Psychotherapist, Practitioner Psychologist & Psychological Therapist in London

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links, and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth, and Richmond. We are committed to providing high-quality and specialist care to our service users, and we are recognized for the care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission rates our services as ‘good’. We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes, and staff experience.

By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers. The trust recognizes the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special. As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity to join the psychology & psychotherapy forensic mental health team at River House, Medium Secure Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital. We have a vacancy for a Band 7 post, based on a male rehabilitation ward at River House. The post is available full-time. As one of the few Trusts in London, we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role, you will be able to work Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 18:00, giving you the very best of good work-life balance.

Career Progression pathways and development opportunities

We are committed to getting the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. There are ample opportunities for continuing professional development, and the service actively supports participation in a strong research, evaluation, and audit culture. There are strong links with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neurosciences (IoPPN), other psychology training courses, and there are opportunities to contribute to teaching, research, and service evaluation.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work with the Brook Ward clinical team to deliver ward-based specialist clinical assessments and interventions while contributing to the wider forensic psychology & psychological therapies program across the inpatient secure services. This includes delivery of longer-term individual and group psychological therapies, from a range of modalities with an emphasis on both the treatment of psychological distress and reductions in risk. The postholder will join a team of clinical and forensic psychologists, assistant psychologists, and therapists, who work closely with the ward multi-professional teams, under the leadership of an MSU inpatient lead psychologist. This post is open both to candidates keen to explore the application of psychological practice to forensic settings, including newly qualified practitioners, and those experienced in the area.

Working for our organisation

The inpatient provision is part of the South London & Maudsley Forensic & Offender Health Pathway within the Behavioural & Developmental Psychiatry Operational Directorate. The male wards include two admission wards and two wards for service users who have achieved some stability and who are making greater use of therapeutic and recovery-oriented activities. Each ward has a multi-professional team that includes dedicated qualified and assistant psychology provision. The postholder will be aligned for direct clinical service provision to one rehabilitation ward and will join a forensic clinical psychology & psychotherapy team that provides inpatient and community-based interventions. The male medium secure inpatient provision at River House is an integral part of the South London Partnership (SLP) acute pathway and rehabilitation pathways. There are close links with low secure provision and community forensic mental health teams, as well as other mental health services, prisons, and criminal justice agencies.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The postholder will have a strong commitment to recovery-oriented inpatient practice with forensic mental health clients generally, and a specific interest in working with men in secure care. To provide a specialist psychological service to Effra Ward, Medium Secure Service, including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation, and monitoring of outcomes. To contribute to enabling other staff, service users, and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment. To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate. To work as an autonomous professional within BPS / HCPC / APC / BPC / UKCP / BACP / BABCP / ADMP-UK guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work, with the support of a clinical supervisor.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
• Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC OR registered with the professional body appropriate to professional training and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the registering body.
• Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a relevant specialised area of psychological practice.

Experience

• Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in a men’s secure care service.
• Forensic experience.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for the mentally disordered population.
• Knowledge of psychological assessment, risk assessments, and clinical psychometrics.
• Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for the mental disordered offender population particularly where there is high risk to the public.

The Trust is committed to providing services that embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect, and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights.

We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice.
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment.

We believe that people who use our services, their carers, and our staff should be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.

Please note: All applications for this post will need to be made online. Read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria. The closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible. Once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. Should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not been successful. Priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees. Should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process. We are a smoke-free Trust. SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe.

Employer certification / accreditation badges. 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.