Psychological Therapist

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension

CPD / Professional development

Job summary

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) invites applications for a senior psychologist to provide a comprehensive, specialist psychological therapy service to patients within the Health and Justice Services Directorate.

The role covers specialist psychological assessment and therapy, training and consultation for staff, and using research for audit, policy and service development, in line with Trust policies.

Qualifications

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment across care settings.
• Experience with personality disorder, self-harm, substance misuse and complex trauma.
• Ability to teach and train others and deliver staff training.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessments.
• Formulate and implement treatment plans for mental health problems.
• Deliver evidence-based therapies across the full range of care settings.
• Provide training, advice and consultation to staff.

Skills

Communication skills

Clinical psychology expertise

Research knowledge

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical psychology

HCPC registered psychologist

Job description

• To provide a comprehensive, specialist psychological therapy service to patients of the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy.
• To provide training, advice and consultation to other staff about the psychological needs of the patients.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trust’s policies and procedures.
• To support the team and Service Line.

• To provide a comprehensive, specialist psychological therapy service to patients of the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy.
• To provide training, advice and consultation to other staff about the psychological needs of the patients.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trust’s policies and procedures.
• To support the team and Service Line.

Job Overview

• To provide a comprehensive, specialist psychological therapy service to patients of the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy.
• To provide training, advice and consultation to other staff about the psychological needs of the patients.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trust’s policies and procedures.
• To support the team and Service Line.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a comprehensive, specialist psychological therapy service to patients of the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy.
• To provide training, advice and consultation to other staff about the psychological needs of the patients.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trust’s policies and procedures.
• To support the team and Service Line.

Working for our organisation

There’s a place for you at CNWL.

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic, Prison or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please note: This vacancy does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship, unless you meet the criteria by temporary exemption from current changes to immigration rules put in force on 22/07/2025. “Separate provisions are applied to workers who have been sponsored and continuously held a Skilled Worker visa since prior to 04/04/2024.

As such, if you don’t meet the Transitional Provision (above) we are unable to consider your application unless you can provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the United Kingdom. If you believe you are eligible for sponsorship or already hold a valid right to work in the UK, please ensure you provide full details of your immigration status in the Pre-Screening Immigration section of your application form.

Please note role eligibility also depends on whether the role meets the salary threshold for the relevant occupational code (SOC CODE).

For further info please visit: Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological 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 based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level training in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology or its equivalent, accredited by the BPS. Training in models of developmental lifespan psychology, psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology and two or more distinct psychological therapies. HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• OR A recognised post graduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (or equivalent). Accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) (via having a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions e.g. nursing, psychology, medicine, social work, occupational therapy or evidence of having achieved the Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSA) route)
• OR A recorded/registered qualification in counselling or psychotherapy and further post accreditation qualification in a nice recommended or evidence-based therapy (e.g. CBT; EMDR) Accreditation with a Professional Standards Authority recognised Accreditation Body.

Desirable criteria

• Other relevant CPD qualifications, pre- or post-training. Especially training in working with people with trauma presentations, research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology. Training in more than one psychological therapy.
• Training in more than one psychological therapy.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience working with and delivering psychological therapy to those with a diagnosis of personality disorder and/or a history of self-harm and substance misuse and experience of working with complex trauma.
• Experience of delivering brief, primary care, CBT interventions or equivalent
• Experience of working effectively in multidisciplinary settings.
• Experience of teaching and training.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural and specialist contexts.
• Experience of working in secure settings, either prison or secure hospitals.
• Experience of working with service-users to develop peer facilitated support or treatment initiatives.
• Experience in supervising others in the delivery of psychological therapy
• Experience of working using multitherapeutic approaches

Knowledge And Skills

Essential criteria

• 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.
• Skills in providing training, advice and psychological information and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses).
• Ability to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• High level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies

Other

Essential criteria

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviouR
• Good understanding of the current context of service provision within the NHS.
• Willingness to work flexibly to meet demands of contracts, commissioners and other stake-holders to provide high-quality and effective care
• Willingness to work flexibly to meet demands of contracts, commissioners and other stake-holders to provide high-quality and effective care

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.