Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

The NHS is seeking a Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist for their team in London. The role focuses on providing high-quality, specialist psychological services to enhance patient well-being and improve outcomes through comprehensive assessment and tailored intervention. This position requires a highly qualified individual capable of working within acute settings and contributing to service development.

Qualifications

• Experience working as an 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist.
• Experience with psychosis, personality disorder, and complex depression.
• Ability to deliver teaching and training events.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely psychological assessments and interventions.
• Direct delivery of specialist psychological interventions.
• Support development of recovery-oriented services.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Psychological intervention

Cultural competence

Education

Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology

Registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council

Job description

Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

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Job Summary

The core purpose of this post is to contribute to the systematic provision of a highly specialist, multilevel clinical psychology service that is cost-effective, culturally appropriate and based on best clinical and professional practice and that meets thePsych Liaison team and Trust objectives, national strategic and policy guidelines, commissioner requirements and user andcarer needs and expectations. This includes:Helping to understand, prevent and amelioratepsychological distress and disorder and improve themental health and wellbeing of local service users in the Acute Trust and to support development of services and pathways which enhance patient experience andimproved outcomesWork with acute crises and interface with acute settings. Supporting the Critical Care Clinic with the management of psychological consequences of trauma,Offering timely and responsive psychologicalassessments and interventions.Assessing diverse and complex presentations to provide a psychological formulation to assist with treatmentplanning.Providing brief focussed psychological interventions(1:1, couple, family and groups) suited to the needs of the Service User.Work with clients presenting with risk of significantharm to self or others or from others.Providing Consultation/Teaching/Training to juniorpractitioners such as trainees and assistants andcolleagues from other disciplines such as nursing and medicine in applied psychological methods, theory and practice

Job Summary

The core purpose of this post is to contribute to the systematic provision of a highly specialist, multilevel clinical psychology service that is cost-effective, culturally appropriate and based on best clinical and professional practice and that meets thePsych Liaison team and Trust objectives, national strategic and policy guidelines, commissioner requirements and user andcarer needs and expectations. This includes:Helping to understand, prevent and amelioratepsychological distress and disorder and improve themental health and wellbeing of local service users in the Acute Trust and to support development of services and pathways which enhance patient experience andimproved outcomesWork with acute crises and interface with acute settings. Supporting the Critical Care Clinic with the management of psychological consequences of trauma,Offering timely and responsive psychologicalassessments and interventions.Assessing diverse and complex presentations to provide a psychological formulation to assist with treatmentplanning.Providing brief focussed psychological interventions(1:1, couple, family and groups) suited to the needs of the Service User.Work with clients presenting with risk of significantharm to self or others or from others.Providing Consultation/Teaching/Training to juniorpractitioners such as trainees and assistants andcolleagues from other disciplines such as nursing and medicine in applied psychological methods, theory and practice

Main duties of the job

The post holder will need to consider appropriate psychologicaltreatment pathways and link with psychologists in other teams and the wider Secondary Care Psychological Services.To develop and support the work on providing culturally appropriate, recovery orientated and socially inclusive services.To operate as an integrated and active member of the team, placing the patient at the centre of service planning and deliveryBe responsible for the provision, planning and development ofevidence based psychological therapies service for people referred to the Dept of Psychological MedicineClinically supervise and co-ordinate the work of assistantpsychologists, trainee psychologists and other psychological therapy staff where appropriate.To provide specialist advice to the hospital teams and voluntarysector agencies concerning the assessment, treatment andmanagement of patients accessing the team.Formulate and undertake clinical audit and research.

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 - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Details

Date posted

20 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£59,490 to £66,239 a year per annum Inc HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

363-NEW7121152

Job locations

Newham University Hospital

Glen Road

Plaistow, London

E13 8SL

Job Description

Job responsibilities

Be responsible for choosing and providing appropriate highlyspecialist psychological assessments in both acute ward and A&E settings, when care is managed under the Psych Liaison team and associated teams in the Crisis Care Pathway.Employ a broad theoretical knowledge base to analyse, interpret and compare complex information in order to develop a highly specialist understanding and to design specialised intervention programmes tailored to individual need, including psychological andneuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and assessments with patientsand others involved in their care. This can include the interpretation and explanation of the results of cognitive and neuropsychological tests in the context of the service userdifficulties and the communication of these findings to those involved in the network of care and in care planning.Be responsible for direct delivery of a broad range of specialistpsychological interventions and programmes which require themodification of plans and strategies as practice and experiencedemands.Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking intoaccount both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, development and cultural processes and systems which have shaped the individual, family or group.Undertake highly specialist risk assessments from a psychological perspective and provide psychologically based programmes of risk management for individual clients, and to provide advice to otherprofessions on psychological aspects of risk assessment andmanagement.In completing clinical duties, exercises autonomous professionalresponsibility for the psychological assessment, treatment, anddischarge from psychological care, of referred clients and otherclients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.Be responsible for providing and receiving highly complex, sensitive, distressing and emotional information in relation to mental healthissues, where there are often barriers to acceptance.Spend sustained amounts of time with service users who may beaggressive and hostile, who may have poor communication skills and self care and special physical and/or mental health needs.Communicate across language and cultural barriers, includingworking with interpreters.Be responsible for recording, monitoring and reporting on clinicalwork and communicating complex clinical information to a variety of recipients, e.g. service users, families and carers, otherprofessionals, MAPPA and other formal panels and statutory andvoluntary organisations, orally, in writing and/or electronically, and as specified by the service.Engage in interface/liaison work to ensure joined up care pathways across settings. Take the lead for a specified area forinterface/liaison work as required.

