Co-Lead Psychologist for Early Intervention Services (Band 8b) - Early Intervention Services - [...]

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 81,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading mental health trust in London is seeking a Co-Lead Psychologist for Early Intervention Services. This part-time position focuses on supervising therapy delivery and providing high-quality psychological interventions for clients experiencing psychosis. The role involves leading a dedicated team and implementing community transformation plans.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Career development opportunities

Support for mental health

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral training in psychology as accredited by BPS.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Formal training in supervision of psychologists.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and supervision to clinical staff.
• Contribute to high-quality psychological therapies for psychosis.
• Work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Clinical Psychologist

Leadership

Supervision

Evidence-based therapy

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology

BPS accreditation

Post-doctoral training in CBT or Family Interventions

Job description

Co-Lead Psychologist for Early Intervention Services

Band 8b

Main area Early Intervention Services Grade Band 8b Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 30 hours per week Job ref 294-COMM-7333276-JB

Site The Wilson Hospital Town Mitcham Salary £70,396 - £80,837 pro rata per annum inclusive of outer London HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 27/07/2025 23:59

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.

We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ however we aim to be ‘outstanding’.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".

When you join us, you’ll be part of something special – an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.

As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

We are looking for a Clinical/Counselling psychologist with experience of working with psychosis to act as pathway lead alongside the existing lead for Early Intervention in Psychosis psychology and psychotherapy services. You will be based clinically in Merton Early Intervention service, Wilson Hospital in Mitcham, South West London, providing individual and family interventions to service users. You will offer supervision and leadership to qualified and trainee psychologists, CBT therapists and family intervention therapists across the SWLSTG trust early intervention services covering Wandsworth, Sutton, Merton, Kingston and Richmond and develop innovations and promote access to talking therapies across these services.

We are preparing to implement the trust’s community transformation plans in line with the Community Mental Health Framework, to improve access and provision for clients with severe mental health difficulties. In doing so we will be strengthening relationships with primary care and developing new links with the voluntary sector. The trust also provides regular CPD covering a wide range of clinical topics and opportunities for individual and specialist group supervision to support your development. In particular, our Early Intervention therapy provision has expanded over the last few years, and each team now has a strong team of therapists who can offer a range of therapies including Family Interventions, CBT for psychosis and EMDR.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will be committed to MDT working and to advancing trauma informed care and anti-racist practise across the pathway. You will contribute to and supervise the delivery of high quality evidence-based psychological therapies for people who have experienced a first episode of psychosis and their families. The role is dynamic and will require you to attend multidisciplinary meetings and to offer supervision, consultation, and training to clinicians within the wider MDT team. You will utilise your research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.

There is a significant leadership component to the role and alongside the co-lead you will be overseeing a large team of psychologists, CBT therapists and family intervention therapists based in the different boroughs, contributing to job and service planning, recruitment, supervision and service development.

Agile and flexible working:

As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible and agile working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage.

The Trust is committed to supporting flexible working, including a blended approach of on-site and home working.We will consider job shares/part time working requests.

Working for our organisation

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ - we aspire to be ‘outstanding’.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work with in collaboration with the other EIS P&P lead to ensure the systematic provision of a high quality specialist psychological therapies service to clients under the care of the clinical team to which the post holder is attached, across all sectors of care.

• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the team and to ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of all other psychological therapy staff within the team.

• To support the Head of P&P for Adult Community Services in the systematic provision of high quality specialist psychological therapy services in Early Intervention Services across the Trust.

• To supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by other qualified psychologists and psychological therapists in the Early Intervention Services in order to ensure high quality and evidence based psychological practices andbe responsible for the governance of psychological practice within the Early Intervention Services.

• To provide professional supervision to other qualified psychologists across the Early Intervention Services, supporting P&P staff to undertake continuing professional development

• To support the Head of P&P Adult Community Services in the management of P&P staff workplans, productivity and P&P waiting lists across the Early Intervention Services.

• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service area, working with the P&P lead to coordinate psychological assessment, treatment and therapy resources across the teams.

• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research.

• To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the Early Intervention Service Teams.

• To contribute to quality improvement initiatives and service developments within the Early Intervention Services, particularly in relation to the role of P&P.

• To provide assessment and therapeutic interventions to service users of the Merton EIS.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPEC FOR MORE DETAILS.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS/HCPC
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists / psychological therapists
• To be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council under the appropriate domain specific title
• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice, preferably CBTp or Family Interventions.
• BABCP accreditation as practitioner and/or supervisor

Experience

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist for a minimum of six years, including at least three years post qualification experience with adults in secondary care
• Experience of supervised provision of CBTp and/or Family Interventions for persons presenting with first onset psychosis.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of clients and carers, presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
• Experience of delivering evidence-based psychological therapies to service users in secondary care settings
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists
• Experience of supervising CBTp and Family Interventions for psychosis
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts

Knowledge & Skills

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
• Knowledge of psychosocial interventions for persons with early onset psychosis and their carers
• Knowledge of psychosocial interventions for persons with early onset psychosis and their carers
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis)
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies, which have an evidence base
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health

At South West London St Georges Mental Health Trust we are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Committed Employer, and welcome applications from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We are Members of Stonewall Diversity Champions and Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.

As part of the Trust's commitment to Equalities and Diversity, the Trust supports the establishment of Staff Networks groups to promote diversity in the workplace:

• BME (Evolve) Staff Network
• DiverseAbility
• Mental Health Staff Forum
• Women's Staff Network
• LGBTQIA+

We are committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community and has signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

We provide reasonable adjustments to the interview process for any candidates with a disability.

Please note:

• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3 rd party e-recruitment system
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That your employment is offered subject to successful completion of a Probationary Period depending on your Band (except medical roles)
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.