Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist Older Adults

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK seeks a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join their Older Adult Mental Health Team. The role involves providing clinical leadership, supervision, and developing services. Candidates should have a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and HCPC registration. A salary of £64,455 to £74,896 per annum plus a High Cost Area Supplement is offered, along with a focus on multidisciplinary teamwork and service development.

Benefits

High Cost Area Supplement

Comprehensive induction program

Qualifications

• HCPC registration is required.
• Experience in neuropsychological assessment is necessary.
• Commitment to evidence-based practice in old age psychology.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership to psychological practitioners.
• Develop the specialist care pathway.
• Ensure timely and evidence-based psychological services.

Skills

Evidence-based interventions

Communication skills

Neuropsychological assessment

Education

Professional Qualification in Clinical Psychology at doctorate level

Job description

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist – Older Adults

The closing date is 07 December 2025

We are looking to appoint an experienced, HCPC registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist as Principal Psychologist for Older Adult mental health. The post is an opportunity for a psychologist who values multidisciplinary working to develop skills in leadership and supervision. The post will involve both direct and indirect clinical work with service users, families, and wider systems. The postholder will be expected to work closely with the multidisciplinary team and offer consultation and support with complex cases.

In addition the post holder will provide supervision to more junior psychologists working in NELFT.

The post holder will be based with the Older Adult Mental Health Team and Memory Service in Havering. The postholder will be supported by the Consultant Clinical Psychologists for Older Adult Mental Health and Adult Neuropsychology in addition to the borough lead psychologist. In collaboration with colleagues, the post holder will contribute to expert by experience involvement in service development.

The Trust has strong links with the UCL, UEL and Royal Holloway clinical psychology courses and several Counselling Psychology courses. The postholder will be expected to supervise trainees, engage in service development and evaluation, research projects and teaching, where appropriate.

Main duties of the job

This post will suit an 8a or existing 8b psychologist with broad psychological interests and skills including psychological interventions in mental health, understanding psychological consequences of physical illness, and neuropsychological assessment and formulation. The candidate will be someone who: values multi-disciplinary team working; either has, or is keen to gain, experience in recruitment and developmental support of junior psychologists; is highly specialist in an area of psychological assessment and intervention applicable to old age psychology e.g. evidence-based interventions relevant to late onset mental health, 'graduates' of adult mental health services, adjustment to neurodegeneration or physical illness, including family interventions. Some prior experience in neuropsychological assessment is required, with support available to refresh and update skills.

About us

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co‑produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop‑in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Job responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership to the specialist care pathway and all psychological practitioners working in the specialist care pathway.
• Further develop the specialist care pathway.
• Take responsibility for assessment, treatment and systematic outcome measurement in the specialist care pathway.
• Ensure a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence‑based psychological service is available to all service users who need it.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Professional Qualification in Clinical Psychology at doctorate or equivalent level. HCPC registration

Experience

• A thorough knowledge of evidence based clinical practice and a commitment to keeping abreast of new evidence based practice developments in old age psychology

Experience

• Knowledge, understanding and experience of working with service users from diverse ethnic, economic and cultural backgrounds

Knowledge

• Knowledge of neuropsychological assessment measures. Experience or interest in assessment of Neurodegenerative Disorders

Skills

• Well‑developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

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.

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

£64,455 to £74,896 a year per annum pro rata (plus HCAS)