Clinical or Counselling Psychologist or Preceptorship | Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Orpington; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is seeking a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist in Orpington to provide direct clinical work, develop therapeutic programs, and supervise trainees. This permanent position allows for flexible working hours and focuses on supporting older adults with mental health needs, particularly those living with dementia. The role involves collaboration within a multi-professional team to improve service experiences.

Qualifications

• Experience with older people, particularly those with dementia.
• Ability to develop, evaluate, and deliver therapeutic programs.
• Strong communication and consultation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct clinical work with service users and their families.
• Develop and deliver the therapeutic group program.
• Engage in team consultations and provide supervision.

Skills

Therapeutic approach

Assessment skills

Teamwork

Supervision

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (Band 8a) or Preceptorship (Band 7). Permanent Post 0.6 (22.5 hours) opportunities for flexible working.

We are seeking to recruit a skilled, innovative and compassionate Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to work across the acute in-patient and community mental health services in the London borough of Bromley.

Role and locations

The post involves 1 day based in the Older People CMHT at Bridgeways, Bromley, and 2 days on Scadbury, the Older People acute ward at Green Parks House, Princess Royal University Hospital (which has a lovely on site refectory/cafe space). This post would suit someone who has a genuine interest in working therapeutically with this varied and rewarding client group. The ward provides an assessment and intervention service to older people with a range of mental health needs including dementia.

The post holder will join well established multi-professional teams and benefit from close working relationships with other on-site psychological therapists. This is an exciting opportunity to improve the service user’s experience of the interface between hospital and community services and to provide innovation and leadership in the development of the transitional pathway for older people.

Responsibilities

• Direct clinical work with service users and their carers/families involving assessment, formulation, and interventions with varied and complex presentations. This includes supporting people living with dementia and their carers.
• Develop, evaluate and deliver the therapeutic group programme on the ward, alongside colleagues from the wider therapies team.
• Engage in varied approaches to consultation to MDT e.g., team formulation, teaching sessions, joint working and supervision.
• Supervision of a trainee Clinical Psychologist (on placement across both settings) and an Assistant Psychologist (on the ward).
• Be a highly valued member of the Psychology team with opportunities to contribute to the development of the MDT and the service.

Supervision, learning and professional development

We will support you to learn the skills you need to thrive in this role. Specialist clinical supervision will be provided. The post sits alongside other highly skilled and motivated psychological therapies staff who meet regularly to provide peer support, and develop/review the psychological service across the Acute and Crisis Pathway.

About Oxleas and the service

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Values and culture

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We’re Kind
• We’re
• We Listen
• We Care

Recruitment and career pathway

Community & Inpatient

We strongly encourage applications from newly/recently qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologists, or those close to obtaining qualified status, who will initially be offered a preceptorship position (Agenda for Change Band 7) and then supported to be eligible to move into the Band 8a role within 18-24 months of appointment/post-qualification, on the condition of meeting the competencies (see attached document for further information).

• Direct clinical work with service users and their carers/families involving assessment, formulation, and interventions with varied and complex presentations. This includes supporting people living with dementia and their carers.
• Develop, evaluate and deliver the therapeutic group programme on the ward, alongside colleagues from the wider therapies team
• Engage in varied approaches to consultation to MDT e.g., team formulation, teaching sessions, joint working and supervision.
• Supervision of a trainee Clinical Psychologist (on placement across both settings) and an Assistant Psychologist (on the ward).
• Be a highly valued member of the Psychology team with opportunities to contribute to the development of the MDT and the service.

Job descriptions, person specifications and details of the pathway from Band 7 Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to Band 8a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist are attached. Please ensure you read both JD/PS.

This advert closes on Sunday 21 Sep 2025