Psychological Therapist – HMP Downview: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a Top Employer Award Winner & works in partnership to provide responsive & dependable primary care, mental health, intellectual disability & substance misuse services to the diverse and culturally rich communities we serve.

In our quest to deliver patient-focused quality care we are looking to recruit a highly motivated, innovative and enthusiastic Psychological Therapist to join our forward thinking, friendly & expanding Health & Justice Team at HMP Downview. This is a new post developed to expand the therapy provision & joins an established MDT, which includes nursing, psychiatry, assistant psychologists, clinical psychologists & art therapy. By joining our Team, you will not only look after the healthcare needs of our patients, but who also have the opportunity to have a real impact on promoting health & well-being.

Our motto is “Caring NOT Judging” so by working in partnership with the criminal justice system & other agencies, we provide responsive, dependable & high-quality primary care & mental health services to those who may have offended & those at risk of offending in the communities we serve, to improve their health status & to encourage social inclusion.

Why not see what our staff say about working within our award winning teams:https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/health-and-justice/find-out-what-its-work-health-and-justice

Main duties of the job

We are keen to recruit a confident & compassionate Psychological Therapist with tier 3-4 stepped care therapy expertise to join our team. You will be a clinician with experience of working with complex needs & a real passion for providing support to some of the most vulnerable in society. We want to see someone who will work well with a range of professions, both within the established MDT & also with the wider prison staff, respecting & integrating a range of opinions and approaches to provide the best outcome . A clinical interest in trauma informed approaches & working with personality disorders would be advantageous.

CNWL Health & Justice Services provide healthcare in numerous secure & community settings & employ a range of psychologists & psychological therapists with clinical, counselling & forensic trainings. We provide mental health services in multiple sites, across prisons & secure hospitals, with children & adults, men & women and across the range of security categories. Psychologists also lead four specialist Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) services & the Sexual Behaviour Service in the youth estate. Joining a large, forward-thinking Trust will bring successful candidates excellent development opportunities, an exciting career structure, and job satisfaction. Psychologists from across Health & Justice come together for professional & clinical development and supervision and continuing professional development & post graduate training is actively encouraged.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology or its equivalent, accredited by the BPS. Training in models of developmental lifespan psychology, psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• OR A recognised post graduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (or equivalent). Accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) (via having a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions e.g. nursing, psychology, medicine, social work, occupational therapy or evidence of having achieved the Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSA) route)
• OR A recorded/registered qualification in counselling or psychotherapy and further post accreditation qualification in a NICE recommended or evidence-based therapy (e.g. CBT; EMDR) Accreditation with a Professional Standards Authority recognised Accreditation Body

Desirable

• Other relevant CPD qualifications, pre- or post-training. Especially training in working with people with trauma presentations, research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
• Training in more than one psychological therapy.

EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Experience working with and delivering psychological therapy to those with a diagnosis of personality disorder and/or a history of self-harm and substance misuse and experience of working with complex trauma.
• Experience of delivering brief, primary care, CBT interventions or equivalent
• Experience of working effectively in multidisciplinary settings
• Experience of teaching and training.
• Experience of using a trauma informed approach
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.

Desirable

• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural and specialist contexts.
• Experience of working in secure settings, either prison or secure hospitals.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural and specialist contexts
• Experience of working in secure settings, either prison or secure hospitals.

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 training, advice and psychological information and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• High level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Broad knowledge of models of assessment, management and treatment of mentally disordered and PD offenders.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses).
• Ability to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours.

Desirable

• 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.

Closing Date: 7 September 2026