Highly Specialist Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

Maudsley Learning; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health trust in South London is seeking a Highly Specialist Psychologist/Psychological Therapist to join the Adolescent Treatment Team. This permanent, full-time role involves leading the neurodevelopmental pathway and providing expert assessment and treatment for young people with severe mental health issues. The successful candidate will work within a supportive multidisciplinary team and contribute to service evaluation and development.

Qualifications

• Experience in neurodevelopmental assessments and interventions.
• Experience working with children and families in CAMHS.
• Knowledge of psychological assessment and interventions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the neurodevelopmental pathway for adolescents.
• Provide specialist psychological services for neurodiverse young people.
• Conduct specialist assessments and offer clinical supervision.

Skills

Effective communication

Assessment and intervention planning

Proficiency in psychometric testing

IT skills for data entry and analysis

Education

Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology

Post-qualification training in a specialised psychological practice area

Registered with relevant professional body (e.g., HCPC)

Qualification in supervision

Post-doctoral training in evidence-based practices

Job description

Highly Specialist Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Main area Applied Psychology Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 334-CLI-6912156-C

Site Lewisham Park Town Lewisham Salary per annum Incl. of HCAs Closing 01/06/2025 23:59

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links, and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth, and Richmond.

We are committed to providing high-quality and specialist care to our service users and are recognized for the care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives, in 2021, along with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management methodology to positively impact patient care, outcomes, and staff experience. Joining SLaM offers staff the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey, supported by learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust values the contribution of individuals with lived experience of mental illness and welcomes applications from them, considering their experience an asset.

Our Values

We pride ourselves on providing specialist care, with our values of being caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listening, and delivering on promises at the core of our work. Joining us means being part of something special.

We support flexible working arrangements.

Job overview

The Adolescent Treatment Team (ATT) is a well-established arm of Lewisham CAMHS, offering stabilization, formulation, and treatment for young people with severe, complex, and high-risk mental health issues. We are a multidisciplinary, dynamic, resourceful, caring, and supportive team with a small, protected caseload of young people with conditions such as severe depression, anxiety disorders, complex trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and emotional instability. We value teamwork, a respectful environment, and a fun, supportive base.

We are seeking an experienced practitioner psychologist to serve as the neurodevelopmental lead within the team. This role will provide specialist expertise in assessing, formulating, and treating young people with neurodevelopmental disorders presenting with severe mental health issues and high risk. Given the increase in such cases, with approximately 60% of our caseload having or suspected to have autism spectrum disorder, this role offers the opportunity to develop a clinical pathway and enhance service provision for this population.

Main duties of the job

• Develop and lead the neurodevelopmental pathway within a highly specialist, multidisciplinary team for adolescents with severe and complex mental health issues.
• Provide specialist psychological services for neurodiverse young people, including assessment, formulation, treatment, consultation, and outcome monitoring.
• Conduct specialist assessments such as ADOS/ADI and neuropsychological assessments.
• Offer clinical supervision and consultation, functioning as a lead specialist in neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Undertake service evaluation, audit, and research activities.
• Provide senior duty support to the MDT as a senior clinician, along with other senior management duties as appropriate.
• Work autonomously within professional guidelines and team policies and procedures.

Working for our organisation

SLAM is the UK's largest mental health trust, offering a wide range of national and local services in South London. Working in Lewisham CAMHS provides access to innovative opportunities linked to the Trust. Lewisham is a diverse inner-city borough serving nearly 300,000 residents, with 23% aged 0-19. The ATT team has over 20 years of experience serving the most complex, high-risk children in Lewisham, with strong links to other CAMHS teams and services. While challenging, the role is supported by resources such as supervision, case discussions, MDT meetings, training, clear referral criteria, and manageable caseloads, fostering a strong team ethos and commitment to excellence.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful candidate will develop and lead the neurodevelopmental pathway, focusing on providing expert assessment, formulation, and evidence-based therapy to neurodiverse young people with severe mental health issues. The role includes supporting the MDT through consultation, managing a small caseload, supervising assistant psychologists or trainees, and participating in professional development activities.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology accepted by HCPC.
• Post-qualification training in a specialised psychological practice area, assessed as equivalent to a Postgraduate Diploma.
• Registered with the relevant professional body (e.g., HCPC, UKCP, ACP, BABCP).
• Evidence of ongoing professional development.
• Qualification in supervision.
• Post-doctoral training in evidence-based practices relevant to CAMHS (e.g., Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, CBT for Psychosis).
• Training in neurodevelopmental assessment or treatment (e.g., ADOS/ADI).

Experience

• Qualified experience in neurodevelopmental assessments and interventions.
• Experience working with children, young people, and families in CAMHS.
• Experience administering neuropsychological assessments (e.g., ADOS, ADI).
• Experience managing mental health risk.
• Knowledge of psychological assessment, interventions, and neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Experience providing clinical supervision.
• Experience in acute settings or with severe mental health conditions.
• Experience in research, audit, or service evaluation.

Skills

• Effective communication of complex information to diverse audiences.
• Assessment and intervention planning skills.
• Proficiency in psychometric and neuropsychological testing.
• Ability to supervise and delegate tasks.
• IT skills for data entry and analysis.
• Chairing multidisciplinary meetings and recording outcomes.

Knowledge

• Understanding of neurodevelopmental assessment and intervention.
• Knowledge of psychopathology and evidence-based treatments in young people.
• Advanced psychometric knowledge.
• Child protection and safeguarding knowledge.
• Understanding of legislation affecting autism and learning disabilities.
• Knowledge of complex mental health therapies and research methodology.

The Trust promotes diversity and equality, is a Disability Confident Employer, and provides reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities. We are committed to fair treatment, dignity, and human rights, embedding these principles into our practice.

Please note:

• Applications must be submitted online.
• Applicants should read and address the Job Description and Person Specification in their statement.
• The closing date is indicative; early application is advised.
• Application data may be transferred to third-party recruitment systems.
• If no response within three weeks, the application was unsuccessful.
• Priority may be given to at-risk NHS employees.
• Successful applicants authorize NHS service verification via IAT.
• We are a smoke-free Trust.

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion, supporting LGBT rights and inclusion.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicants must hold appropriate UK professional registration.

This role is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020.