Senior Clinical/Forensic Psychologist | North London NHS Foundation Trust

Camden And Islington NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health organization is seeking a Clinical/Forensic Psychologist to join their Psychology Service at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre. This role involves providing specialized psychological assessments and interventions to detainees experiencing complex mental health challenges. The successful candidate will lead trauma-informed initiatives, supervise clinical staff, and engage in service development. Strong experience in trauma-focused approaches and partnership building is preferred. Hybrid working arrangements are available, with a focus on mental health integrity.

Benefits

NHS Discounts

Generous annual leave

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience working with trauma-focused therapy techniques.
• Ability to develop training and support for clinical staff.
• Strong skills in psychological assessment and intervention.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Psychology Service at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre.
• Provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy.
• Supervise clinical staff and provide training on interventions.

Skills

Trauma-informed approaches

Psychological assessment

Team collaboration

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Tools

EMDR

Schema Therapy

Job description

Our Five-Year Strategy

Our Five-Year Strategy:

1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care

Why NLFT?

Why NLFT?

• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network

We are recruiting a kind-hearted, highly motivated and passionate Clinical/ Forensic Psychologist to support leading the Psychology Service at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (HIRC; North London Mental Health NHS Trust).

Psychology interventions are provided to residents experiencing a range of mental health difficulties; including complex emotional needs and PTSD as well as difficulties associated with anxiety and mood.

The post-holder will also be expected to take a leading role on the continued facilitation and ongoing development of Trauma-Informed Approaches (TIA) and framework.

It is an exciting time to join the NLFS, as we embed trauma-informed and co-produced care across the service and conduct a range of QI and research projects to help our learning and processes.

This role would suit you if you are interested in attachment focused and trauma-informed approaches to considering human distress and trauma. There are a range of training, CPD and research opportunities available for you to develop your skills in this area; we have recently trained staff in Schema and Compassion-Focused Therapies, EMDR and narrative interventions.

There are opportunities for flexible and hybrid working, although the predominant base for the roles will be at the HIRC.

The post-holder will be responsible for supporting leading the Psychology Service at the IRC. They will be expected to work as a senior member of the MDT, and provide consultation, co-working, clinical and operational supervision, as well as developing specific training to enhance the systematic provision of psychological interventions.More generally, the post holder will provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy at the same time as offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other, non-professional careers, working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.

The post-holder will also make a leading contribution to the learning culture of the team and wider service and play an integral role in the continued development Trauma-Informed Approaches and to contribute to audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the North London Forensic Service.

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

• To support the team’s lead with strategic overview and senior clinical leadership of the provision of psychological interventions at the HIRC.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals and group.
• To provide overall clinical responsibility to highly complex clients who are assessed as posing a high risk of harm to self and others within HIRC.
• To provide highly specialist and expert psychological assessment, intervention and treatment.
• To provide supervision and provide specialist knowledge and expertise whilst professionally managing staff involved in psychology and, if necessary, other clinicians within the primary care mental health service.
• To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy as well as offering advice and consultation on patient’s psychological care to other members of the clinical team and to IRC staff.
• To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a detainee’s mental health and behavioural difficulties based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patient’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
• To provide clinical supervision and/or reflective practice to identified staff across Health in Justice, Specialist division when appropriate.
• To manage the development, facilitation and delivery of relevant training events at HIRC.
• To offer specialist consultation and expertise regarding the treatment and understanding of all highly complex cases that pose a risk to self and others, to all HIRC staff as and when requeste
• To develop an effective co-working relationship with all stakeholders.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the Specialist division.
• To deputise, when appropriate, for the Lead Psychologist and to take on management responsibility and tasks as designate.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures.

This advert closes on Sunday 11 Jan 2026