Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust

North East London NHS Foundation Trust; Tonbridge; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in England is looking for a fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join their Kent & Medway Adolescent Hospital team. The role involves working with children and young people, conducting psychological assessments, and developing therapeutic interventions. Ideal candidates will have experience in inpatient or community settings and knowledge of relevant legal frameworks. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to a highly specialist therapeutic service while ensuring transitions to adult services are managed effectively.

Qualifications

• Registered with HCPC as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
• Experience in inpatient or community settings preferred.
• Knowledge of the 2014 Children and Families Act regarding SEND.

Responsibilities

• Conduct psychological assessments of children with complex needs.
• Develop case formulation and intervention plans.
• Provide psychological advice and consultation to professionals.

Skills

Experience working with children and young people

Knowledge of psychological assessment

Ability to develop intervention plans

Education

Fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Job description

About the Post

The post-holder will be a fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with a passion for working with children and young people (CYP). They will join the Kent & Medway Adolescent Hospital MDT and work 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 role involves leading liaison with all CYP MHS services to ensure clear transitions for young people entering and leaving inpatient services, linking with the DBT Service and supporting transition to Adult Services where appropriate. The post-holder will be part of the delivery of a highly specialist therapeutic service to CYP in the unit, acting as a clinical leader while being accountable to the Head of Service and Assistant Director for inpatient/home treatment and crisis services.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessment of children and young people with complex emotional, mental health and social needs, including those with learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental difficulties.
• Utilise a range of psychological and neuropsychological tests (WISC & WAIS), behavioural assessments, self‑report measures, rating scales, structured observations and semi‑structured interviews to integrate and interpret data.
• Develop case formulation and intervention plans using evidence‑based interventions (FBA, PBS, CBT, etc.) while engaging clients with additional communication and learning needs.
• Implement a range of psychological interventions for clients, their families and care systems; monitor and evaluate client progress and refine psychological formulations.
• Make informed decisions about treatment options, considering current theoretical and therapeutic models as well as complex developmental, chronic illness and historical factors.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients.
• Provide specialist psychological advice and consultation to other professionals to support case formulation, diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Act as multi‑agency coordinator for the planning and review of care plans for children involved with complex, multi‑agency systems.
• Conduct risk and management assessments of clients and offer general advice on psychological aspects of risk.
• Offer clinical supervision within the multi‑disciplinary team as required.
• Maintain service standards, clinical governance, clinical risk assessment and recordkeeping.
• Contribute professional opinion to relevant legal decision‑making processes (e.g. child protection, domestic violence and abuse cases).

Qualifications and Experience

• Fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
• Experience working with CYP in inpatient or community settings is preferred.
• Knowledge of the 2014 Children and Families Act regarding SEND.
• Experience delivering interventions aligned with CYP IAPT and iThrive principles.

Probationary Period

This post is subject to a probationary period.

Valuing Diversity

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

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although our Trust is a registered sponsor, we cannot offer sponsorship for all roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system.

Application Deadline

This advert closes on Monday 15 Dec 2025.