Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

As a clinical or counselling psychologist or psychological therapist, you will work alongside a skilled and welcoming MDT to provide individual, couple and group based therapies to women and their families during the perinatal period. You will be invited to contribute to the delivery of training to other professionals and to be part of service development projects aimed at improving outcomes for women and their families as well as staff wellbeing.

Main duties of the job

As a clinical or counselling psychologist or psychological therapist, you will work alongside a skilled and welcoming MDT to provide individual, couple and group based therapies to women and their families during the perinatal period. You will be invited to contribute to the delivery of training to other professionals and to be part of service development projects aimed at improving outcomes for women and their families as well as staff wellbeing.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.

Person specification

Skills

Essential criteria

• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Post-graduate doctoral level training (or its equivalent) in Clinical Psychology OR Counselling Psychology.
• Eligibility for Chartered Status by the British Psychological Society.
• HCPC registered or, for those outside the UK, eligible and will be registered by the time of taking up post.

Desirable criteria

• Further training in trauma focussed interventions (CBT, EMDR or NET).
• Training in motivational interviewing or other specific behaviour change techniques.
• Advanced keyboard skills and computer literacy.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of patient 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.
• Experience of working with people with mental health problems.
• Experience of facilitating therapeutic groups.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of the application of clinical /counselling psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working with parent infant attachment focused interventions e.g. video interaction guidance.
• Experience of running structured psycho-educational group-based interventions.
• Experience of working with couples and families.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.

Desirable criteria

• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of NHS primary and secondary care structures.

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks. After which your information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR).

Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Candidate Pack (DOCX, 834.6KB)