Highly Specialist Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

NHS; Lewisham; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS is seeking an experienced practitioner psychologist to join the Adolescent Treatment Team in Lewisham. The role involves providing high-quality psychological services for young people with severe mental health issues, facilitating consultations, and supervising clinical staff to ensure effective care delivery.

Qualifications

• Professional Doctorate or MSc with PG Diploma recognized by HCPC.
• Specialist training in psychological practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist psychology services for young people.
• Lead psychological service provision and supervise junior staff.
• Conduct assessments and formulate treatment plans.

Skills

Communication skills

Consultation skills

Management of risk

Education

Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology

Registered with HCPC

Job description

Job summary

We are seeking to recruit an experienced practitioner psychologist to join the Adolescent Treatment Team (ATT), a well-established arm of Lewisham CAMHS that offer stabilisation, formulation, and treatment of young people with mental health problems that are severe, complex, and/or associated with high levels of risk. The team also provides the early intervention in service for young people with psychosis and bipolar disorder in the borough. We are a multi-disciplinary, dynamic, resourceful, caring and supportive team with a small, protected caseload of young people with the highest level of need, including severe depression and anxiety disorders, complex trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and emotional instability. Many have previously had or are at risk of a psychiatric admission, and we work closely with inpatient services to enable continuity of care and successful step-down to the community post-discharge. ATT use teamwork to offer the most effective service provision in a supportive and respectful environment whilst still being a fun base.

Main duties of the job

Provide highly specialist psychology service for young people with severe mental health problems, including specialist assessment, formulation, treatment, consultation, planning, and monitoring of outcomes

To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist for young people with severe mental health problems.

To undertake service evaluation, audit, and research.

To provide senior duty support to the MDT as a senior clinician and some other senior management duties, as appropriate.

To work autonomously within professional guidelines and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.

About us

SLAM is the largest mental health trust in the UK and offers a wide range of National Specialists and local provisions in South London. Working for Lewisham CAMHS gives access to many of the dynamic and innovative opportunities linked to the Trust.

Lewisham is an inner-city borough in South London serving a population of almost 300,000 people, 23 % falling in the 0-19 age group. Lewisham is highly diverse and proudly represents many different cultures, needs and backgrounds.

Lewisham CAMHS has several teams providing services to specific need; the ATT team has been established over 20 years serving the most complex and high-risk children in Lewisham. There is close liaison with other CAMHS teams and the wider specialist services. Working within ATT can be challenging and demanding but there are resources in place such as supervision, case discussion, the MDT, joint work, training, clear referral criteria, systems management and workable caseloads to support functioning. There is a strong team identity and ethos, we strive to do our best for our young people.

Details Date posted

04 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£61,927 to £68,676 a year per annum incl. of inner HCAs pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

334-CLI-7204261

Job locations

Lewisham Park

78 Lewisham Park SE13 6QJ

Lewisham

SE13 6QJ

Job description Job responsibilities

This successful candidate will lead the psychological service provision for young people presenting with mental health problems that are severe, complex, and associated with high levels of risk. This will include high-quality assessment, formulation, and evidence-based therapy to young people and families. The role will also include consultation to support the team and the wider Lewisham CAMHS service. The candidate will also hold a small number of care coordination cases to support with stabilisation, risk management, and multi-agency care planning. The job also involves contributing to the effective working of the team and providing senior duty cover to support team members in managing risk. There will be opportunity to supervise assistant psychologists, trainee clinical psychologists, and band 7 psychological practitioners. The post-holder will be part of the senior leadership in the team that oversees clinical activities and processes, working together to drive service improvement and create a psychological safe environment in which team members can flourish. Engagement in research will be actively encouraged, and the candidate would be supported to undertake training and professional development in line with their appraisal.

