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Job overview
We are seeking applicants for a Band 8A highly specialist psychological therapy post across specialist community and inpatient services in Lambeth. Applicants should have significant and demonstrable expertise in relevant specialisms of complex trauma, behavioural and neurodevelopmental, and skills in working with people with psychosis and bipolar. The postholder will work as part of inpatient and community multidisciplinary teams, providing specialist assessment, multidisciplinary formulation, and intervention appropriate to the setting, for service users with complex and severe mental health presentations. The role includes providing support for staff wellbeing, and working to maintain a safe and therapeutic working context.
The post will be immediately supervised, line managed and professionally managed by senior clinical psychology colleagues in the service, working alongside the Team Leaders and service leads. Lambeth Directorate services are part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, which has a diverse specialist workforce and strong academic links, with opportunities for specialist supervision, service development and evaluation and service-oriented research.
Main duties of the job
- To provide a psychological therapy service, as part of a multidisciplinary community team, to service users, and where appropriate, their families and caregivers, including assessment and intervention, multidisciplinary formulation, treatment and placement support and planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes according to relevant guidance and the evidence base.
- To be proactive in engaging individuals and their carers, who might express some ambivalence about engaging in psychological therapy.
- To support staff wellbeing and contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
- To provide consultation as appropriate across services, functioning as a specialist in complex and severe mental health presentations.
- To work flexibly across settings.
- To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, or equivalent and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
- To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Our services operate to an innovative alliance model of healthcare governance and delivery. Posts will be based in Lambeth services in Brixton, Streatham, and Camberwell. Service users are working age adults. The postholder will have experience of working with people with complex and severe mental illness in secondary mental health care, acute inpatient and/or community settings, of team working, and of delivering psychological therapies as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, including cognitive behavioural approaches.
- To provide psychological therapy assessments, formulations and interventions for clients, in the context of complex and severe mental health presentations with specialism and demonstrated expertise in serious mental health problems, including psychosis and bipolar.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers and families of referred clients when required.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- 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 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 advise 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.
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- • Doctoral level knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for severe and complex mental health problems, specifically trauma, behavioural and neurodevelopmental, or psychosis/bipolar in the context of acute, rehabilitation, or community settings, including access and equitable delivery. (A/I/R)
- • Verbal and written communication IT and research skills to support team working, teaching/training, and service evaluationlls - including communicating complex information to complex context
- • Knowledge of legislation and governance in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities. (A/I/R)
Experience
Essential
- • Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in relevant services. (A/I)
- • Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. (A/I)
- • Experience of psychological therapy assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in inpatient and/or community services, including experience of working with people who have suffered severe and early sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse. (A/I)
Desirable
- • Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects. (A/I)
- • Record of publications in either peer-reviewed, academic or professional journals/books (A)
Qualifications
Essential
- • Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology/Psychological Therapy (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent) that has been accepted by the HCPC or equivalent body for purposes of professional registration/accreditation. (A/I)
- • Registered with the HCPC or equivalent as Practitioner Psychologist or equivalent, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC or equivalent registration. (A/I)
- • Additional training in specialised psychological assessment and interventions for severe and complex mental health problems 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 OR willingness to undertake training to meet this requirement. (A/I/R)
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Psychotherapist/Psychologist/Psychological Therapist with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £66,274 - £73,496 per annum inclusive of HCAs inner pro rata. The contract type is Permanent: N/A. The application deadline is 28 Jul 2026.
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