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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 8a Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to provide psychological expertise within City and Hackney Crisis Pathway. We welcome applications from newly/early qualified psychologists, who could be appointed at band 7 under a preceptorship to work towards requirements for band 8a, subject to satisfactory completion of preceptorship process.
Previous experience working in adult crisis services and/or a considered appreciation of the role of psychology within these settings are highly desirable. The post holder will primarily support work within City and Hackney Home Treatment Team and have involvement with the wider crisis pathway services including the Crisis Assessment Team and the Homerton Psychological Medicine Department. The post holder would be linked with teams across the crisis pathway to share psychological-informed care, and they will work alongside our Lead Counselling Psychologist to offer supervision and evidence-based assessments and interventions.
Hackney and the other boroughs has a thriving Psychological Services Department across all areas of community and mental health offering support and CPD opportunities across East London.
Main duties of the job
This role would be to a fundamental member of the City and Hackney Home Treatment Team multidisciplinary team. You will be supported by the lead psychologist to develop and deliver a psychology service to the crisis pathway. This will involve providing specialist assessment, formulation and evidence-based intervention for service users under the care of the City and Hackney Crisis Pathway. You will be involved in quality improvement, service development, evaluation and research.
It is a complex but rewarding role working with significant levels of distress across family and care systems.
You will develop and support the psychosocial work of other staff through teaching, training, supervision and consultation. You will ensure continuity of care across services and partner organisations.
You will need to be self-motivated, clinically up to date with proven experience of undertaking and interventions in secondary care settings.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity.
- Relevant experience of working as a specialist clinical/counselling psychologist e.g. experience working in a multidisciplinary teams for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
- Experience of work in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters.
Desirable
- Experience of development and delivery of therapeutic groups.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
- Highly-developed skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
- Highly-developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Skills in working in multidisciplinary settings.
Desirable
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialized psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
Education/Qualification and Training
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, as accredited by the BPS/HCPC
- Must be registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
- Clinical supervision training for doctoral psychology trainees
Desirable
- Additional relevant clinical and/or managerial knowledge and skills acquired through formal training, long or short courses, formal supervision (individual and/or group), structured self-study or experience (or a combination of these.)
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Clinical/Counselling Psychologist with East London NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £58,133 - £73,496 per annum. The contract type is Permanent: Development Post Band 7 to Band 8a. The application deadline is 31 Jul 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (17 Jul 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
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