Highly Specialist Psychotherapist, Practitioner Psychologist

Overview

A Vacancy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The Enhanced Recovery Team (ERT) assess and support people aged 18–65 with severe and enduring mental health needs who require residential care or high support placements in the London Borough of Lewisham. ERT work closely with service-users, their carers, and housing providers to help people live fulfilling lives during rehabilitation and recovery across suitable placements. There are opportunities to work with a diverse range of people and clinical presentations through assessment, formulation, one-to-one psychotherapy and systemic working.Responsibilities summary

include providing a highly specialist psychology service to the Lewisham Enhanced Recovery Team, contributing to a psychologically safe environment, supporting clinical development and reflective practice, providing supervision and consultation, and undertaking service evaluation and research in line with professional guidelines.The Trust information: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides a wide range of NHS mental health services and substance misuse services, works with IoPPN and King’s College London as part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, and employs around 5,000 staff serving a local population of 1.1 million. The Trust launched the five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives, in 2021 with the Our Care Improvement System as the quality management methodology. This job description will be subject to regular review and adjustment.Closing information

This advert closes on Monday 15 Sep 2025.Key Responsibilities

KR 1 Clinical and Client Care

Provide highly specialist NICE concordant psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions for clients with enduring/recovery from complex mental health presentations, including psychosis, complex mood, personality disorders, and other presentations.Devise psychologically informed and recovery-focused care plans, suitable to team-delivered psychological interventions, and support care teams in carrying out such plans.Provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients if required.Assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.Ensure that the views of service users and carers are sought and incorporated into all care delivered.

KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

Contribute to the effective working of the team/service via a psychologically informed framework.Advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.Contribute to the team/service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities, particularly those requiring 24-hour support.Be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.Liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients to develop and review care plans.Utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and team work.Contribute to/liaise with wider Lewisham AMH Psychology and Psychotherapy colleagues.

KR 3 Policy and service development

Implement policies and procedures in own area of work and propose improvements or beneficial changes.Contribute to Lewisham Enhanced Recovery Team and South London Partnership service development through attendance at key committees, panels, and workgroups, and lead appropriate projects.Contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities, particularly those requiring 24-hour support accommodation.

KR 4 Care or management of resources

Take care of and use the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.Ensure sufficient resources by estimating future needs and ordering supplies as needed.

KR 5 Management and supervision

Be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of more junior psychologists with support from a more senior psychologist.Supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism.Contribute to the appraisal and recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.Provide supervision for the psychological work of other multidisciplinary staff as appropriate.

KR 6 Teaching and Training

Undertake psychology-informed training with other professions, MDT colleagues and care-teams in accommodation/support settings.Undertake teaching and training of pre- and post-qualification psychologists.Contribute to the development of knowledge and skills within Lewisham Enhanced Recovery Team by staying aware of current psychology developments for secondary care clients.Disseminate research and service evaluation findings via presentations and published articles.

KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance

Record all information generated by own work as required by Trust policies and local procedures.Maintain high standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in line with professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8 Research and development

Initiate and undertake complex service evaluation, audits, and research as appropriate; supervise where required.Provide expertise in a specialist area contributing to the Lewisham Enhanced Recovery Team.Initiate and implement outcome measurement development and assist staff in its implementation.

KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

Receive regular supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.Maintain ongoing Continuing Professional Development in line with HCPC and Trust requirements.Keep up-to-date with developments in practice, legislation, and policies and comply with HCPC Standards and BPS guidelines and Trust policies.

KR 10 General

Travel to care settings, home visits, community placements, and psychology meetings as required across the borough or Trust.Be aware of risk related to aggressive and challenging behaviour and follow Trust policies for its management.Respond professionally to emotionally distressing situations and support others involved.Work flexibly in terms of clinical provision to support overall service ..... full job details .....