Eating Disorder Therapist

Integrated Care System; London; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in East London seeks an Eating Disorder Therapist to join a multidisciplinary team. The role involves providing assessments and interventions for young individuals with eating disorders, coordinating care, and developing early intervention support pathways. Candidates should have a doctorate in psychology and experience in diverse clinical settings. The position offers a competitive salary between £54,320 and £60,981 per annum with opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Post-qualification training in a relevant field of applied psychology is essential.
• Experience in teaching, training, and supervision desirable.

Responsibilities

• Complete specialist eating disorder assessments.
• Manage referrals and provide rapid responses to urgent clinical situations.
• Assess, diagnose, and treat children and young people with eating disorders.
• Deliver psychological interventions in group formats.
• Develop early intervention support pathways.

Skills

Experience with young people

Complex psychological assessment

Therapeutic interventions

Working in multidisciplinary teams

Education

Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical, Counselling, or Forensic Psychology

Job description

Band 7 Counselling/Clinical Psychologist/ Psychotherapist/ Systemic and Family Therapist: Eating Disorder Therapist

This is an exciting opportunity for an Eating Disorder Therapist to join our team. The post holder will have the opportunity to work with a broad range of eating disorder presentations as well as co-morbid mental health conditions to provide a holistic care package to young people. The ideal candidate communicates well, enjoys working with individuals, families, and groups, and will bring enthusiasm and commitment to the role.

They will complete specialist eating disorder assessments and deliver evidence-based and NICE-concordant interventions for eating disorders to children and young people and their families within our early intervention and specialist therapy pathways. These interventions may be delivered in clinic, community, and home settings; to individuals or groups; working holistically with the multidisciplinary team to support young people and their families with eating disorders and contribute to increasing awareness of the presentation and prevalence of eating disorders. The role involves developing and delivering our early intervention support pathway, including consultation, psychoeducation, and self-help materials, working closely with our assistant psychologist.

We are seeking someone with experience working with young people and families, with a particular interest in eating disorders.

Main duties of the job

1. Complete specialist eating disorder assessments within the Community Eating Disorder Service for Children & Young People (CEDS-CYP).
2. Act as the duty clinician on the rota, managing referrals and providing rapid responses to urgent clinical situations.
3. Assess, diagnose, and treat children and young people with eating disorders in the community, liaising closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure a consistent approach.
4. Provide specialist therapeutic interventions based on psychotherapeutic principles, grounded in evidence-based and NICE-concordant practices for eating disorders.
5. Develop and deliver early intervention support pathways, including consultation, psychoeducation, and self-help materials, in collaboration with the assistant psychologist.
6. Care coordinate a substantial caseload of assessment, treatment, and consultation work, prioritizing actions in complex circumstances.
7. Utilize specialist skills in managing and communicating with patients, families, carers, and other agencies in sensitive, complex, and emotionally distressing situations.
8. Evaluate and monitor clinical risks, including physical and psychiatric risks, to inform interventions and coordinate with other agencies as appropriate.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive. We seek individuals who embody these qualities when supporting service users, carers, colleagues, and partner organizations.

The East London Community Eating Disorders Service (CEDS) is a multidisciplinary team including Therapies (family therapy, clinical/counselling psychology, assistant psychology), Medical (psychiatry and paediatrics), Nursing (mental health and paediatric nursing), Dietetics, Support Workers, and Administrative and Operational staff.

Our team covers the East London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, and City & Hackney.

Job responsibilities

Refer to the attached job description and person specification in the vacancy profile.

Person specification

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical, Counselling, or Forensic Psychology, or an equivalent qualification leading to eligibility for Chartered status.
• May hold a professional qualification in psychology and be undertaking further training to complete requirements for a Statement of Equivalence, depending on training needs.
• Post-qualification training in a relevant field of applied psychology.

Experience

• Experience providing specialist psychological assessments and treatment interventions for patients with complex problems.
• Experience working with patients with a wide range of clinical severity and needs.
• Experience involving service users in the co-production of service delivery.
• Experience in teaching, training, and supervision.
• Experience working across various care settings, including outpatient, inpatient, and community.

Knowledge and Skills

• Awareness of diversity and commitment to providing an appropriate service to a diverse population.
• Skills in complex psychological assessment, intervention, and management, including using theoretical models to analyze information and develop formulations for treatment planning.
• Skills in working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Skills in delivering psychological interventions in individual and group formats, tailored to meet specific needs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A Disclosure check will be required to check for previous criminal convictions.

Salary: £54,320 to £60,981 per annum, including HCA.