Job summary
Are you a newly qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist looking to start your career in a highly supportive, innovative, and trauma-informed service?

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Southwark Acute and Crisis Psychology and Psychotherapy Team, based at the Maudsley Hospital. We are seeking an enthusiastic and reflective Psychologist or Psychotherapist who is passionate about delivering psychologically informed care within acute mental health services.

This permanent full-time post is offered as a Band 7 Preceptorship role, with a structured development pathway and progression to Band 8a within 18-24 months, subject to the achievement of agreed competencies. It is particularly well suited to newly qualified Psychologists/Psychotherapists seeking to develop and expand their skills within a nurturing and professionally stimulating environment.

This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of urgent and acute mental health care, supporting people at some of the most critical points in their mental health journey. You will work across two innovative crisis services:

• The Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre (MHUTC)
• The Combined Place of Safety (CPoS)

As part of a highly valued psychology team, you will develop specialist skills in crisis assessment and intervention, trauma-informed care, multidisciplinary working, and service development, while receiving comprehensive support to grow your confidence and expertise.

Main duties of the job
The Role
You will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and brief evidence-based interventions for individuals experiencing acute mental health crises.

You will also:

• Offer consultation and psychological expertise to multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Contribute to psychologically informed decision-making within urgent care settings.
• Support the development and evaluation of innovative clinical pathways and interventions.
• Deliver training, consultation, and reflective practice to non-psychology staff.
• Promote trauma-informed and psychologically minded approaches across urgent and crisis services.

About You
We are looking for someone who:

• Is enthusiastic about working with people experiencing acute and crisis-related mental health difficulties.
• Values multidisciplinary and collaborative working.
• Has a strong interest in trauma-informed care and psychological formulation.
• Is keen to develop skills in crisis intervention and brief psychological therapies.
• Brings curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to service improvement.

Previous experience in acute, crisis, or urgent care settings is desirable. We particularly encourage applications from newly qualified Psychologists/Psychotherapists who are looking for a supportive environment in which to develop specialist skills and establish a rewarding career pathway.

About us
Join Us
This is a rare opportunity to start your post-qualification career in a service that combines high-quality clinical practice, excellent supervision, meaningful service development opportunities, and a clear route to progression. If you are looking for a role that will challenge, support, and inspire you, we would love to hear from you.

What We Offer

• A structured Band 7 to Band 8a development pathway.
• Excellent opportunities to develop specialist competencies.
• Regular supervision from experienced Senior Clinical Psychologists.
• Opportunities to contribute to service development and innovation within acute mental health care.
• A welcoming and reflective multidisciplinary team.
• Experience working within one of the UK's leading mental health trusts.
• Access to specialist training and continuing professional development opportunities.
• A strong commitment to staff wellbeing, learning, and professional growth.

The Maudsley Hospital located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

Job responsibilities

• To provide specialist psychological interventions according to training and experience within MHUTC and CPoS, including specialist assessment, short-term treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
• To provide culturally appropriate psychological or psychotherapeutic interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
• To contribute to the effective working of the service and to a psychologically/psychotherapeutically informed framework for the service.
• To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.
• To supervise trainees within own area of specialism after completion of the relevant Supervision Training.
• To provide specialist training in psychological/psychotherapeutic approaches to care to other professions as appropriate.
• To disseminate research/service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
• To undertake regular service evaluation, audits or research relevant to service needs.
• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological therapist according to scope of practice, professional body and Trust guidelines.

Essential qualifications

• Entry-level qualification in an applied psychological profession and demonstrable practice in one of the roles below (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of one of the professional registrations below. (A/I)
• Registered with professional body as appropriate (see above) to discipline: HCPC/UKCP/BACP/ BPC/BABCP.

Desirable qualifications

• Attended training in Solutions Focussed CBT, Compassion Focussed CBT or other short-term intervention therapy

Essential experience

• Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs.
• Experience of assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature relevant to this post
• Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience.
• Significant post-qualification/graduation experience including experience of individual and group therapy with people with complex mental health needs.
• Experience of working with issues of risk and safety both physical and relational.

Desirable experience

• Experience of working on acute wards or in crisis setting.
• Experience in delivering short-term interventions.

Essential knowledge and skills

• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
• Knowledge of the theory of psychological therapy and it's therapeutic application. Associated awareness of assessment and clinical psychometrics.
• To deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic therapy across cultural and other differences.
• Knowledge of a range of therapeutic ideas/approaches in assessment and treatment relevant to scope of practice
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.

Desirable knowledge and skills

• Doctoral/MSc level knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis
• Experience in managing volatile situation

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.