Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist Preceptorship

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in London seeks a Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist for a full-time position in older adult services. This role involves providing specialized assessments and therapies for a wide range of mental health issues, including dementia. Candidates should have postgraduate training and experience in psychological assessment. The successful applicant will join a supportive multidisciplinary team and will have opportunities for professional development and supervision. Salary ranges from £56,276 to £71,148 per annum.

Benefits

Robust supervision and appraisal process

Access to in-house training programs

Opportunities for service development input

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology or BPS Chartered Status for counselling psychologists.
• Current HPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Pre- or Post-qualification training in research methodology.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialised psychological assessment and therapy for older adults.
• Deliver neuropsychological assessments and treatments.
• Work within a supportive multidisciplinary team.

Skills

Psychological assessment skills

Effective communication

Cultural sensitivity

Teamwork

Training and supervision skills

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical Psychology

HPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist

Job description

Go back Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist Preceptorship

The closing date is 01 January 2026

POST TITLE: Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist Preceptorship

BASE: Redwood & Kershaw Ward, Nightingale Building, St. Charles Hospital, Exmoor Street, London W10 6DZ and 3 Beatrice Place London W85LW.

GRADE: Band 8a Full time; or offered on Band 7 Preceptorship basis for those requiring more experience. INTERVIEW DATE TBC

Main duties of the job

POST REQUIREMENTS: An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the older adult service in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster (KCW). We are looking for a Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist to join Kershaw and Redwood Wards, based in St. Charles Hospital and 3 Beatrice Place unit, based near High Street Kensington. Applications are invited from clinical or counselling psychologists specialising in working with Older Adults with a range of conditions. The post holder will be responsible for providing highly specialised psychological assessment and therapy, and neuropsychological assessment and treatment, for older people presenting with wide range of clinical presentations and problems related to dementia and other functional mental health issues. The post is established at Band 8A for candidates with appropriate experience and expertise. We would also welcome interest from newly qualified or less experienced candidates as we have the flexibility to appoint as a preceptorship (Band 7). Where a current Trainee Psychologist, or newly qualified Psychologist applies we would offer the post as a Band 7 preceptorship until necessary experience and competencies (JD and responsibilities adjusted accordingly) within an agreed timeframe are met. The successful applicant will receive regular supervision from the K&C Lead OA Psychologist.

About us

Psychology is well established and appreciated on Redwood Ward and the successful applicant will work within a supportive and friendly multidisciplinary team including doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and arts therapists. The successful applicant will join the wider Westminster Older Adult Psychology Team, with links to the other OA Psychologists working in the Westminster OA CMHT and KCW Memory Service. The Westminster OA Psychology Team also forms part a large network of Older Adults Psychologists working within the Trust and who meet regularly.

The Team in Westminster faces the challenge of meeting the needs of a diverse London population within one of the largest NHS Foundations Trusts in London. We can offer you: A Trust committed to staff personal development including a robust supervision and appraisal process; An opportunity to work for one of the top 10 NHS employers; A large and varied in‑house training programme and access to external university courses; We value and give you the opportunity to input into service development and; We encourage staff input and ideas in relation to moving services forward, improving care pathways and meeting the client group’s needs.

Job responsibilities

For further information about the advertised role, please refer to the job description & person specification included in the documents section of this advert.

Person Specification

Education, Training and Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical Psychology or BPS Chartered Status for counselling psychologists, including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
• Current HPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Training in clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology.
• Pre‑ or Post‑qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experience / Knowledge

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient 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 including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a Significant years, or an alternative agreed by the Chief Psychologist
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in Physical Health, Physical Rehabilitation and/or Intermediate Care Teams.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• 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 consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc.). High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Attitude, Aptitudes and Personal Characteristics

• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
• Able to build constructive relationships and warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
• Ability to identify and articulate own training needs
• Self‑motivated with ability to work independently and influence others
• Excellent Team Player with proven ability to work well in a team
• Ability to make decisions and problem solve when dealing in both routine and complex situations
• Ability to organise own work and caseload
• Ability to work in a stressful environment and concentrate in conditions requiring emotional demands
• Ability to recognise own limitations and have willingness to share and learn skills from others
• Ability to prioritise own and others caseloads
• Ability to represent the Community Rehabilitation Team Service in interagency settings
• Demonstrates positive attitude and behaviours
• Ability to communicate effectively with people with complex difficulties and in difficult situations
• Recognises own limitations and have willingness to share and learn from others
• Ability to concentrate and work in conditions requiring emotional demands
• Understanding of particular needs of older adults

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.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£56,276 to £71,148 a yearper annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T)