Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust is seeking a Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist to join their innovative Psychology in Hostels service. This role involves providing specialist psychological services to adults in homeless accommodations, focusing on trauma-informed care and integrated approaches. The successful candidate will work closely with a multidisciplinary team, offering clinical support and training to partners while contributing to the development of best practices in mental health care for vulnerable populations.

Benefits

Generous pay, pensions and leave packages

Work-life balance and flexible working options

Career development opportunities

Keyworker housing at selected sites

NHS discounts via Health Service Discounts website

Counselling services

Long service awards

Cycle to work scheme

Season ticket loan

Staff restaurants

Qualifications

• Registered with HCPC/APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK.
• Experience in psychological assessment and treatment.
• Additional training in relevant psychological models.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychology service to adult clients in homeless hostels.
• Support and train third sector partners.
• Conduct psychological assessments and deliver evidence-based treatments.

Skills

Communication

Flexibility

Psychological assessment

Education

Professional Doctorate in Psychology

MSc plus PG Diploma level

Job description

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist

The closing date is 20 May 2025

The SLaM Psychology in Hostels (PIH) Service is an innovative multi award-winning specialist homeless psychology service. For 12 years PIH has led in the development of 'Psychologically Informed Environments' (PIEs) delivering 'Trauma Informed Approaches' and developing best practice for working with excluded and multiply disadvantaged populations across Lambeth and Westminster in partnership with the third sector.

The client population have high levels of multiple needs including cmplex trauma, substance misuse, neurological issues, risk-taking behaviour and contact wiht the criminal justice system. This complex combination of needs leads to multiple social exclusion and barriers accessing mainstream services.

We are recruiting to a Band 7 Psychology / Psychotherapy role who will support the delivery of PIE services and if it was of interest have the opportunity to be part of the new pioneering Homeless Neuropsychology Pathway we are developing (optional / dependant on interest and experience).

A PIE is any service that integrates a psychologically and trauma-informed approaches into its model (incl. staff support, psychological assessment and treatment). PIH PIE model adopts an Mentalization-Based Treatment approaches as well as other evidence-based approaches (Incl. DBT, CBT, Psychodynamic, Systemic). Here we aim to facilitate recovery by improving MH and wellbeing, reduce substance use, support engagement, reduce evictions and other negative outcomes.

Main duties of the job

This role will be based in Westminster's Rough Sleeping Accommodation Pathway. The role will support PIH PIE hub hostel sites in developing integrated trauma-informed PIE services.

The post holders will -

• Work closely with housing partners and other psychologists to develop PIE approaches.
• Support and train third sector partners and the wider network.
• Offer individual and group clinical work to clients.
• Support assessment and onwards referral to mainstream services.

This Westminster role will sit within a wider Psychology in Hostels team based across Westminster and Lambeth, which includes: Consultant Clinical Lead, a Principal grade psychologist, an administrator, five Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologists, eight Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologists, a Nurse Psychotherapist, an Art Therapist, neuro-homeless GP specialist and several Trainee Clinical Psychologists. This post will be supervised by one of the senior psychologists in the team and the service is also supported by SLaM operational and management structures.

About us

This post will be based across third sector run accommodation sites within the borough of Westminster and has a team admin base in Brixton close to Brixton Underground Station.

Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package, feel valued and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance.

Some of our benefits include:

• Generous pay, pensions and leavepackages dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance,flexible working and supporting a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
• Career developmentwith plenty CPD opportunities such as mentoring, coaching, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
• Accommodation,our staff benefit fromkeyworker housing at selected sites.
• NHS discountsvia theHealth Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

• Counselling services
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Staff restaurants

Job responsibilities

To provide a specialist psychology service to adult clients resident in homeless hostels including specialist assessment, psychological therapy, trauma specific interventions, rehabilitation, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical

• To provide expertise in a specialist clinical area, the psychological needs of those experiencing complex needs and multiple disadvantage (incl. homeless people, rough sleepers).
• To provide specialist assessment and clinical formulation to clients with a wide range of mental health needs, including complex trauma, personality disorder, anxiety and depression, addictions, learning difficulties and psychosis.
• To select, administer and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests, involving skilled manipulation of test materials and high-level analysis of findings from the assessments.
• To select and deliver evidence-based specialist psychological treatments, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical options.
• To advise other team members and partner services on specialist psychological care of clients.

Teaching, training, and supervision

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist or psychotherapist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
• To provide specialist training in psychological and trauma-informed approaches to care for other professionals as appropriate, particularly to third sector staff, peer support workers, project MDT working with ex-rough sleeper hostels.
• To provide clinical supervision for psychological work undertaken by assistant psychologists, placement students, trainee psychologists and the MDT team as appropriate.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

• To identify any aspects of the service which could be improved and contribute to the service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
• To manage own workload and the agreed workload of junior staff, as required, under supervision from a more senior psychologist.
• To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the Directorate clinical governance committee and team.

Research and service evaluation

• To lead, support and/or participate in service evaluation, including gathering and analysing output and outcome data, as required.
• To carry out appropriate research to improve the quality of care and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service.

General Responsibilities

• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with HCPC, BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.

A full Job Description and Person Specification is attached to the advert.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/ supervised practice/ additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
• Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/ BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK
• Additional training in relevant specialist psychological models (Psychodynamic, MBT, DBT, CAT, Systemic, Narrative).
• Additional training in neuropsychological assessment and treatment

Experience

• Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in adult mental health (e.g. Addictions/ homelessness /complex trauma/ personality disorder/ mood disorder).
• Experience of engagement of hard-to-reach clients
• Experience of providing teaching and training to other professional groups
• Experience of working with homeless people
• Experience of specialist work with trauma and complex trauma.
• Experience of work with substance misuse.

Knowledge

• Awareness of racial diversity issues and factors affecting access to mental health care.
• Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics (incl. selecting, administering and interpreting neuropsychological tests).
• Specialist knowledge relevant to work in supported housing settings.
• Masters or Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work flexibly and creatively to engage clients in hostel settings.
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills (incl. delivering complex and sensitive information to clients, families and staff).
• Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner with appropriate level of clinical and managerial supervision.
• Specialist practitioner skills at level 3 in at least one model of psychotherapy or psychological therapy (CBT, Psychodynamic, MBT, systemic, CAT).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Westminster homeless hostel sites and team base on Brixton Road

£54,320 to £60,981 a yearper annum inclusive of inner HCAs

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

11 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

334-CLI-7078457

Job locations

Westminster homeless hostel sites and team base on Brixton Road