Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or CB Psychotherapist

South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in the UK is seeking a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or CBT Therapist to join their National OCD/BDD Service. The successful candidate will provide comprehensive assessments and therapy for adults with complex mental health needs, particularly those with treatment-resistant OCD and BDD. This role offers the chance to work within a multidisciplinary team and contribute to service improvements. Strong CBT skills and relevant experience are essential. The organization values diversity and supports flexible working.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Career development opportunities

Supportive workplace culture

Qualifications

• Significant experience working with adults with OCD and BDD.
• Experience in delivering evidence-based psychological interventions.
• Previous experience in clinical supervision of staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist cognitive behavioural assessments and therapy.
• Formulate treatment plans based on assessment outcomes.
• Lead on strategic service improvements within the team.

Skills

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Clinical assessment skills

Risk assessment and management

Communication skills

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent

Job description

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or CBT Therapist to join our highly respected National OCD/BDD Service at Springfield Hospital. This is a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of specialist care for individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). The National OCD/BDD Inpatient Service at Springfield University Hospital, operated by South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, provides intensive, specialist care for adults experiencing severe and treatment-resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). As part of a nationally commissioned specialist consortium, the service plays a vital role in supporting individuals across the UK who have not responded to conventional treatments. Located on Seacole Ward, a 14‑bed mixed‑gender facility for adults aged 18 and over (with no upper age limit), the unit offers a structured, evidence‑based six‑month treatment programme. This programme is delivered by a highly skilled multidisciplinary team, including specialist nursing staff, and is designed to address OCD and BDD alongside complex comorbidities‑ensuring a holistic and person‑centred approach to recovery. To provide a specialist cognitive behavioural assessment and therapy service to patients referred to the National Service for OCD/BDD. This will include offering advice and consultation on patients' psychological care to other healthcare workers throughout the UK. The post holder will be expected to work within recognised professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trust's policies and procedures. The post holder is expected to contribute to the training of cognitive behavioural psychotherapists in delivering effective, evidence-based specialist psychological interventions and to utilise their research and training skills for effective audit and service development within the service. An important part of the role will be to offer clinical and professional supervision to cognitive behavioural psychotherapists in the National OCD BDD Service. Finally, jointly with the Consultant Psychiatrist Lead for the service and the team manager the post-holder will lead on strategic service changes and improvements to processes and practice as required.

• To provide a comprehensive specialist assessment and high intensity therapeutic service for adult patients with OCD/BDD. These patients will be referred nationally by other secondary and tertiary services, and most interventions will be based on evidence based cognitive behaviour therapy principles, working within the context of the agreed policies and procedures of the specialist services.
• To identify the nature, severity and complexity of adult patients' mental health problems, and to advise both patients and their referrers on appropriate management of those problems, enabling referral to other highly specialist services and/or non‑statutory services where appropriate.
• To formulate and implement plans for the intensive CBT treatment and/or management of a client's mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems, and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of treatment efficacy.
• To make appropriate use of specialist assessments of patients' mental health, including structured and semi‑structured interviews, questionnaires, rating scales and guided inquiry methods.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other clinicians in Secondary and Primary Care on psychological aspects of risk assessment, including the risk of self‑harm.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, couple or family.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the efficiency of all aspects of the service, including assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are within the service remit.
• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during their treatment within the national service.

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, Christian Staff Network, DiverseAbility, Deaf Staff Network, 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. Please note: That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received; That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e‑recruitment system; That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful; That priority consideration for applications may be given to at‑risk NHS employees; That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process; That your employment is offered subject to successful completion of a Probationary Period depending on your Band (except medical roles); That we are a smoke‑free Trust.

NHS AfC: Band 8b 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.

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. The 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 of benefits 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.