Clinical Lead

Job summary

We have exciting opportunities for 3 experienced Clinical/Counselling Psychologists or CBT Therapists to join Sutton / Merton and Wandsworth Talking Therapies teams as Clinical Lead. These are 3 new posts in our services which have been created due to additional funding. The WTE for each post is as follows: Sutton Talking Therapies 1.0 WTE, Merton Talking Therapies 0.8 WTE and Wandsworth Talking Therapies 0.8 WTE – please specify in your application if you are applying for a specific borough or are happy to be considered for all 3 positions. Interviews will be held on 19th & 20th August 2026.

The services provide evidenced based treatment in line with NHS TT guidance and have well established and dedicated staff teams with a strong focus on improving health inequalities and staff wellbeing.

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. You will receive regular clinical supervision from an experienced and senior clinician (based on the modality of your clinical work) and have regular line management and professional supervision from the Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy for Talking Therapies. You will have the opportunity to attend regular clinical training sessions through the Bespoke Mental Health CPD offer.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will:

• deliver strong clinical and strategic leadership within Sutton / Merton / Wandsworth Talking Therapies, ensuring provision of a high-quality, safe and effective NHS Talking Therapies Service
• exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological therapy practice within Sutton / Merton / Wandsworth Talking Therapies, ensuring adequate supervision and other governance structures are in place and adhered to
• work collaboratively with clinical, operational and administrative colleagues to ensure provision of effective, evidence-based therapies
• ensure ongoing achievement of key performance metrics, such as completed treatment, reliable recovery and improvement and waiting times standards.

Flexible working:

We are proud to offer agile and flexible working opportunities 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 Thursday in the time frames from 8am to 8pm and Fridays 8am to 5pm (Merton and Wandsworth) 9am-8pm/5pm (Sutton), giving you the very best of good work life balance. Your working pattern can be negotiated, and you will be required to work at least one evening per week. The services operate with a hybrid working model with a minimum of 2 days per week on site, with an expectation that this is flexible according to service need.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical or counselling psychologist or accredited CBT therapist for a minimum of six years, including at least 3 years post qualification experience within the designated specialty where the post is located
• Experience of working with a wide variety of clinical presentations. This will include a wide variety of severity across different care settings including outpatient, community and primary care.
• Experience of working in an effective time-limited manner with adults, including the use of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and/or other evidence based therapies.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care and treatment, both including within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of representing psychological therapies within the context of multi-disciplinary care
• Experience of assessing and treating clients across a range of care settings, including primary care.
• Experience of training others in CBT and/or other NHS Talking Therapies approved modalities
• Experience of managing psychological therapy and other support staff

Training and Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and (for Clinical Psychologists) 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
• or Post-graduate level training in an evidence based psychological therapy from a formally accredited course recognised by NHS Talking Therapies
• Accredited as a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist by the British Association of Cognitive & Behavioural Psychotherapies (BABCP) for a minimum period of 5 years.

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialized areas of psychological practice
• Training and/or Accredited in another NHS Talking Therapies approved evidence based psychological therapy
• BABCP Supervisor’s accreditation
• Formal qualification as a clinical supervisor in an NHS Talking Therapies approved evidence based therapy (i.e. EMDR, BCT, IPT, DIT, PCE-CfD, NET)

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Knowledge and skills of the application of CBT within adult populations.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• The ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills including knowledge and skills gained in managing qualified and unqualified psychological therapists
• Ability to manage, supervise and co-ordinate the work of psychological therapists and other staff within the service.

Desirable

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialized psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of psychological therapy.
• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.

Closing Date: 26 July 2026