Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/ Senior Therapist

NHS; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in London seeks a part-time Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist for the Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service. This role involves providing specialist therapies, management, and supervision within a multi-disciplinary team. Candidates should have a degree in psychology and substantial relevant experience. Flexible working provisions across multiple sites may be required.

Qualifications

• Experience in specialist psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment across care settings.
• Substantial post-qualification experience delivering therapy for eating disorders.
• Skills in providing supervision to trainees and assistants.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist therapies to clients across all sectors of care.
• Lead psychological thinking and treatment provision in inpatient ward.
• Contribute to audit, policy and service development within the service area.

Skills

Complex psychological assessment

Evidence-based treatment

Excellent communication skills

Consultation abilities

Education

Upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology

D. Clin. Psych in clinical psychology

Job description

Job summary: An exciting opportunity to work within the CNWL eating disorders service. We are offering a fixed term part time Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/ CBT Therapist post within the Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service.

Main duties: Provide specialist therapies to clients across all sectors of care, mainly with outpatients. Offer highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, advise and consult with colleagues and non‑professional carers. Provide line management and clinical supervision to attached supervisees while working autonomously within professional guidelines and team policies. Contribute to audit, policy and service development, and research within the service area. Work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team treating adults with eating disorders.

Location: Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service – may work flexibly across sites (Paddington, Chelsea and Harrow‑on‑the Hill). Service provision may involve travel within the catchment area.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessments of clients referred to the team, using complex data from psychological and neuropsychological tests, self‑report measures, rating scales, structured observations and semi‑structured interviews.
• Diagnose eating and related psychiatric problems.
• Formulate and implement plans for psychological treatment and/or management of clients' mental health problems, using evidence‑based methods across inpatient, day patient and outpatient settings.
• Implement psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining formulations across teams.
• Evaluate and decide on treatment options, considering theoretical and therapeutic models and complex individual factors.
• Integrate medical aspects of eating disorders and associated conditions with psychological formulation.
• Liaise with other clinicians to ensure appropriate physical checks and interventions for patient safety.
• Understand the role of physical treatments (e.g., nutrition, pharmacology).
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessment, treatment and discharge of clients under psychologically based care plans.
• Provide specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals on formulation, diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Facilitate effective psychological care provision by all treatment team members.
• Contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
• Conduct risk assessment and management for individual clients, advising other professions on psychological aspects of risk.
• Communicate skillfully and sensitively about assessment, formulation and treatment plans, monitoring progress in uni and multi‑disciplinary care.
• Act as care coordinator, initiating and reviewing care plans under enhanced CPA with clients, carers, referring agents and the network of care.
• Lead psychological thinking and treatment provision in inpatient ward and day programme.
• Receive regular clinical and operational supervision from the team’s Lead Psychologist and other senior colleagues.
• Attend staff group meetings.
• Develop skills in professional postgraduate teaching, training and supervision.
• Provide line management to attached Band 7 therapists.
• Provide clinical supervision to Band 7s and other MDT staff’s psychological work where appropriate.
• Provide clinical placements for trainees, supervising their competence acquisition.
• Provide professional and clinical supervision to trainees and assistants.
• Contribute to pre‑ and post‑qualification teaching of other professionals as required by the head of specialty.
• Provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across agencies and settings.
• Contribute to development, evaluation and monitoring of operational policies and services, using research, service evaluation and audit.
• Advise service and professional management on psychological and organisational matters.
• Manage workloads of line‑managed staff within team policies.
• Participate in shortlisting and interviewing for multidisciplinary team posts.
• Attend relevant clinical meetings of local adult mental health services as negotiated.
• Attend Adult Psychology Specialty and other departmental professional meetings.
• Use theory, evidence‑based literature and research to support evidence‑based practice.
• Undertake service development research and provide research advice to staff and trainees.
• Manage complex audit and service evaluation projects with colleagues.
• Familiarise with and comply with Trust research governance requirements.
• Input and maintain appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data; provide to Service Manager/Head of Specialty when necessary.
• Engage in relevant computer and IT training as required.
• Ensure clinicians under supervision undertake required IT training and record maintenance.
• Maintain high professional standards, CPD participation, and reflection on current developments in eating disorder treatment.
• Maintain high standards of clinical record keeping, electronic data entry, reporting, and professional self‑governance in line with codes of practice and Trust policies.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies relevant to the client group and mental health.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications (Essential)

• Upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology or an equivalent mental health subject.
• D. Clin. Psych in clinical psychology/counselling psychology or BABCP/ACAT accreditation.
• Accredited level training in an applied clinical field including psychopathology models, clinical psychometrics, neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.

Training & Qualifications (Desirable)

• Training in additional therapy models such as cognitive analytic therapy or dialectical behaviour therapy.
• Pre‑qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training or other applied psychology fields.

Experience (Essential)

• Specialist psychological assessment and evidence‑based treatment experience across all care settings (outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient).
• Substantial post‑qualification experience within a relevant therapeutic framework with patients of varying clinical severity, including specialist training.
• Substantial supervised post‑qualification experience delivering evidence‑based therapy for eating disorders and comorbid conditions.
• Provision of supervision (peer, individual or group) to trainees and assistants in a mental health setting.

Experience (Desirable)

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience applying therapy in different cultural contexts.
• Supervised experience delivering other eating disorder treatments such as cognitive analytic therapy, motivational work or dialectical behavioural therapy.
• Provision of supervision to clinicians working with eating disorders.
• Experience working with individuals with a personality disorder diagnosis.
• Experience on an eating disorder inpatient ward.

Knowledge and Skills (Essential)

• Knowledge of theoretical and evidence base for eating disorders and comorbid personality pathology.
• Skills in complex psychological assessment, intervention and management requiring sustained concentration.
• Excellent communication skills, orally and in writing, to convey complex, technical or sensitive information.
• Skills in consulting other professional and non‑professional groups.
• High level knowledge of at least one other specialised psychological therapy.
• Training in supervision of assistants.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the relevant professional body.
• Commitment to professionalism and ongoing therapy despite emotive, distressing situations.

Knowledge and Skills (Desirable)

• Knowledge of therapy for difficult‑to‑treat groups (e.g., personality disorder, dual diagnoses, additional disabilities).
• Knowledge of legislation regarding the client group and mental health.
• Publication and presentation of clinical research in eating disorders or related mental health areas.
• Knowledge of personality disorders treatment and therapy practice.

Other (Essential)

• Ability to employ clinical governance mechanisms for challenging material and behaviour.
• Ability to teach and train others using multimedia materials for public, professional and academic presentations.

Other (Desirable)

• Experience working within a multicultural framework.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcomed and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration

Applicants must hold current UK professional registration.

Employer Details

Employer name: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Health @ the Stowe, 260 Harrow Rd, London, W2 5ES

Website: https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work