Take into account the particular needs of people from minorityethnic groups, and adapt assessment, formulation and interventionas appropriate.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

Be responsible for choosing and providing appropriate highlyspecialist psychological assessments in both acute ward and A&E settings, when care is managed under the Psych Liaison team and associated teams in the Crisis Care Pathway.Employ a broad theoretical knowledge base to analyse, interpret and compare complex information in order to develop a highly specialist understanding and to design specialised intervention programmes tailored to individual need, including psychological andneuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and assessments with patientsand others involved in their care. This can include the interpretation and explanation of the results of cognitive and neuropsychological tests in the context of the service userdifficulties and the communication of these findings to those involved in the network of care and in care planning.Be responsible for direct delivery of a broad range of specialistpsychological interventions and programmes which require themodification of plans and strategies as practice and experiencedemands.Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking intoaccount both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, development and cultural processes and systems which have shaped the individual, family or group.Undertake highly specialist risk assessments from a psychological perspective and provide psychologically based programmes of risk management for individual clients, and to provide advice to otherprofessions on psychological aspects of risk assessment andmanagement.In completing clinical duties, exercises autonomous professionalresponsibility for the psychological assessment, treatment, anddischarge from psychological care, of referred clients and otherclients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.Be responsible for providing and receiving highly complex, sensitive, distressing and emotional information in relation to mental healthissues, where there are often barriers to acceptance.Spend sustained amounts of time with service users who may beaggressive and hostile, who may have poor communication skills and self care and special physical and/or mental health needs.Communicate across language and cultural barriers, includingworking with interpreters.Be responsible for recording, monitoring and reporting on clinicalwork and communicating complex clinical information to a variety of recipients, e.g. service users, families and carers, otherprofessionals, MAPPA and other formal panels and statutory andvoluntary organisations, orally, in writing and/or electronically, and as specified by the service.Engage in interface/liaison work to ensure joined up care pathways across settings. Take the lead for a specified area forinterface/liaison work as required.

Take into account the particular needs of people from minorityethnic groups, and adapt assessment, formulation and interventionas appropriate.

Person Specification

Training/Qualifications

Essential

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
• Registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council.
  
  

Desirable

• Brief Interventions such as CBT, DBT or psychodynamic
• Clinical supervision training for Doctoral trainees
  
  

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as an 8a Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist or extensive experience of work as a Band 7 qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist in adult mental health NHS settings
• Experience of working with people who experience psychosis, personality disorder and complex depression and anxiety.
• Demonstrable experience of working within a recovery orientated and socially inclusive framework.
• Experience of providing a clinical service to a multicultural population
• Able to deliver teaching and training events.
  
  

Desirable

• Experience of working in psych liaison setting.
• Work in a multi- cultural setting, including working with interpreters
• Experience of consulting to individuals or groups.
  
  

Cultural awareness

Essential

• Understanding and awareness of the potential impact of racism, discrimination & disadvantage on the mental health of Black and ethnic minority people.
  
  

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• Able to provide & receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a range of relationships and settings
• Able to assess, including the use of a variety of measures and tools including the use of basic neuropsychological assessment tools
• Able to plan, organise, prioritise and manage own complex workload
• Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to the client group
  
  

Desirable

• Able to provide a cultural competent service.
  
  

Person Specification

Essential

• Able to provide & receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a range of relationships and settings
• Able to assess, including the use of a variety of measures and tools including the use of basic neuropsychological assessment tools
• Able to plan, organise, prioritise and manage own complex workload
• Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to the client group
  
  

Desirable

• Able to provide a cultural competent service.
  
  

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Newham University Hospital

Glen Road

Plaistow, London

E13 8SL

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Newham University Hospital

Glen Road

Plaistow, London

E13 8SL

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Health Care Provider

• Industries

  Mental Health Care

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