Highly Specialist Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Erith; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust in Erith invites applications for a Highly Specialist Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (Band 8a) in Adult Community Mental Health Services. The role is permanent, full time (37.5 hours) working Monday to Friday, with professional supervision and opportunities to collaborate across services.

You will lead psychological interventions for psychosis/bipolar disorder, including groups, family work, and CBT, in a supportive MDT and with links to local services.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration or equivalent.
• Experience of psychological therapies in secondary care adult mental health.
• Experience of supervision.
• Experience of NICE concordant interventions for psychosis.
• Experience of running groups and family work.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychology services to clients and carers in the Community Psychosis Pathway.
• Deliver a range of clinical interventions, including group work and individual therapy.
• Provide consultation and advise non-psychologists on care within team policies.

Skills

Clinical psychology

Supervision experience

Group work

Family work

NICE concordant interventions

Adult mental health

Education

HCPC registration or equivalent

Further qualifications or training

Job description

Highly Specialist Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Band 8a

Main area Adult Community Mental Health Services Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (9-5 Monday to Friday) Job ref 277-8214575-CMH-A

Site The Erith Centre Town Erith Salary £63,665 - £70,887 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 28/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a clinical psychologist with substantial experience of working in adult mental health settings to work in our community psychosis pathway.

We welcome applicants who enjoy working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and are passionate about equal opportunities and client-centred care. You will lead on the delivery of psychological interventions for people with a diagnosis of psychosis or bipolar disorder, including groups, family work and cognitive-behavioural therapy.

You will work closely with psychologists and psychological therapists in a supportive and innovative team.

You will have regular supervision and access to trust-wide professional networks. There are possible opportunities to develop our links with local children and young people’s services and voluntary community and social enterprise organisations.

Bexley offers a rich, culturally diverse and stimulating environment. We value our relationship with local training institutions and encourage our psychologists in continued professional development.

Main duties of the job

To provide a psychology service to clients and carers of the Community Psychosis Pathway.

You will be experienced in a range of clinical skills with clients with complex mental health issues, including group work, psychological assessments, family interventions, individual therapy, consultation, research and audit.

You will be providing specialist psychological assessment and therapy with individuals, families and groups, at the same time as offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to non -psychologist colleagues and to other, non professional carers, working with in the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.

Working for our organisation

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.

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 Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Further detailed information relating to the role and responsibilities can be found in the attached supporting documentation

Person specification

Registration and qualifications

• HCPC registered or equivalent
• Further qualifications and/or training
• Experience of psychological therapies in secondary care adult mental health
• Experience of providing supervision
• Experience of NICE concordant interventions for people with psychosis
• Experience of running groups
• Experience of family work

Service Development and Research

• Experience of audit or service evaluation
• Experience of published research or service evaluation

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

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.