Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity to join Southwark Crisis Plus, a service working with repeat users of acute and crisis services and their networks, integrated into Southwark community secondary mental health services. The team works flexibly across adult services in the Southwark directorate to foster consistency and continuity in care between acute/crisis and community pathways, whilst offering focused support to services users and their community teams.
Crisis Plus launched in 2019 to support individuals who experience frequent crisis episodes, e.g. who have had at least three admissions to psychiatric wards within a twelve-month period. The time-limited intervention offers a combination of direct sessions with the service user and consultation with professionals/services in their network to co-create Anticipatory Management Plans (AMPs), focused on understanding crisis service use and relationship to help. The model references principles of collaborative care and shared decision making and, psychologically, aligns with elements of Open Dialogue, DBT, systemic theory and other person-centred, trauma-informed models. The model is currently being implemented in new services across South London.
Main duties of the job
The Highly Specialist Psychologist/Psychotherapist post is a varied and dynamic role with a focus on both service development and clinical work. Applicants would benefit from experience of multi-agency management of self-neglect, self-harm, violence and substance misuse across a range of diagnostic groups.
The successful applicant will use their therapeutic and consultation skills to support a range of complex service users and their networks. This is both direct work to create AMPs with service users, care coordinators and carers/family, and system-/network-focused work consulting with professionals, teams and external crisis services. The post holder would also be expected to guide the work of other mental health professionals. They will have to think creatively, work flexibly and have a range of skills in working alongside others. Core clinical skills needed include: integrative, transdiagnostic and trauma-informed engagement, assessment and formulation skills; risk assessment and management skills; consultation, facilitation and reflective skills; strong communication, MDT and inter-agency working skills; supervision skills.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
- To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in Southwark Crisis Plus, including risk of harm to self and others, and risk of those vulnerable to dependency on acute and crisis services. This should include knowledge and experience of using CBT, third wave models such as DBT, Open Dialogue and/or other evidence-based treatments in the management of personality disorder, psychosis and/or substance misuse.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
- To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically-informed framework for the service.
- To contribute to the team’s or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
- To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
- To use High Intensity User planning and evidence-based interventions to offer advice, consultation and training to other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
- To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
KR 3 Policy and service development
- To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
- To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services that meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4 Care or management of resources
- To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
- To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
KR 5 Management and supervision
- To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists with support from a more senior psychologist.
- To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
- To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
KR 6 Teaching and Training
- To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre- and post-qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the High Intensity User team by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
- To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
- To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 8 Research and development
- To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular service evaluation and audits.
- To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of the same.
KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
- To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
- To ensure own Continuing Professional Development is in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’.
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
- To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these.
- To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
KR10 General
- To travel to appropriate meetings and venues across Southwark directorate and across the Trust when required.
- To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group and follow trust policies relating to its management.
- To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (challenging behaviour, self-harm, harm to others, suicide and violence) and to support others involved in such situations.
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- • To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
- • To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
- • To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- • To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and for meetings such as CPAs and case reviews.
- • To plan allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists.
Abilities
Essential
- • Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
- • Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- • Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- • Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- • Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
Knowledge
Essential
- • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for a range of diagnostic groups including personality disorder, psychosis and/or dual diagnosis. (A/I) • Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- • Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
- • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- • Doctoral level / equivalent knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
- • Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Desirable
- • Understanding of principles around contingency management
- • Understanding of principles of treatment in relation to personality disorder
- • Understanding of the principles of DBT/Open Dialogue/trauma-focused models
Experience
Essential
- • Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in community mental health services. (A/I)
- • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in community and acute mental health services. (A/I)
- • Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists or CBT psychotherapists, having completed the relevant training. (A/I)
- • Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
- • Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
Desirable
- • Experience of delivering Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Open Dialogue, or trauma-focused models; or willingness to be trained in one of these models
- • Experience of working across multiple services and agencies in relation to risk of harm to self and others.
- • Experience of working with service users who frequently present to acute and crisis services with multiple and complex risk presentations
- • The Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.
Qualifications
Essential
- • Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. This can include Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychology or registered with BABCP as a CBT therapist. (A/I)
- • Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice (such as any NICE and/or evidence base recommended psychological interventions for personality disorder such as DBT, MBT) through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma. (A/I)
- • Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. (A/I)
Desirable
- • Completed training course in clinical supervision. (A/I)
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Highly Specialist Practitioner Psychologist/Psychotherapist with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Nurse practitioner role. The advertised salary is £66,274 - £73,496 per annum inclusive of HCAS (Inner). The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 08 Jul 2026.
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