Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in Westminster is seeking a dedicated Psychologist to join the team at Bentley House. The role involves delivering psychological assessments and interventions, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, and contributing to the development of trauma-informed care. Candidates should hold a Doctorate in Psychology, have registration with HCPC, and be passionate about providing excellent patient-centered care.

Benefits

Supportive career pathways

Clinical supervision opportunities

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience in mental health settings.
• Knowledge of Trauma-Informed Approaches.
• Registration with HCPC and BPS.

Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist psychological assessments and interventions.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
• Lead training and development initiatives.
• Maintain professional development standards.

Skills

Specialist psychological assessments

Culturally appropriate interventions

Risk management

Clinical supervision

Research dissemination

Education

Doctorate in Psychology

Job description

Harrow Adult Mental Health is seeking a motivated and passionate Psychologist to join our expanding therapies team within the Adult Community Mental Health Hub (CMHH, Bentley House). The CMHH provides interventions for adults with secondary care mental health difficulties, including psychosis, Complex Emotional Needs, and PTSD. Working as part of a whole‑system approach alongside acute teams, the role may include opportunities across inpatient settings depending on service needs.

Role Overview

The successful candidate will deliver specialist psychological assessments, collaborate on formulations with service users, and consult with the multidisciplinary team to develop creative, personalised care plans. They will also provide evidence‑based psychological interventions tailored to individual needs.

A key aspect of the role involves leading the development of Harrow's Trauma‑Informed Approaches (TIA) model. Over the past year, CMHH has implemented TIA, training the full MDT in Power Threat Meaning Framework formulation and Psychological Stabilisation. This builds on six years of innovative TIA work in acute services, recently published (Nikopaschos et al., 2023) and now influencing national policy (NHSE Guidelines for Acute Inpatient Mental Health Care, 2023).

Bentley House CMHH works closely with the rest of the Harrow mental health system (including the Home Treatment and Inpatient teams) to provide holistic intervention to adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. The post holder will join an expanding therapies team, committed to providing highly specialist and trauma‑informed psychological care. They will work closely with the full range of MDT professionals, including psychiatry, nursing, occupational therapy and peer support.

Key Accountabilities

• KR 1 – Clinical and Client Care
  • Provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients under the care of the Bentley House CMHH.
  • Provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
  • Assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
  • Act as named worker and take responsibility for initiating planning and reviewing of care plans and coordination of multi‑professional meetings where appropriate.
• KR 2 – Contributing to Team or Service Clinical Functioning
  • Contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
  • Provide team support to deliver accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
  • Be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
  • Liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
• KR 3 – Policy and Service Development
  • Implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and propose improvements or beneficial changes.
  • Engage service users in planning and delivering services that meet the needs of local communities.
  • Contribute to service development through participating in appropriate projects.
• KR 4 – Care or Management of Resources
  • Take care of, and use, the Trust's equipment and physical resources responsibly.
  • Ensure the post holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
• KR 5 – Management and Supervision
  • Allocate and/or provide clinical supervision of the work of an assistant psychologist if required, under supervision from a more senior psychologist.
  • Supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism after completion of the relevant Training Course's Supervision Training.
• KR 6 – Teaching and Training
  • Provide occasional specialist training in psychological approaches to care to other professions as appropriate.
  • Disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
• KR 7 – Record‑Keeping and Information Governance
  • Ensure all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
  • Maintain highest standards of clinical record‑keeping and report writing, including electronic data entry.
• KR 8 – Research and Development
  • Undertake regular complex service evaluation, audits or research relevant to service needs.
• KR 9 – Maintaining Professional Standards and Continuing Professional Development
  • Receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist in accordance with HCPC and Trust guidelines.
  • Ensure ongoing continuing professional development with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and HCPC 'Standards for Continuing Professional Development'.
  • Stay up‑to‑date with current developments in professional and clinical practice and relevant legislation and policies.
• KR 10 – General Duties
  • Travel within the Harrow area for home visits as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
  • Be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group and follow trust policies relating to its management.
  • Respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and support others involved in such situations.

Professional Development and Support

All work is carried out as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by the policies and procedures of the service. Clinical supervision, teaching and research opportunities are provided to foster a learning culture.

Why Harrow?

Harrow Adult Mental Health delivers first‑class, patient‑centred care within a community hub and inpatient settings. We value diversity, offer supportive career pathways and are always looking for outstanding professionals who can contribute to our trauma‑informed, culturally competent services.