Higher Assistant Psychologist | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 21 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £34,521 - £41,956 per annum inclusive of Outer HCAs |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 20 August 2025 |
| Location: | Beckenham, BR3 3BX |
| Company: | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7297454/334-CLI-7297454 |
Summary
FIPTS (Forensic Intensive Psychological Treatment Service) inpatient service is located inWaddon ward, River House, at Bethlem Royal Hospital. This unit aims to provide effective assessment, treatment and management of offenders with personality disorder. The unit accepts admissions from prisons, other medium secure settings and high secure hospitals.
Patients may also present with a psychotic illness, have a history of substance misuse and pose a high risk of causing harm to themselves or others. Many of these patients have been victims of physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
The service aims to reduce and manage the risk in the least restrictive environment possible; reduce personality pathology and the associated suffering and distress; increase pro-social and adaptive behaviours in the areas of relationships, education, employment, and community integration; promote independence; and improve quality of life.
Waddon Ward works in collaboration with patients and other stakeholders (e.g. MAPPA, and the Ministry of Justice) to develop treatment plans that focus on patient care and gradual community re-integration or return to prison on completion of treatment.
We are looking for a dynamic and enthusiastic assistant psychologist, who wants to work in a service that is committed to providing individualised evidenced based care and assist in the development and delivery of individual and group therapy sessions that meet the psychological needs of the individual.
• ToassisttheWaddonpsychology teamin the delivery of a specialist applied psychology service onWaddonWard.
• To provide clinical work as required by the service, under the clinical and professional supervision ofthe SeniorPsychologist/Psychotherapist. Clinical work is likely to involve carrying out psychological assessments, including risk assessments, and circumscribed individual interventions, under the supervision of a qualified professionalpsychologist/psychotherapist.
• Toassistin clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects,teachingand project work.
• To work as atappropriate levelsof independence, following clinical guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, and seeking help from clinical/professional supervisor or manager asrequired.
• More generally, the postholderwillassistthe psychologist and other members of the multidisciplinary team in developing a therapeutic environment forclientsonthe ward.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust(SLaM)providethe widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaMemploy around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient,and community services. Currently, we provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth,Lewishamand Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley,Bromleyand Greenwich.
By coming to work atSLaM, you will gain experience of being part of anorganisationwith a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learningopportunities, andhave the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.
Key Responsibilities:
KR 1Clinical and Client Care
• To provide or support with psychological assessments for clients onWaddonWard including risk assessment such as the HCR-20 and Violence Risk Scaleand other assessments asidentified.
• To provide individual psychological interventions for clients onWaddonWard including psychoeducational treatment linked to personality disorder and symptoms of personality disorder, CBT, individual treatment linked to the Violence Reduction Programme (VRP), and relapse prevention.
• To arrange, schedule and provide group psychological interventions for clients onWaddonWard including psycho educational interventions linked to personality disorder and other symptoms associated with personality disorder, Violence ReductionProgrammeand relapse prevention.
• Toassistin the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, and in addition to develop such materials independently as falls within own degree of competence.
KR 2Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
• To contribute to the effective working ofWaddonWard by completing audits,maintainingdatabases,and other necessary administrative taskswithinthe running of thepsychological department.
• To contribute to the effective working ofWaddonWard by contributing to the planning of training and development of the MPT
• To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service i.e. the Violence Reduction Programme.
• To support the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
KR 3Policy and service development
• To follow policies and procedures in own area of work, and to comment on proposed development or changes.
• To support the consultation with and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4Care or management of resources
• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
• To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting supplies as needed.
• Tobe responsible forthe safekeepingof equipment or stock provided to the post holder and informing the supervisingpsychologist/psychotherapistor manager when stock requires replenishing (may apply to psychometric tests, specialised stationery etc.).
KR 5Teaching and Training
• Toparticipatein demonstrating work methods to newly recruitedPsychosocial Therapistsand to support their development of necessary skills.
• Todisseminateresearch and service evaluation findings through presentations or published articles.
• To contribute to the planning and delivering of training and development of the MPT.
KR 6Record-keeping and Information Governance
• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• Under the supervision of theSeniorPsychologist/Psychotherapisttomaintainthe highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
• To create andmaintaindata bases,enter data, performanalysesand produce reports.
KR 7Research and development
• Toassistin the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform the servicepsychology teamand others in the development of Trustpsychology, psychotherapy and otherservices, training provision and research activities.
• Where necessary to undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
• Where necessary to undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research toassistin the development in the Trust of evidence-based practice.
• To conduct surveys with service users and carers to gather views on service provision
KR 8Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
• To receive regular clinical and professional supervisionin accordance withprofessional practice guidelines
• To gain wider experience of professional psychology& psychotherapywithin the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed.
• To develop skills and competencies thatassistin the delivery of current duties.
• To undertake personal training relevant to the post in agreement with the supervisingpsychologist/psychotherapistand the manager.
KR 9General
• To travel across the Trust whenrequired.
• To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management
• To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (interpersonal and physical aggression and challenging behaviour)and to support others involved in such situations.
This advert closes on Tuesday 22 Jul 2025