Practitioner Psychologist, Psychotherapist & Psychological Therapist

Transformation Unit; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a full-time permanent Principal Psychologist based in the Lewisham Intensive Support Team (0.6 wte) and MHLD Team (0.4 wte). You will develop and lead a small multi-professional pathway, delivering highly specialist psychological input during crises and across services.

The role includes supervising a small MDT, shaping service design and delivery for adults with learning disabilities, and working with commissioners and stakeholders to

Qualifications

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in learning disabilities.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with complex needs in learning disabilities.
• Experience of supervising assistants and trainees.
• Post-qualification experience supporting diversity within local communities.

Responsibilities

• Develop, co-ordinate and oversee a MDT service at the IST and provide highly specialist psychological input.
• Lead a qualified psychological and behavioural support service for adults with learning disabilities.
• Provide complex assessments, formulations and interventions as a senior practitioner.
• Supervise junior practitioners and contribute to staff training and service development.

Skills

Clinical psychology

Leadership

Supervision

Diversity awareness

Education

HCPC registration

Job description

Employer South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Old Town Hall Town London Salary £75,328 - £86,114 per annum incl. of HCAs (inner) Salary period Yearly Closing 24/11/2026 23:59

Practitioner Psychologist, Psychotherapist & Psychological Therapist

Band 8b

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 and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role.We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a full-time permanent Principal Psychologist based in the Lewisham Intensive Support Team (0.6 wte) and MHLD Team (0.4wte). We are looking for an experienced psychologist to develop and lead a small multi-professional pathway as part of the Lewisham Intensive Support Team, with some time to work across MHLD as well. This newly developed pathway will work quickly, flexibly and intensively at times of crisis, working closely with service users and their networks. The IST works in conjunction with the wider borough MHLD team sharing decision making about stepping up and stepping down care so that people get the right support at the right time. As the Lead Psychologist you will have the opportunity to develop this service, manage and clinically supervise a small MDT (comprising Behaviour Support Practitioner, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapy and Trainee Clinical Psychologist). You will also have an important role working with the Borough Lead Psychologist, commissioners and stakeholders to help shape service design and delivery for local adults with learning disabilities and complex behaviour at high risk of placement breakdown. The work is varied and fulfilling, with scope to inform what services look like for local people, and opportunities to work creatively and proactively. You will be be supervised and managed by the MHLD Borough Lead Consultant Psychologist.

Main duties of the job

Job Purpose:

· To develop, co-ordinate and oversee the provision of a MDT service at the Intensive Support Team (IST) and provide highly specialist clinical input in terms of psychological and behavioural support.

· To contribute to enabling staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.

· To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in working with adults with learning disabilities who require an intensive support provision.

· To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychological practitioners within the IST.

· To promote service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.

· To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.

· To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.

Working for our organisation

The multi-disciplinary IST pathway provides intensive support to adults with Learning Disabilities, whose behaviour places them at risk of hospital admission, or placement breakdown. The team sits within community Mental Health Learning Disability (MHLD) service in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and works closely with the community learning disabilities team and other agencies in the borough. The MHLD service is part of the wider Neurodevelopmental Services which is part of the Psychological Medicine and Older Adults (PMOA) Directorate, alongside a range of specialist and local services. You will work closely with Allied Health Professional Leads in Guys and St Thomas' NHS Trust, who are involved in the management and professional supervision of the AHPs within the IST.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical and Client Care

· To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist MDT service.

· To provide and lead a highly specialist psychological and behavioural support service to the Intensive Support Team in the Mental Health in Learning Disability Service.

· To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for adults with learning disabilities at levels expected of a psychological practitioner who has achieved the equivalent of a PG Diploma-worth of post-qualification specialist development.

· To select and deliver evidence-based specialist therapeutic interventions, drawing from a spectrum of ideas and models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, couple, family or group.

Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning

· To co-ordinate (and chair) meetings for IST to ensure effective functioning and review, when appropriate.

· To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically and psychotherapeutically informed framework for the IST

· To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.

Policy and service development

· To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.

· To identify any aspects of IST which could be improved and propose changes to practices or procedures that affect IST and may also affect other services.

· To initiate and implement service development projects, as agreed with clinical/professional lead

Care or management of resources

· To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.

· To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

· To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.

· To monitor and advise clients on the safe use of materials and processes.

Management and supervision

· To provide clinical leadership to more junior psychological practitioners and other professionals, as appropriate.

· To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners.

· To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners as appropriate.

Teaching and Training

· To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post-qualification psychological practitioners and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.

· To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.

Record-keeping and Information Governance

· To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.

· To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry, in those parts of the service for which the post-holder has leadership responsibility.

Person specification

Qualifications

• To have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions, e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical psychology, medicine, social work and occupational therapy OR to have equivalent relevant experience and demonstrable competence to work in the mental health field in the NHS. Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration. (A/I) (for a job requiring specific professional qualification(s), change this point to specify the required qualification(s)). For Psychologists: · 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. (A/I) (for a job requiring specific professional qualification(s), change this point to specify the required qualification(s): Clinical psychologist: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; Counselling psychologist: MSc and PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology; Forensic psychologist: MSc in Forensic Psychology plus completion of the British Psychological Society’s Qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2) For Family / Systemic Psychotherapists: Post-graduate qualification in relevant mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (A/I) PLUS Masters level qualification in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy or equivalent qualification, accredited by UKCP (A/I) For Psychotherapists: Entry-level qualification in Psychotherapy that has been accepted by the UKCP/BABCP (specify which, according to nature of post) for purposes of professional registration.

Experience

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in learning disabilities
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in learning disabilities
• Experience of supervising assistants and trainees having completed the relevant training.
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.

Knowledge

• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of mental health difficulties and behaviour that challenges for adults with learning disabilities
• Advanced knowledge of the theory of psychological therapy and its therapeutic application
• Associated awareness of assessment and clinical psychometrics.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.

Skills

• 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).
• Administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
• To plan allocation of tasks to assistants/trainees as appropriates.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity.

That requests for Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered on a case-by-case basis, where applicable, subject to the role and meeting the relevant eligibility requirements and the Trust’s policy. Applying for a role does not guarantee that sponsorship will be available or approved.

• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’.

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.