Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Transformation Unit; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

West London NHS Trust is seeking a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join the Ealing Crisis Assessment and Home Treatment Team. The role involves delivering psychological assessments and brief interventions in crisis settings, working closely with multidisciplinary colleagues, and contributing to trauma-informed service development across the borough.

The post will include supervision, reflective practice and leadership within psychology services, with governance around the delivery of

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology.
• Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Training in clinical supervision for doctoral and equivalent trainees.
• Post-doctoral training in psychological therapies relevant to severe mental health issues.
• Training in supervision of psychological therapies.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological therapies to service users and families with assessment, formulation, and risk assessment.
• Offer indirect work to give psychological framework to MDT members through consultation and meetings.
• Develop MDT knowledge to deliver psychological interventions via teaching and supervision.
• Work as an integrated clinical member with governance for delivery of psychological interventions.
• Utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development.
• Participate as a senior clinician and contribute to leadership of a high‑quality service.
• Function as an autonomous practitioner within professional guidelines and service policies.

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology

HCPC registration

Clinical supervision training

Post-doctoral training in psychological therapies

Supervision of psychological therapies

Job description

West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialistservices that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join the Ealing Crisis Assessment and Home Treatment Team. The team works closely with inpatient and community services to support individuals experiencing a mental health crisis outside of hospital, offering care in people’s homes and within the Crisis Recovery House run by our VCSE partners at Waythrough.

This newly developed post will work alongside an established Psychologist already embedded in the team. Ealing has recently launched a borough‑wide commitment to becoming a trauma‑informed service, supporting staff to deliver stabilising and psychologically informed interventions.

The post‑holder will work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, providing a psychological perspective on care, supporting risk management, and delivering assessment, formulation and brief interventions to service users and families. They will also help develop psychologically informed approaches across the MDT and contribute to reflective practice, team formulation and post‑incident support.

The service is working towards accreditation with the Quality Network for Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams, and the post‑holder will support meeting and maintaining psychological standards.

Regular supervision will be provided by a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist experienced in acute and crisis mental health, and the post‑holder will be fully integrated into Ealing psychology services.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will work collaboratively and proactively with the multi-disciplinary team in:

• Providing psychological therapies to service users and their families offering assessment, formulation, risk assessment and brief evidence‑based interventions when indicated.
• Offer indirect work ensuring that all members of the multidisciplinary team have access to a psychological framework for understanding the service user’s needs. This will be provided by giving psychological advice, consultation, contributing in clinical meetings and team formulation.
• Developing the MDT’s knowledge and skills to deliver a range of psychological interventions to service users care through teaching, training and (where appropriate) supervision.
• Work as an integrated clinical member of a multi-disciplinary team, which will include responsibility for ensuring the systematic provision and governance around the delivery of psychological interventions.
• Utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development as appropriate.
• Participate as a senior clinician and be an integral part of the leadership team involved in the development and delivery of a high quality service.
• Function as an autonomous practitioner and be responsible for their own work; working within their professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed

Person specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology or its equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and/or Accredited psychological practitioner with at least 3 years of experience.
• Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and/or equivalent registering body.
• Training in clinical supervision for doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
• Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapies relevant to severe and enduring mental health difficulties including for example DBT/ CBT-P/ Systemic Practice.
• Training in the supervision of psychological therapies.

Experience

• Post qualification experience of working in mental health settings delivering specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions across a range of settings including community, primary care, inpatient, crisis services.
• Experience of working with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course presenting with a range of psychological problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to assistant/trainee or qualified psychologists, and/or other professionals.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts including working with interpreters.
• Experience of teaching/training.
• Experience of working in acute mental health services (inpatient wards, HTT, crisis intervention services, psychiatric liaison).
• Experience of having facilitated/cofacilitated psychological therapy groups
• Experience of facilitating reflective practice to teams.
• Post qualification experience and/or training in working with adults affected by psychological trauma.
• Experience of service development/change leadership.

Knowledge /Skills

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific psychological problems (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis, autism spectrum disorder).
• Knowledge and awareness of the trauma informed approach.
• Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
• Able to make judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (e.g. the assessment of specialist clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options), Where expert opinions may differ.
• Able to plan, prioritise and organise own service user caseload, treatment programmes (individual or group) involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity.
• Skills in administering psychological tests and standardised assessments.
• A full UK driving license and access to a car are essential
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, e.g. complex psychometric testing and specialist neuropsychological testing
• Knowledge of QN-CRHTT standards and accreditation process.
• Knowledge of quality improvement methodology.

Other Requirements

• Able to sit for extended periods of time while demonstrating active listening skills.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour including verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations including working with people affected by trauma, with people who engage in self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure. Adaptable and able to work flexibly to respond to the service needs/priorities.

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

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.