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Job summary

Main area
Qualified Honorary Psychotherapist in an NHS Adult Mental Health Psychological Service
Grade
Honorary / Unpaid role
Contract
Honorary: 1 year
Hours
Part time - 6 hours per week (The Whiteleaf Centre)
Job ref
267-BM7574925
Employer
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
The Whiteleaf Centre
Town
Aylesbury
Salary
Honorary / Unpaid role
Closing
30/01/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust logo

Qualified Honorary Psychotherapist (Un-Paid)

Honorary / Unpaid role

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.

We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Good luck and we hope to hear from you.


 

Job overview

Are you looking for a unique position to grow your career and experience?

We are pleased to offer a unique opportunity to join our Adult Mental Health Psychological Service as an Honorary Psychotherapist. This role is designed to support qualified psychodynamic psychotherapists in gaining valuable NHS experience and to contribute to the ongoing development of psychodynamic psychotherapy within specialist NHS mental health services.

As a team, we are committed to supporting psychodynamic practitioners in preparing for clinical work within the NHS and fostering the integration of psychoanalytic approaches into multidisciplinary mental health care.

You will be based at the Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury, working with the Buckinghamshire Psychological Therapies team— a friendly, experienced group of psychological therapists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists. The service is embedded within a vibrant NHS environment that includes adult and older adult mental health services, a primary care mental health team, the Early Intervention Service for psychosis, the crisis team, and the community mental health team.

Main duties of the job

About the Role

  • This is an unpaid honorary position, with flexible working arrangements available to accommodate other paid employment.
  • We ask for a minimum commitment of 2 patients per week, with an initial commitment of 6 months.
  • There may be opportunities to undertake psychotherapy assessments, depending on your experience and interest.
  • The role will be reviewed on a 6-monthly basis

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

What you'll gain:

  • Hands-on experience working psychotherapeutically with individuals with complex and enduring mental health difficulties in an NHS setting.
    Close collaboration with a diverse team of senior psychotherapists, a medical psychotherapist, group analysts, and other professionals including clinical and counselling psychologists, family therapists, and multidisciplinary colleagues

  • Opportunities to observe and learn from other areas of the service, such as family therapy, pre-therapy groups, or the Complex Needs Service, depending on your interests and availability

  • Weekly supervision from a qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist and access to weekly multidisciplinary team meetings

  • Enhanced clinical skills through reviewing patient histories, contributing to assessments, writing reports, and potentially conducting your own therapy assessments

  • Involvement in audit, quality improvement initiatives, and ongoing professional development, including access to NHS training and workshops on topics such as sleep, neurodiversity, and more.

Who Should Apply

We welcome applications from individuals who have completed their training and obtained a qualification in Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (BPC or UKCP accredited – CPJAC, CMP or UTC).

Ideally, candidates will have prior experience working with complex presentations, given the specialist nature of our service. IT skills and the ability to work independently under supervision are also essential.

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking enthusiastic, self-motivated, and trustworthy individuals who are:

  • Passionate about psychodynamic work within the NHS
  • Organised and reliable
  • Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team
  • Keen to contribute to a multidisciplinary clinical environment

Person specification

Question 6

Essential criteria
  • Are you able to attend the interview in person in Aylesbury?

Question 1

Essential criteria
  • Do you hold a full qualification with the BPC, UKCP, CPJAC, CMP or UTC?

Question 2

Essential criteria
  • This role is an volunteer role on an honorary contractual basis. Please confirm you are happy to continue on this basis.

Question 3

Essential criteria
  • Please tell us about a time you've worked with a client who had a complex presentation. How did you manage the case and what was the clinical outcome?

Question 4

Essential criteria
  • Have you worked independently under supervision in your clinical work?

Question 5

Essential criteria
  • Do you hold competent IT Skills?

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into healthNHS 75th BirthdayDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Konstantin Nemirovskiy
Job title
Principal Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01865 901620
Additional information

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview. Successful candidates will be asked to provide references and complete standard NHS checks. If successful, you will be issued an Honorary Contract with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, subject to the relevant terms and conditions.

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