Clinical or Counselling Psychologist / MBT Therapist

Job summary

*Clinical / Counselling Psychologist or Allied Health Professional*

We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity for a HCPC registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist, or an Allied Health Professional with experience in Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), to join the Newham Mentalisation Based Therapy Service. This is a permanent, part-time role at 0.6 band 7.

Our service provides a comprehensive MBT program tailored for individuals with Complex Emotional Needs. We encourage candidates who have experience working therapeutically with complex mental health issues to apply. Previous experience in delivering MBT is highly desirable.

This position presents a fantastic chance for individuals looking to enhance their clinical expertise within a supportive team environment. Alongside providing clinical interventions, you may also engage in various service development initiatives, including consultations with other services, enhancing support for families and young people, and conducting outreach to community teams throughout the borough.

At Newham, MBT is approached as a collaborative effort. We welcome candidates who appreciate working as part of a reflective, in-person team. Regular discussions about service users take place, allowing the team to collaborate on care planning, treatment, and overall management. We encourage applications from individuals who are thoughtful in their practice and can reflect on the therapeutic relationship and its impact on their work.

Main duties of the job

To provide a clinical service to patients open to the Newham Mentalisation Based Therapy Service and to provide support and advice to other members of the team.

The role will require the post holder to:

Undertake specialist psychological assessment of patients referred to the Mentalisation Based Therapy Service and provide specialist reports to referrers and patients

Formulate and implement appropriate treatment plans and provide specialist Mentalisation-Based therapy to patients under the care of the service

To offer individual and group interventions to individuals with Complex Emotional Needs.

To engage with both individual and group supervision, reflective practice further professional development in Mentalisation Based Therapy

Liaise with other professionals to contribute to the establishment of continuity of care across services

Work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical / Counselling Psychology or equivalence (statement of equivalence and able to demonstrate eligibility for BPS CPsychol (Chartered Psychologist) or Allied Professional with experience in MBT
• HCPC registration or equivalent (for Allied Professionals)

Desirable

• Training in MBT
• Further training in a therapeutic modality relevant to personality disorder

Experience

Essential

• Experience in working with patients with complex personality presentations (i.e. ‘Personality Disorder’) and/or risk of self-harm.
• Experience of delivering therapeutic interventions to individuals with Complex Emotional Needs.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team offering support to adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
• Experience of group work.

Desirable

• Experience of delivering training/consultation and providing clinical supervision.
• Work within at least two therapeutic modalities.
• Experience of the application of psychology/therapy in different cultural contexts

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Skills in psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
• Skills in the effective communication of technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
• Skills in the assessment of risk for patients with mental health problems and specifically for patients with complex Emotional Needs
• Capacity to work calmly and thoughtfully when working with traumatic psychological issues, demonstrating an awareness of the sensitivity and unpredictability of patients with complex needs, and a capacity to tolerate the strong emotions evoked by such work
• Knowledge and understanding of diagnosis of Personality Disorder.
• Evidence of CPD
• Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills.
• Ability to provide a culturally-competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.
• Knowledge of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult – to – treat groups (e.g. complex needs, self harm, personality disorder/psychosis, dual diagnosis, persons with additional disabilities etc).

Desirable

• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Some knowledge and understanding of psychoanalytic models and developmental processes associated with Personality Disorder (eg: Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), Mentalization-based Treatment (MBT).

Other

Essential

• Ability to manage effectively verbal aggression and abuse from service users, carers etc, and the risk of physical aggression.
• Demonstrably respectful approach to service users, carers, colleagues, other professionals and professional contacts. Willingness to negotiate and ability to handle confrontation effectively and professional

Closing Date: 12 July 2026