Job description Job responsibilities

This successful candidate will lead the psychological service provision for young people presenting with mental health problems that are severe, complex, and associated with high levels of risk. This will include high-quality assessment, formulation, and evidence-based therapy to young people and families. The role will also include consultation to support the team and the wider Lewisham CAMHS service. The candidate will also hold a small number of care coordination cases to support with stabilisation, risk management, and multi-agency care planning. The job also involves contributing to the effective working of the team and providing senior duty cover to support team members in managing risk. There will be opportunity to supervise assistant psychologists, trainee clinical psychologists, and band 7 psychological practitioners. The post-holder will be part of the senior leadership in the team that oversees clinical activities and processes, working together to drive service improvement and create a psychological safe environment in which team members can flourish. Engagement in research will be actively encouraged, and the candidate would be supported to undertake training and professional development in line with their appraisal.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration.
• Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice- based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
• Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline e.g. HCPC/UKCP/ACP/BABCP

Desirable

• Qualification in supervision
• Post-doctoral training / accreditation in one or more additional specialist evidence-based practice relevant to complex CAMHS (e.g. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, CBT for Psychosis, trauma-focused therapies).
• Training in specialist psychosis assessments (i.e., CAARMS, PANSS)

Experience Essential

• Qualified experience working clinically with people mental health problems that are severe, complex, and/or high risk (e.g. acute inpatient, forensic settings, psychosis, complex trauma, personality disorders) providing specialist assessment and evidence-based interventions.
• Experience working in CAMHS with children, young people, and families providing specialist assessment and evidence-based interventions.
• Experience managing risk associated with mental health conditions.

Desirable

• Experience providing clinical supervision
• Experience working in acute settings / with severe mental health problems such as psychosis, bipolar, complex PTSD, and emotional instability
• Experience carrying out post-doctoral research, audit, or service evaluation

Knowledge Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised assessment and interventions for severe/complex mental health problems (e.g. complex PTSD, psychosis, bipolar, personality disorders).
• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology in young people and the evidence base for relevant treatment.
• Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
• Knowledge of child protection and safeguarding issues in relation to mental health

Desirable

• Knowledge of legislation and policy in relation to mental health, such as the mental health act and mental capacity act
• Knowledge of research methodology in mental health.

Skills Essential

• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
• To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers (and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews where appropriate)
• Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and sensitively managing, a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.

Desirable

• Skills in chairing complex multi-disciplinary meetings and recording and enacting outcomes.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration.
• Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice- based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
• Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline e.g. HCPC/UKCP/ACP/BABCP

Desirable

• Qualification in supervision
• Post-doctoral training / accreditation in one or more additional specialist evidence-based practice relevant to complex CAMHS (e.g. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, CBT for Psychosis, trauma-focused therapies).
• Training in specialist psychosis assessments (i.e., CAARMS, PANSS)

Experience Essential

• Qualified experience working clinically with people mental health problems that are severe, complex, and/or high risk (e.g. acute inpatient, forensic settings, psychosis, complex trauma, personality disorders) providing specialist assessment and evidence-based interventions.
• Experience working in CAMHS with children, young people, and families providing specialist assessment and evidence-based interventions.
• Experience managing risk associated with mental health conditions.

Desirable

• Experience providing clinical supervision
• Experience working in acute settings / with severe mental health problems such as psychosis, bipolar, complex PTSD, and emotional instability
• Experience carrying out post-doctoral research, audit, or service evaluation

Knowledge Essential

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised assessment and interventions for severe/complex mental health problems (e.g. complex PTSD, psychosis, bipolar, personality disorders).
• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology in young people and the evidence base for relevant treatment.
• Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
• Knowledge of child protection and safeguarding issues in relation to mental health

Desirable

• Knowledge of legislation and policy in relation to mental health, such as the mental health act and mental capacity act
• Knowledge of research methodology in mental health.

Skills Essential

• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
• To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers (and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews where appropriate)
• Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and sensitively managing, a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.

Desirable

• Skills in chairing complex multi-disciplinary meetings and recording and enacting outcomes.

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

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lewisham Park

78 Lewisham Park SE13 6QJ

Lewisham

SE13 6QJ

Employer's website

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

Employer details Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lewisham Park

78 Lewisham Park SE13 6QJ

Lewisham

SE13 6QJ

Employer's website

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