Lead Consultant Clinical/counselling Psychologist

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or CBT Therapist to join Richmond Talking Therapies team as Clinical Lead. Richmond Talking Therapies is one of two teams that makes up Richmond Wellbeing Service, the other team being Richmond Primary Care Liaison (PCL), which is professionally led by a Consultant Psychiatrist. The two teams work together to deliver an integrated primary care service for residents of Richmond borough. NHS Richmond Talking Therapies has a strong reputation with consistently excellent performance on patient outcomes. It operates with a strong group model with a proven track record, whilst continuing to deliver evidence based individual therapies including CBT, EMDR, IPT and DIT where required. NHS Richmond Talking Therapies is a well-resourced service, which has been able to meet national access, recovery and waiting times targets for number of years, and which has a dedicated staff team who are proud of their strong reputation and committed to upholding it.


As Clinical Lead, you will deliver strong clinical and strategic leadership, ensuring ongoing provision of a high-quality, safe and effective NHS Talking Therapies Service.
deliver strong clinical and strategic leadership within Richmond 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 Richmond 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 access, recovery and waiting times standards, maintaining the strong reputation that the service holds locally
carry a clinical caseload, offering diagnostic assessment, complex psychological formulations, psychological intervention and expert consultancy and advice to patients, families, carers and professionals
deliver good quality CBT supervision to senior clinicians within the service, and ensure appropriate accreditations and qualifications are worked towards, held and maintained by all clinicians within the service
undertake service audit and evaluation, and work with colleagues to design, implement and evaluate service improvements, whilst adhering to local and national strategic ambition and NHS Talking Therapies national guidance

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.


We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.


We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.


We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.


We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.


Richmond Wellbeing Service is based at St John's Health Centre, which is in the centre of Twickenham, close to a vibrant high street and the river Thames with a range of shops, cafes and restaurants. Richmond Wellbeing Service are based on the first floor, with access to a range of rooms providing both office and consultation space.
Oversee clinical caseload of all clinical staff in NHS Richmond Talking Therapies and ensure safe and clinically effective case management of all patients. Oversee clinical outcomes and adjust delivery of clinical services to ensure that patients needs are met by the least intrusive intervention necessary to alleviate their conditions according to stepped care model of service delivery in line with NHS Talking Therapies guidance.


~ To provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, and where appropriate, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.


~ To diagnose, formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.


~ To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist psychological interventions for depression and anxiety for individuals, carers, families and groups, reflecting the current evidence base for the treatment and management of mental health needs, and as outlined by NICE and NHS Talking Therapies manual guidance, employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.


~ To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.


~ To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for providing interventions and/or treating and discharging clients, according to service guidelines and agreed care pathways, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions are communicated with the patient, the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.


~ To undertake suitable risk assessment and risk management for all clients, ensure that all staff undertake suitable risk assessment and risk management for all clients and that systems are in place to ensure safe working practices. To provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.


~ To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of clients contact with the service.


~ Ensure all psychological wellbeing practitioners (PWPs) and High Intensity Therapists (HITs) adhere to standardised protocols and supervision standards to produce clinically safe triage assessments, enhanced assessments and interventions.


~ Advise the Service Manager and Operational Lead for NHS Talking Therapies on the development of clinically safe practice policies and protocols. Training and Qualifications
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.

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

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
This will include a wide variety of severity across different care settings including outpatient, community and primary care.
Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both including within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
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 teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
The ability to meet agreed/specified service targets.
Experience of developing and implementing service policies and procedures

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
Experience of service development.
Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualification applied psychologists
Experience of multiprofessional management of teams or services.

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.
Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
Enthusiasm for developing psychological therapy in a broad range of settings and addressing the opportunities of integration

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
Knowledge of models and/or strategies of management and leadership.

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust
St John's Health Centre