Psychological Therapist – B7 Preceptorship and B8a
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Part-time
- Posted
- 24/08/2026
- Closes
- 06/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role is for a skilled and motivated psychologist/psychological therapist to join the Inpatient Psychological Therapies Service at the Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit, specifically on a female acute ward. The post holder will provide comprehensive psychological services, including assessment, formulation, and brief evidence-based interventions to service users and their families. They will collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure trauma-informed care and contribute to staff development through teaching, training, and reflective practice. This position is available as a Band 7 developmental role with progression to Band 8a, or directly as a Band 8a depending on experience.
Key responsibilities
- Provide and govern a full and comprehensive psychological service for a female acute ward.
- Deliver direct care to service users and their families, including assessment, formulation, and brief evidence-based interventions.
- Work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team to provide safe, equitable, and trauma-informed care.
- Contribute to the implementation of RAID and stabilisation skills to reduce restrictive practice.
- Facilitate reflective practice, provide de-briefs after serious incidents, and offer other supportive interventions for staff wellbeing.
Essential criteria
- Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology or its equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and/or Accredited CBT therapist with the BABCP and/or UKCP Registered / BACP (accred.) psychotherapist with a Level 7 psychotherapy qualification
- Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council or UKCP / BACP.
- Training in clinical supervision for doctoral, and equivalent, trainees.
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of post-qualifying training in psychological therapies relevant to severe and enduring mental health difficulties including for example DBT/ CBT-P/ EMDR / SCM / Systemic Practice.
- Training in the supervision of psychological therapies
- Post qualification experience of working in mental health settings delivering specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions across a range of settings including community, primary care, inpatient, crisis services.
- Experience of working with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course presenting with a range of psychological difficulties.
- Post qualification experience and/or training in working with adults affected by psychological trauma
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to assistant/trainee or qualified psychologists/psychological therapists, and/or other professionals.
- Experience of the application of psychology / psychotherapy in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of teaching / training.
- Experience of working in acute mental health services (inpatient wards, HTT, crisis intervention services, psychiatric liaison).
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups.
- Experience of facilitating reflective practice to teams.
- Experience of service development/change leadership.
- Experience of working with interpreters.
- KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Post-graduate knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology / psychotherapy
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS / BABCP / UKCP / BACP.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific psychological problems (e.g. personality difficulties and dual diagnosis).
- Knowledge and awareness of the trauma informed approach.
- Knowledge of racial and other diversity issues and factors impacting access to mental health care and the use of restrictive practices.
- Advanced specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology / psychotherapy applied to clinical practice.
- Able to provide and receive sensitive information with empathy and transparency
- Able to make appropriate clinical judgements in complex situations
- Able to plan, prioritise and organise own workload.
- Comprehensive IT skills.
- Skills in administering psychological tests and standardised assessments.
- Knowledge of quality improvement methodology.
- Understanding of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.
- Knowledge of the NHS Leadership Framework and Positive Leadership Models
- Knowledge of RAID.
- PERSONAL
- Able to sit for extended periods of time while demonstrating active listening skills.
- Able to maintain light physical effort for short periods.
- Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of exposure to highly emotive material and behaviour that challenges.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations including working with people affected by trauma.
- Ability to work independently and under pressure. Adaptable and able to work flexibly to respond to the service needs/priorities.
- OTHER
- Knowledge of and commitment to the professional code of conduct of the BPS / BABCP / UKCP / BACP.
- Capable of being guided by policies, procedures and codes of conduct
- Able to reflect on and learn from own professional practice.
- Willing to participate actively in CPD in line with professional body guida
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £58,133 – £73,496 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 7d ago · Closes in 7d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled and motivated psychologist/psychological therapist with an enthusiasm for working in inpatient services to join the Inpatient Psychological Therapies Service at the Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit. The post is based on our female acute ward, where the psychological service is well-established and valued. Across the unit there is a commitment to trauma-informed and formulation-driven care.
You will join a welcoming psychology team, consisting of clinical psychologists, CBT therapists, arts therapists and psychotherapists. We also host placements for first-year and third-year trainee clinical psychologists and MSc students. Continuing professional development and career progression is a service priority.
We warmly encourage applications from both experienced and newly qualified practitioners. The post is available as a Band 7 developmental post or Band 8a depending on experience. Successful candidates appointed at Band 7 will be provided opportunities and support to progress to the Band 8a role upon successful completion of a preceptorship programme.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for the provision and governance of a full and comprehensive psychological service for a female acute ward. They will provide direct care to service users and their families offering assessment, form
Join the community to read the full pack, responsibilities and person-specification in one place.
Your seat is reserved — activate it
CareerHive is included with your CareerHive Skool community membership. If you haven't claimed your account yet, join the community (or sign in with the same email you joined with) to unlock the full advert, the apply link, HiveMind AI interview & application suite, your private vault, and daily sponsorship alerts.