Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

We are seeking an HCPC registered Band 7/8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our well established multidisciplinary mental health and memory assessment services within Older People’s Services in Richmond (0.5) and Sutton (0.4). You will be joining other established Clinical Psychologists based within the same services, providing psychological therapies for older people and neuropsychological assessments for dementia, along with providing psychological expertise to contribute to good MDT working including consultation, complex case discussions, and supporting staff training.

Psychology is highly valued within our services and you will be well supported within Older People’s Psychology, where CPD and career development are encouraged. We have specialist pathway psychologist leads in Therapies, Neuropsychological Assessment, and Distressed Behaviour in Dementia, and you will receive regular individual supervision and support from senior psychologists in the service as well as opportunities for regular peer supervision and CPD. Our psychologists practice a range of therapeutic models and we have BABCP accredited CBT therapists and psychologists working towards the Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists. The service has strong links with the University of Surrey Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Program, providing regular placements and program teaching.

Main duties of the job

Within the Recovery & Support Teams you will provide direct therapeutic work for service users age 70+ with severe and enduring mental health problems and their families. Within the Memory Assessment Services, you will work directly with service users of any age with suspected dementia, providing neuropsychological assessments of dementia and therapeutic work. Both roles involve MDT working including providing consultation, complex case discussions, and supporting staff training. You will be encouraged to contribute towards service improvement, either by supporting local Quality Improvement Initiatives or larger Trust wide projects.

The post is funded as 8a, however we are happy to consider newly or recently qualified applicants who may not yet meet 8a criteria. An applicant appointed at band 7 will be supported through a preceptorship model including a professional and clinical development plan and support for CPD to acquire the knowledge, skills and experience that meet the person specifications for the post at band 8a. Where these conditions are met the post holder will be expected to progress to band 8a subject to successful interview.

We are happy to consider applicants interested in working part-time in only one of the teams (Richmond 0.5 or Sutton 0.4) or as a job share and offer agile and flexible working opportunities as part of our new ways of working, which we are happy to discuss at interview stage.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

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

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Training and Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS – including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology – or alternative training outside of the UK that is recognised by the Health & Care Professions Council leading to registration in the UK as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
• Registration with the HCPC under the appropriate domain specific title
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience of delivering NICE adherent psychological interventions especially CBT for psychological problems
• Experience of working with a variety of client 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.

Desirable

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of assessing and treating older people with mental health difficulties and/or dementia.

Closing Date: 31 August 2026