Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical / Counselling Psychology
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 363-TH7175172
- Employer
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Tower Hamlets Autism Service
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £61,927 - £68,676 per annum Incl HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 08/06/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 10/06/2025
Employer heading
Highly Specialist Clinical / Counselling Psychologist
Band 8a
ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
Tower Hamlets Autism Service (THAS) is a specialist diagnostic and brief intervention service for autistic adults. The service is multidisciplinary with a team comprising of speech and language, occupational therapy, social work, clinical psychology, psychiatry, support work and administration.
We are looking for an enthusiastic clinician motivated to work with people who may be autistic to work as part of a well-integrated, capable team delivering high quality evidence-based services for this group.
This is an exciting career opportunity for an applicant with direct experience, or for those with relevant experience who wish to specialise in this developing field.
The service currently provides diagnostic and post diagnostic input including specialist assessments, brief interventions, psychoeducation, and consultation to partner services and organisations. It has an employment arm through a local third sector provider.
The successful applicant will receive training where required in the application of specialist autism diagnostic tools and will receive clinical supervision and professional support. They will also be closely involved with the Department of Adult Mental Health Psychology, under whose governance they will experience CPD, including regular specific psychological training. Within this lively and enthusiastic department a range of approaches is promoted, including CBT, CFT and psychodynamic, supported by strong peer and specialist supervision.
Main duties of the job
- The systematic provision of a high quality specialist psychology service to the team, including specialised assessments, development and delivery of specialised programmes of care to service users.
- Be responsible for the day to day management of psychological provision to the team. To identify areas for development or challenges and work closely with the Operational lead, Consultant Psychiatrist and Senior Practitioner to implement and address these.
- Operate as an integrated member of the team, placing the service user at the centre of service planning and delivery.
- Promote and facilitate psychological capability and promote psychosocial interventions within the team through teaching and consultation.
- Provide specialist advice to other teams and voluntary sector agencies concerning the assessment, treatment and management of service users accessing team.
- Work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the team.
- Utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research.
- Participate in CPD and other developmental activities, keeping up to date with relevant psychological research and national guidance (DoH, NICE etc).
- Define psychology practices and procedures under the clinical supervision of a senior psychologist (who sits outside of THAS).
- Input into trustwide initiatives concerning service provision for neurodivergent service users.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See main duties of the job and see attached Job Description and Person Specification for details.
Please contact Felicity Bowden, Operational Lead, to discuss, ask questions or arrange an information visit.
Person specification
Education / Qualification / Training
Essential criteria
- Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
- Registered with Health and Care Professions Council as a Chartered Psychologist
- Additional relevant clinical knowledge and skills acquired through formal training, long or short courses, formal supervision (individual and/or group), structured self-study or experience (or a combination of these) to an appropriate level approved by the Head of Psychology and demonstrated by certification, documented supervision logs, management appraisal documentation and/or assessment at interview.
Desirable criteria
- Further training in a neuropsychological assessments
- Clinical supervision training for doctoral psychology trainees
- Trained in the use of ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule)
Experience
Essential criteria
- At least two years experience of work in the NHS
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity
- Experience of working as a specialist clinical psychologist including relevant experience working in a multi-disciplinary team for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
- Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
- Experience of working in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters.
- Experience of working with Autism and learning difficulties or neuropsychology services.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of developing and delivering specialist training programmes.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge and skills
Essential criteria
- Highly developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment.
- Highly-developed skills in the effective communication of highly 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.
- Knowledge of the NICE guidelines relating to Autism.
- Highly developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Skills in working in multidisciplinary settings.
- Skills in providing advice and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Working knowledge of the practices and approaches of other key disciplines, professions and agencies involved in the care and management network, including medical, employment, social, educational and criminal justice systems.
- Doctoral-level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex, multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation mental health.
- Evidence of CPD as recommended by BPS.
- 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.
- Ability to support and co-ordinate the work of psychology colleagues within the team/service.
- Ability to co-ordinate the recording and reporting of clinical information as required.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the theory and practice 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).
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies – preferably CBT and one other.
- Knowledge of the academic literature of the specialism.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Felicity Bowden
- Job title
- Operational Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07435734370
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