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Job summary

Main area
Early Intervention in Psychosis
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Fixed term: 6 months (6 months maternity cover)
Hours
Part time - 22.5 hours per week
Job ref
395-PP185-25-A
Employer
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Mellmead House
Town
Wanstead
Salary
£55,690 - £62,682 pa pro rata (plus HCAS)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
12/03/2026 23:59

Employer heading

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust logo

Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist - Maternity Cover

NHS AfC: 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

We are seeking a  Clinical/Counselling Psychologists (CP) to join our Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service in Redbridge to provide maternity cover for 6 months.

NELFT EIP is a supportive multidisciplinary team working with people between 14-65 experiencing a first episode of psychosis and their family. Redbridge EIP has an 8b CP specialising in family interventions in psychology across the four NELFT EIP boroughs, and a team of Clinical Psychologists, CBT therapist, Family Interventions worker and Assistant Psychologist.

NELFT EI services are interested in the provision of trauma informed care, with a particular focus on NET and EMDR. The pathway offers supervision and CPD opportunities, including individual and group supervision in CBTp, and group FIp and NET supervision (with world leading experts). We offer annual NET training. The Trust has strong links with the UCL, UEL and Royal Holloway CP courses. The post holder would be supported to participate in teaching and research projects should they wish.

NELFT is an inclusive employer. Applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, disabled candidates and LGBT+ candidates are particularly encouraged. 

We also welcome applications from current final year training programme students - those due to complete training by September 2026 as the post could be adapted to suit somebody at Band 7.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide assessment and evidence-based interventions for this client group including individual, group, and family work. The post holder will be expected to work closely with the multidisciplinary team and offer support and supervision on psychological approaches to working with psychosis. 

The post holder will be expected to participate in supervision and CPD focused on evidence-based interventions in psychosis. We offer monthly group supervision in FIp.

In addition, the post holder will receive individual supervision and group supervision in CBT for psychosis. The service has practitioners interested in Narrative Exposure Therapy and EMDR amongst other approaches.

The Trust has strong links with the UCL, UEL and Royal Holloway clinical psychology courses and several Counselling Psychology courses and the post holder will be expected to supervise trainee psychologists when appropriate. Current members of the department are engaged in teaching and research projects with local clinical training courses.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

  • We are kind. 
  • We are respectful.
  • We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. 

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust.  All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment.  As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes.  The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for a detailed description of the job and main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Doctoral level qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology
  • Professional registration with the appropriate body :HCPC
  • Experience of: – Substantial post qualification experience of working with people with complex mental health needs to include psychosis
  • Knowledge and experience with working with safeguarding issues, issues concerning risk and highly complex mental health problems.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working with young people experiencing psychosis or experience of work in an EI service

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge, understanding and experience of working with service users from diverse ethnic, economic and cultural backgrounds.  Thorough  Application Form Interview Assessment 12 knowledge of the theory and practice of evidence based interventions for psychosis
  • Thorough and expert knowledge of the theory and practice of CBT
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of evidence based approaches to working with families and carers where someone is experiencing psychosis including early psychosis and psychosis in younger people
  • Ethical and professional frameworks required for best and safe clinical practice
  • Theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for a broad range of complex difficulties (e.g. enduring depression, psychosis, dual diagnoses, psychological aspects of physical health problems etc.)

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Employers for CarersApprenticeships logoAge positiveDisability confident employerHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionTop 10 Employer 2023

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Dr Lucy Stafford
Job title
Principal Clinical Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07714272332
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