Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 8a Practitioner Psychologist or Psychotherapist to work with COAST (Croydon Early Intervention Service). This is our Early Interventions for Psychosis (EIP) service, offering a psychological therapy service to service-users and their networks. This is a fixed term temporary position for 12 months. It could be a secondment arrangement.

This is a newly created position to help reduce waiting times and create a more responsive psychological therapy service.

We are looking for a motivated clinician who is passionate about working in an early intervention service with people with a diagnosis of psychosis and with their families and networks. The successful applicant will have good engagement skills, think creatively, work flexibly and have a range of skills in working collaboratively alongside others. Croydon is a racially and ethnically diverse borough and we are looking for a clinician who can work with cultural humility and will actively support our anti-racism agenda.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will contribute to the work of the COAST team providing direct and indirect psychological therapeutic interventions for service-users, groups and families. Direct, evidence-based, interventions include CBT for psychosis, trauma-focussed CBT, EMDR, and family interventions. Our longest waiting times are for CBT and trauma-focussed interventions - tf-CBT and EMDR, and we welcome applicants who are skilled in these approaches.

The post would ideally work Thursday and either Monday or Friday and the other half day remotely.

About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Details
Date posted: 26 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £63,665 to £70,887 a year pro rata per annum inclusive of Outer HCAs
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 334-CLI-8144311
Job locations: Croydon Early Intevntion Service (COAST), Queens Resource Centre, 66a Queens Road, Croydon, CR0 2PR, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• To provide a specialist psychological interventions for the COAST team including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a specialist for the COAST team.
• To promote service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
• To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
• To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
• To support staff support initiatives within their area, working with senior colleagues and, Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy, where appropriate, to support colleagues and ensure staff in SLaM have access to evidence based support. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work when appropriate.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• A specific Psychological Profession qualification and accreditation as set out below: For Psychologists: Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration as a Clinical/Counselling/Health/Educational/Forensic Psychologist. (A/I) For Psychotherapists: Entry-level applied clinical qualification in Psychotherapy that has been accepted by the APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP for purposes of professional registration and accreditation, including CBT therapists and Art psychotherapists. (A/I)
• Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK. (A/I)
• Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (specify options required by the post) through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher. (A/I/R)
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the professional body. (A/I)

Desirable

• CBTp post graduate training
• EMDR training

Experience
Essential

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in services for people with psychosis and other complex mental health difficulties
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature including, but not limited to, psychosis and substance misuse.
• Experience of supervising assistants and trainees having completed the relevant training.
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities

Desirable

• Experience of working within an early intervention service

Knowledge
Essential

• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment - CBT for psychosis and the application of CBT to work with patients with other complex mental health difficulties and co-morbid substance misuse.
• Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
• Advanced knowledge of the theory of psychological therapy and it's therapeutic application. Associated awareness of assessment and clinical psychometrics
• Knowledge of a range of a range of therapeutic ideas/approaches systemic models in assessment and treatment relevant to discipline

Skills and abilities
Essential

• Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and sensitively managing, a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation
• Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour
• Ability to manage highly complex situations involving multiple difficulties, and competing/conflicting views about those difficulties; and to help create contexts that develop systemic engagement, and harness the strengths and abilities of those involved in order to work towards solutions

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Croydon Early Intevntion Service (COAST), Queens Resource Centre, 66a Queens Road, Croydon, CR0 2PR, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.slam.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Elly Tomlinson, eleanor.tomlinson@slam.nhs.uk, 07525134844