Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Part time

Job summary

South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust is seeking a Band 8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist (Deaf Child Service, Kent National Deaf CAMHS) 0.6 WTE. The post involves highly specialist assessment, formulation and intervention for Deaf children and families, in a bilingual team using BSL and spoken English.

The role offers hybrid/agile working with flexible arrangements, opportunities for supervision, teaching and service development, and a focus on accessible care across the

Qualifications

• Doctorate level training in Clinical Psychology is required.
• Registration with HCPC in good standing.
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) is expected.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists is required.
• Full UK driving license is preferred.
• British Sign Language Level 3 or equivalent fluency is essential.
• British Sign Language Level 2 or equivalent fluency is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessments for Deaf children and young people.
• Develop psychological formulations and treatment plans.
• Deliver evidence-based interventions for Deaf children including families and hearing children in Deaf families.
• Coordinate care and provide consultation to multidisciplinary teams and partner agencies.
• Engage in teaching, supervision and service development within the team.

Skills

British Sign Language

BSL Level 3 or equivalent

Driving license

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

HCPC registration

CPD evidence

Supervision training

UK driving licence

BSL Level 3 or equivalent

BSL Level 2 or equivalent

Job description

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

This is an exciting time to join our Trust. South West London St. Georges is at the beginning of an exciting journey of transforming our community mental health services. In 2021/22 the Trust will benefit from significant investment in community mental teams to strengthen provision across all our boroughs.

TITLE OF POST – Band 8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist – Deaf Child Service (Kent National Deaf CAMHS) 0.6 WTE

If you want to live locally and work locally, with an employer that offers flexible and agile working with great development and carer progression opportunities, then this may be the role you!

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity for a Band 8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist 0.6 WTE to join the National Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Kent. The post holder will provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention for Deaf children and young people, including hearing children in Deaf families, presenting with complex emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs.

You will work as part of a skilled, bilingual (BSL and spoken English) multidisciplinary team, offering consultation, therapy, and care coordination across a range of community and outpatient settings. The role involves autonomous clinical practice within professional guidelines, alongside contributing to supervision, teaching, service development, and research activity.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK USING THE HYBRID/AGILE WORKING APPROACH. THIS MEANS THE POST HOLDER CAN DECIDE TO A LARGE EXTENT HOW AND WHERE THEY WORK USING VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY AS WELL AS FACE TO FACE APPOINTMENTS.

Working for our organisation

Unless expressly stated in the job advert this role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

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. T he 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 ofbenefits 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

• The successful candidate will work autonomously and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, providing a specialist psychological service to Deaf children, young people, and their families across the South-East of England.
• To deliver specialist psychological assessments using a range of methods (e.g. psychometrics, structured interviews, observations, and multi-informant data), and to develop psychological formulations and treatment plans.
• To provide and evaluate a range of evidence‑based psychological interventions for individuals, families, and groups, adapting approaches for Deaf children and ensuring accessibility.
• To offer specialist consultation, advice, and psychological input to multidisciplinary colleagues, partner agencies, and networks involved in care.
• To undertake risk assessments and contribute to risk management planning, ensuring safe and effective care.
• To act as care coordinator where appropriate, managing complex cases and coordinating multi‑agency involvement.
• Teaching, Training and Supervision: To provide clinical supervision to assistant psychologists and contribute to the supervision of trainees. To support teaching and training within the team and across services, and continue post‑qualification professional development, including developing high‑level competencies in working in BSL.
• Management, Recruitment and Service Development: To contribute to service development, audit, and policy development, and to support the management of junior staff as appropriate.
• Research and Service Evaluation: To utilise research skills to support evidence‑based practice, undertake audit and evaluation projects, and contribute to service improvement.
• The role involves working across a variety of settings including clinics, schools, community locations, and virtual platforms, with the use of BSL and/or interpreters as required.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.

Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

• Doctorate level training in Clinical Psychology, including two or more distinct psychological therapies as accredited by the BPS
• Registration with the HPC under the appropriate domain specific title
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HPC
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
• Full UK drivers license
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
• British Sign Language at Level 3 or equivalent fluency
• British Sign Language Level 2 or equivalent fluency

Experience

• Experience of working with LD and autism
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups across the whole life course – including children, young people, and their families, presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Director of Psychology
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of clinical/counselling psychology in different cultural contexts
• Personal experience of deafness
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of Deaf children and young people across the full range of care settings

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.

South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including job applications, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. The contact details published on our official website are the Trust’s authorised contact channels and should be used for all recruitment communications, job applications, and verification of employment offers.

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.