically supervising individually and in groups staff at different levels of training and experience (honorary, Core Trainees in Psychiatry, Specialty Trainees in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy).
- Experience in supervising staff treating patients in individual and group psychotherapy.
- Experience in offering consultation and reflective practice to multidisciplinary staff teams and other professional groups.
- Experience of planning and delivering training in the principles of individual, group psychotherapy and organisational dynamics.
- Experience of research and audit.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of having worked in forensic settings.
- Experience in the assessment and treatment of patients with severe mental illness and/or personality disorder.
- Experience of the application of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in different cultural contexts.
- Experience in undertaking investigations (including serious untoward incidents, disciplinary incidents and complaints)
- Publications in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theory and concepts of human behaviour, development and psychopathology including models of the mind and unconscious processes and of psychoanalytic theories of intervention and techniques.
- Comprehensive knowledge of organisational and individual group interventions and techniques.
- Deep knowledge of psychodynamic understanding of individual and institutional countertransference reactions to patients suffering from severe mental illness or personality disorders.
- Knowledge of other psychotherapeutic models in determining choice of treatment, suitability and the indication and contra indications for different modalities.
- Comprehensive knowledge of psychiatric diagnosis and treatments.
- An understanding of the role of psychodynamic psychotherapy in the modern NHS.
- Good knowledge of different pathways of care in terms of mental health provision in statutory and voluntary sectors.
- Knowledge of legislation regarding mentally disordered offenders as well as related to the protection of children and vulnerable adults.
- Knowledge of NHS Policies and their implications for clinical practice, professional management and service development.
- Understanding of confidentiality, data protection, legislation and Caldicott principles.
- Awareness and appreciation of equality and diversity issues.
Desirable criteria
- Good knowledge of the theory underpinning Mentalisation Based Treatment and group therapy.
- Knowledge of research methodologies
Skills
Essential criteria
- Extensive skills of psychodynamic assessment, formulation and treatment as applied to those who present with complex needs, including severe mental illness in remission and personality disorders, offering appropriate treatment recommendations.
- Skills to understand and interpret unconscious processes in a timely and sensitive manner.
- Highly developed skills in providing consultation to mental health professionals from a wide range of professional groups and with different levels of experience of working with and understanding organisational and staff team dynamics.
- Skills in communicating effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information about patients to MDT members in situations of potential conflict and psychological distress.
- High level skills in communicating effectively psychodynamic ideas to members of the multidisciplinary team, patients and their carers.
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multi disciplinary setting.
- Ability to liaise and co operate with others whose work is underpinned by different psychological models.
- Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with colleagues who may require emotional support or challenge to their working practice.
- Capacity to contain and work with organisational stress and to think clearly in situations of high level of emotion.
- Skills in delivering advanced and highly specialist teaching and training in psychodynamic psychotherapy to colleagues with different levels of experience and from different disciplines who work with mentally disordered offenders.
- Capacity to work independently and autonomously in organising and managing a clinical caseload of patients with complex needs and difficulties undergoing group or individual psychodynamic treatment.
- Ability to apply psychoanalytic thinking to working in the NHS and within the context and the limitations of forensic settings.
- Interest and ability to contribute to service development.
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Capacity to maintain a thoughtful stance and a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and, potentially, physical abuse
- Ability to contain and manage the impact of high levels of emotional distress and disturbance on self and others.
- Capacity to negotiate successfully with others.
- Capacity to accept constructive criticism.
- Capacity to critically reflect on the performance of others in a constructive manner.
- Capacity to assert one’s professional authority.
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
- Dr Katherine Papaspirou
- Job title
- Forensic Psychotherapist and Departmental Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Dr Katherine Papaspirou, Consultant Forensic Psychotherapist and Departmental Lead, Forensic Psychotherapy Department, WLFS by emailing [email protected].
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