Clinical/Counselling Forensic Psychologist

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Forensic Outreach Service in one of the dedicated clinical posts supporting a new forensic step-down supported living service, scheduled to open in January 2027.

The Service will be delivered as part of the SWLSTG Adult Secure discharge and step-down pathway, commissioned through the South London Partnership (SLP) Adult Secure Provider Collaborative Programme. The service will provide an integrated model of care and support through a partnership between the Forensic Outreach Service and a Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) provider. The VCS partner will deliver the supported living pathway and work closely with the SWLSTG Forensic Outreach Service which will host dedicated clinical posts.

The Service is commissioned for adults stepping down from Adult Secure inpatient services into a community setting, whose ordinary residence and Section 117 aftercare provision sits with one of the five South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLSTG) boroughs, for health and social care. It will enable people to transition safely and sustainably from secure mental health services into the community, through access to high-quality accommodation and specialist, recovery-focused support delivered in a least restrictive setting.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will work within the Forensic Directorate in providing psychological support to individuals living within the Forensic Step-Down Service, to colleagues within the team and other teams providing support and to the individual’s social network. The post holder will sit within the Forensic Outreach Service.

As a key member of our multidisciplinary team (MDT), you will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and evidence-based interventions to support the recovery, rehabilitation, and risk management of service users within the Forensic Step-Down Service.

You will contribute to the assessment and admission process by undertaking psychological assessments in collaboration with the VCS provider and the multidisciplinary team, ensuring that referrals are clinically appropriate and that psychological needs and identified risks are considered as part of the admission decision-making process.

In addition to direct clinical work, the postholder will provide consultation, guidance, and psychological leadership to the VCS support staff and multidisciplinary team members through a consultation model. This will include regular multidisciplinary case formulation and consultation meetings, as well as structured reflective practice sessions designed to enhance staff understanding of service users' presentations, strengthen psychologically informed care, and promote safe and effective therapeutic practice.

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 based on 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 considering 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.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

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Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

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.