Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; Tonbridge; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in Tonbridge is seeking a Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to provide specialized psychological assessments for children and young people with complex emotional needs. As part of a multidisciplinary team at the Kent & Medway Adolescent Hospital, you will implement evidence-based interventions and lead in coordinating care with various stakeholders. This role requires a Doctorate in Psychology and HCPC registration, along with experience in CAMHS. The position offers a chance to make a significant impact on young patients' mental health.

Qualifications

• Experience working with families in CAMHS undertaking assessments.
• Experience working with complexities in CAMHS.
• HCPC registration is required.
• Sound knowledge about safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessments of children and young people.
• Implement a range of psychological interventions for clients and their families.
• Act as multi-agency coordinator for planning and review of care plans.
• Conduct risk and management assessments of clients.

Skills

Clinical knowledge

Psychological assessment

Case formulation

Risk assessment

Client engagement

Education

Doctorate in clinical/counselling Psychology

Job description

Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

The closing date is 15 December 2025

The post-holder will be a qualified fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with a passion for working in this area. As part of the QNIC recommended structure for inpatient CYP units, we are recruiting for these psychology posts into our Kent & Medway Adolescent Hospital MDT. The post holder will work very closely with Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services across inpatient and community in Kent NELFT, the Kent and Sussex provider collaborative and other stakeholders. The Kent NELFT DBT Service offers specialist DBT assessments and interventions to YP and their families who are referred. The postholder will take a lead in liaison with all CYPMHS services to ensure clear transitions for young people entering and leaving inpatient services; linking with the DBT Service and, where appropriate, supporting the transition to Adult Services. The post holder will be part of the delivery of a highly specialist therapeutic service to CYP in the unit. They will be part of the inpatient clinical team and take on a leadership role whilst being accountable to the Head of Service and Assistant Director for inpatient/home treatment and crisis services.

Main duties of the job

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

The postholder will join a thriving psychological professions team across comprehensive CAMHS (inpatient and community). We have strong links with our local psychology training institute and on-going NHSE training for workforce expansion and upskilling.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.

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.

Job responsibilities

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment of children and young people with complex emotional, mental health and social needs, including children with diagnoses of learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental difficulties. The post holder will utilise highly specialist clinical knowledge of particular relevance to this client group.

Assessments to be based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests (WISC & WAIS), behavioural assessments, self‑report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi‑structured interviews. This may include assessment as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.

Case formulation will lead to intervention plans involving evidence‑based interventions (FBA, PBS, CBT etc.), taking account of the need to engage clients who may have additional communication and learning needs.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for clients, their families and care systems. To monitor and evaluate client progress during both uni‑ and multi‑disciplinary care and to be responsible for adjustments and refinements to psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, considering current theoretical and therapeutic models and also highly complex factors concerning developmental difficulties, chronic illness, and historical processes that have affected the young person, family or care system.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients.

To provide specialist psychological advice and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. This would include the dissemination of psychology research and theory.

To act, where appropriate, as multi‑agency coordinator for the planning and review of care plans for children involved with complex, multi‑agency systems.

To undertake risk and management assessment of clients and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk.

To offer clinical supervision as required within the multi‑disciplinary team.

To have an understanding of the 2014 Children and Families Act in regards to children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

To be flexible and responsive to the changing needs and priorities of the multi‑disciplinary team.

To work in line within the context of CYP IAPT and iThrive principles, using evidence based psychological models of treatment and routine outcome measures.

Responsible for holding own caseload and for providing assessment and therapeutic interventions to address the mental health needs of children, young people and their families. This is delivered through regular contact within therapeutic sessions.

Responsible for maintaining service standards within own practice, including clinical governance and clinical risk assessment, and within the neurodevelopmental Pathway.

Responsible for creating and maintaining client records and notes.

Provision of specialist advice, within boundaries of own role, skills and knowledge.

Contribute professional opinion to relevant legal decision‑making processes (e.g. child protection arrangements, domestic violence and abuse cases)

The post holder will receive supervision according to individual need.

Person Specification

Doctorate in clinical/counselling Psychology or equivalent

• Experience working with families in CAMHS undertaking assessments
• Experience working with complexities in CAMHS
• Experience working with families in a tier 4 inpatient setting
• Must have an HCPC registration
• Must have sound knowledge about safeguarding

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