Psychotherapist, Practitioner Psychologist & Psychological Therapist
| Posting date: | 15 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £56,276 - £63,176 per annum inclusive of HCAS (Inner) |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 03 October 2025 |
| Location: | London, SW16 3BT |
| Company: | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7401786/334-CLI-7401786 |
Summary
A Vacancy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Are you passionate about promoting psychological approaches to care? Do you have a genuine interest in improving the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers? Do you want to join a dementia pathway where 95% of patients and carers rate their experience as good or very good?
We have two posts available in our dementia pathway for a specialist and highly specialist psychologist or psychological therapist. These posts will play a key role in strengthening our interventions for behaviours that challenge (behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and ensuring that all service users and carers on the pathway are offered a range of psychological approaches tailored to their needs.
Both posts benefit from strong clinical and professional support and we will seek to provide training opportunities for successful candidates who are enthusiastic and keen to develop their skills.
This post is an band 7 post which will work across the Care Home Intervention and Community Mental Health Teams in Lambeth and Southwark
You may also be interested in applying for a band 8a post (see separate ad) which will work across the Care Home Intervention and Community Mental health Teams in Croydon, also supporting service development in these pathways.
The post holder will provide specialist skills to their respective Care Home Intervention multi-disciplinary team, supporting the implementation of an evidence-based approach to understanding and addressing BPSD.
They will undertake clinical work in care homes in the respective boroughs, supporting assessment and formulation of the needs of care home residents referred to the team and working collaboratively with care home staff to implement and evaluate care plans. This will include support with training and upskilling of care home staff, and systemic approaches to improving the quality of care for care home residents
In the CMHTs the postholder will lead and support the care pathway that describes a stepped approach to understanding and addressing BPSD for people living in their own homes. This will include skill development across the wider MDT, as well as consultation and direct work on more complex presentations. The post will include supervision responsibilities for more junior psychological practitioners.
The CHIT and CMHTs are operational Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm, although we can offer some flexibility around working hours. Onsite working and community visits are required for this role.
The care home intervention teams work with people over the age of 65 (or those with younger onset dementia) who are resident in care homes, and who display challenging behaviour in the context of dementia or other mental health difficulties. The teams work on the basis that people’s behaviour, even when challenging, can be understood, and this understanding often leads the way in identifying unmet needs and in developing good care planning and practice, involving the use of psychosocial interventions
The Community Mental Health Teams for Older Adults work with people over the age of 65 with mental health problems, including those with dementia. Approximately 35% of the team’s caseloads are people with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, where there is often risk to harm to self or others, risk of care arrangements breaking down, or other factors which make care arrangements more complex.
The team locations are as follows:
Lambeth and Southwark CHIT: 5 Streatham Common South, SW16 3BT
Lambeth CMHT: Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AZ
Southwark CMHT: 63-65 Denmark Hill, SE5 8RS
All team locations are easily accessible via public transport so driving is not essential for this role.
Clinical
-To provide specialist clinical expertise in behaviour that challenges in dementia for service users and their carers.
-To conduct specialist psychological assessments using interview techniques, psychometric tests,
behavioural observation, functional analysis and consultation with care home staff and relatives.
-To work with care home staff and residents to develop clinical formulations and care plans to reduce behaviours that challenge and improve the experience of service users.
-To be expert in the skilled administration of psychometric tests, including skilled manipulation of test materials; and to be able to supervise others in administration of psychometric tests.
-To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions to inform referrers and, where appropriate, service users.
Teaching, training, and supervision
-To provide specialist training to other professions, staff and agencies as appropriate.
-To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Care Home intervention team and Community Mental Health Teams by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and its application to the needs of older people whose behaviour is challenging and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
-To contribute to service and pathway (BPSD) development.
-To participate in the recruitment process of staff, as appropriate.
Research and service evaluation
-To carry out appropriate research to improve the care older people with dementia and behaviours that challenge and provide research advice and supervision to other staff undertaking research within the service.
-To contribute to the development of systematic outcome measurement, assessment/ implementation and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
General Responsibilities
-To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with HPC requirements and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.
