Job description

Job responsibilities

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a well-established service that supports individuals and their families during a critical period in their mental health journey. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team, providing specialist psychological assessments and evidence-based interventions. The role also involves contributing to team development through supervision and training, ensuring the delivery of high-quality care.

• Provide comprehensive psychological assessments for service users and their families, integrating complex and sensitive data.
• Develop and deliver evidence-based treatment plans for individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis.
• Offer supervision and guidance on psychological approaches to colleagues.

• Proven experience in delivering evidence-based psychological therapies.
• Strong skills in psychological assessment, treatment planning, and risk management.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and engagement in clinical supervision.

• Be part of a dedicated team making a tangible difference in the lives of individuals and families affected by psychosis.
• Work within an organisation that values inclusion, professional growth, and innovative approaches to care.

Job overview

The Psychological Therapist is a Band 7, part-time (1 day per week), fixed-term 12-month role within the Havering Early Intervention in Psychosis (HEIP) Service at NELFT, with potential for extension. The post holder will work with people aged 14–65 experiencing a first episode of psychosis, as well as their families and carers.

The role involves providing specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based psychological interventions for people experiencing psychosis and complex mental health difficulties. The therapist will work closely with the multidisciplinary team (MDT), providing psychological expertise, consultation and support to colleagues.

Main duties of the job

• Provide specialist psychological assessments for service users experiencing psychosis and complex mental health difficulties.

• Assess the psychological needs of families and carers and involve them in care planning and treatment.

• Undertake risk assessments and contribute to risk management.

• Develop collaborative, evidence-based formulations and treatment plans.

• Deliver evidence-based psychological interventions, including individual, family and group work.

• Apply psychological therapies for psychosis, including CBT-informed approaches and trauma-focused interventions where appropriate.

• Work collaboratively within the EIP multidisciplinary team and provide psychological consultation to other professionals.

• Support the development of psychologically informed practice across the service.

• Provide advice and support regarding psychological approaches to psychosis, risk and complex presentations.

• Participate in clinical supervision, CPD, training and professional development.

• Support trainee psychologists and contribute to teaching and learning within the service when appropriate.

• Contribute to research, clinical audit, service evaluation and service development when appropriate.

• Maintain accurate clinical records and comply with Trust policies, professional standards, safeguarding and confidentiality requirements.

• Promote equality, diversity, dignity, choice and service-user involvement in all aspects of care.

• Manage and prioritise own clinical workload effectively.

The successful applicant should have:

• A doctoral qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology or a core mental health profession with postgraduate CBT training and BABCP registration.

• Appropriate professional registration, including HCPC and BABCP where applicable.

• An interest in working with people with complex mental health needs, including psychosis.

• Experience of assessment, formulation, treatment planning and delivery of evidence-based psychological interventions.

• An interest in working within secondary care and multidisciplinary teams.

• Knowledge and experience of safeguarding and clinical risk management.

• Strong knowledge of CBT and evidence-based psychological approaches to psychosis.

• Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches and, ideally, experience with interventions such as EMDR, TF-CBT or NET.

• Experience or knowledge of working therapeutically with families and carers affected by psychosis.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, report-writing and consultation skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively with service users, carers and professionals from diverse backgrounds.

• Ability to manage emotionally demanding clinical situations and work effectively under pressure.

• Commitment to equality, diversity, service-user choice and recovery-focused practice.

• Good IT skills and the ability to collect, analyse and communicate clinical information.

• An interest in research, service development, innovation and continuous improvement.

• Ability to work flexibly across different clinical environments and travel throughout the service area.

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.

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.

For an informal chat or to arrange a visit, please contact:

Name: Harriet Ferner

Job title: Lead Clinical Psychologist

Contact Number: 07732904407

Email: [email protected]

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant required Qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Please refer to JD attached.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address

Church Road Health Centre

Harold Wood

Essex

RM3 0SH

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)