Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 1 year (There is scope for the post to be extended)
- Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 395-PP181-25-A
- Employer
- NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Petersfield Centre
- Town
- Romford
- Salary
- £47,810 - £62,682 pa pro rata (plus HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/03/2026 09:00
Employer heading
Clinical/Counselling Psychologist Havering Refugee Psychology Service
Band 8a
Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthustiastic and committed Senior Clinical or Counselling Psychologist, who shares our team’s passion for human rights and social justice, to join the Havering Asylum Seeker and Refugee (HavASR) Psychology Service. We are a specialist service aiming to support the mental health of all-age Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Havering by strengthening the community based resources through Systemic and Community Psychology work with local statutory and non-statutory services, alongside direct work on our adult assessment and intervention pathway. We aim to practice in line with Trauma Informed Practice and principles of Community Psychology to support refugees and asylum seekers including survivors of torture, human trafficking, gender based violence and other human rights violations.
We offer excellent development opportunities including high quality and regular supervision, opportunities for research and training, and close working with other specialist refugee and trauma services. We also support the development of leadership skills and aim to nurture our staff and support them to become confident supervisors, devise and implement training, and conduct research. As a newly launched service, there is huge scope for contributing to leading on the development of innovative projects, co-produced with service users.
If you would like to make a positive difference to the lives of survivors, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
- Take a lead in strengthening the community resources available that can support the mental health of adult Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Havering, through consultation, training and systemically informed multi-agency working.
- Contributing to leading on co-developing and delivering psychologically informed community-based interventions to support the emotional health and mental health of adult refugees and asylum seekers in Havering.
- Contributing to leading on the systemic and specialist psychology service to adult clients referred to the service for direct assessment and intervention; to include delivering triage assessments and interventions, drawing on a range of evidence-based interventions.
- Participating as a senior clinician in the development and co-ordination of a high quality, responsive and accessible Asylum Seeker and Refugee Psychology Service.
Working for our organisation
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High-Cost Area Supplement
This post also attracts payment for High-Cost Area Supplement of 15% of basic salary, with a minimum of £4,551 and maximum of £5,735, pro rata for part time staff
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached Job Description and Person Spec for further details.
Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Professional qualification in Clinical/Counselling Psychology to doctorate or equivalent level
- Eligible for registration with the Health Care Professions Council
Desirable criteria
- Additional specialist training in evidence based psychological models particularly in relation to working with traumatic experience, and working cross culturally
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of delivering evidence based interventions for a range of complex and severe mental health problems including trauma
- Experience using Narrative Exposure Therapy or EMDR, or a willingness to train in one or both of these approaches
- Experience of working with refugees, asylum seekers, or other forced migrant groups
- Experience of working therapeutically with interpreters
Desirable criteria
- Experience of offering teaching and training
- Experience of working closely with community organisations
- Implementing audit or research in a healthcare setting
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the impact of exile on mental health and knowledge of responses to traumatic experience more generally
- Knowledge of a wide range of therapeutic interventions for different presenting problems.
- Specialist knowledge of evidence based psychological approaches to trauma
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of relevant assessment measures.
- Knowledge of community psychological principles and ways to work with disadvantaged communities
Skills
Essential criteria
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work flexibly and to be responsive to the needs of the service.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of a second language and the ability to employ this in therapeutic work
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 Kaanan Butor-Bhavsar
- Job title
- Principal Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 300 1615
- Additional information
Taiwo Afuape Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Family Systemic Psychotherapist
Trauma Informed Care and Community Psychology Lead for Havering
Please note that my working days are full days on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and half day on a Friday 9-1
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