-To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
-To comply with the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics of appropriate professional body and ensure professional development in line with Standards for Continuing Professional Development and Standards of Proficiency for that body. To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
This advert closes on Sunday 14 Sep 2025
Are you passionate about promoting psychological approaches to care? Do you have a genuine interest in improving the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers? Do you want to join a dementia pathway where 95% of patients and carers rate their experience as good or very good?
We have two posts available in our dementia pathway for a specialist and highly specialist psychologist or psychological therapist. These posts will play a key role in strengthening our interventions for behaviours that challenge (behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and ensuring that all service users and carers on the pathway are offered a range of psychological approaches tailored to their needs.
Both posts benefit from strong clinical and professional support and we will seek to provide training opportunities for successful candidates who are enthusiastic and keen to develop their skills.
This post is an band 7 post which will work across the Care Home Intervention and Community Mental Health Teams in Lambeth and Southwark
You may also be interested in applying for a band 8a post (see separate ad) which will work across the Care Home Intervention and Community Mental health Teams in Croydon, also supporting service development in these pathways.
The post holder will provide specialist skills to their respective Care Home Intervention multi-disciplinary team, supporting the implementation of an evidence-based approach to understanding and addressing BPSD.
They will undertake clinical work in care homes in the respective boroughs, supporting assessment and formulation of the needs of care home residents referred to the team and working collaboratively with care home staff to implement and evaluate care plans. This will include support with training and upskilling of care home staff, and systemic approaches to improving the quality of care for care home residents
In the CMHTs the postholder will lead and support the care pathway that describes a stepped approach to understanding and addressing BPSD for people living in their own homes. This will include skill development across the wider MDT, as well as consultation and direct work on more complex presentations. The post will include supervision responsibilities for more junior psychological practitioners.
The CHIT and CMHTs are operational Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm, although we can offer some flexibility around working hours. Onsite working and community visits are required for this role.
The care home intervention teams work with people over the age of 65 (or those with younger onset dementia) who are resident in care homes, and who display challenging behaviour in the context of dementia or other mental health difficulties. The teams work on the basis that people’s behaviour, even when challenging, can be understood, and this understanding often leads the way in identifying unmet needs and in developing good care planning and practice, involving the use of psychosocial interventions
The Community Mental Health Teams for Older Adults work with people over the age of 65 with mental health problems, including those with dementia. Approximately 35% of the team’s caseloads are people with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, where there is often risk to harm to self or others, risk of care arrangements breaking down, or other factors which make care arrangements more complex.
The team locations are as follows:
Lambeth and Southwark CHIT: 5 Streatham Common South, SW16 3BT
Lambeth CMHT: Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AZ
Southwark CMHT: 63-65 Denmark Hill, SE5 8RS
All team locations are easily accessible via public transport so driving is not essential for this role.
Clinical
-To provide specialist clinical expertise in behaviour that challenges in dementia for service users and their carers.
-To conduct specialist psychological assessments using interview techniques, psychometric tests,
behavioural observation, functional analysis and consultation with care home staff and relatives.
-To work with care home staff and residents to develop clinical formulations and care plans to reduce behaviours that challenge and improve the experience of service users.
-To be expert in the skilled administration of psychometric tests, including skilled manipulation of test materials; and to be able to supervise others in administration of psychometric tests.
-To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions to inform referrers and, where appropriate, service users.
Teaching, training, and supervision
-To provide specialist training to other professions, staff and agencies as appropriate.
-To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Care Home intervention team and Community Mental Health Teams by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and its application to the needs of older people whose behaviour is challenging and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
-To contribute to service and pathway (BPSD) development.
-To participate in the recruitment process of staff, as appropriate.
Research and service evaluation
-To carry out appropriate research to improve the care older people with dementia and behaviours that challenge and provide research advice and supervision to other staff undertaking research within the service.
-To contribute to the development of systematic outcome measurement, assessment/ implementation and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
General Responsibilities
-To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with HPC requirements and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements.
-To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
-To comply with the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics of appropriate professional body and ensure professional development in line with Standards for Continuing Professional Development and Standards of Proficiency for that body. To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
This advert closes on Sunday 14 Sep 2025