Specialist Psychodynamic Psychotherapist/ Psychologist

Job Purpose

• To provide a specialist psychodynamic psychotherapy service to Southwark Primary Mental Health Care Team including specialist assessment and psychotherapy, and monitoring of outcomes.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse/intersectional backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• To provide clinical consultation as and if requested to other professionals.
• To undertake service evaluation, audit and research.
• To work as an autonomous professional within BPC/ UKCP/ BACP guidelines and codes of conduct and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions with support of clinical supervisor.

Main duties of the job
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care

• To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in Southwark PCMHT including those with moderate to severe depression, anxiety, trauma and personality disorders . To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans. To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned
• To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required

KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

• To contribute to the effective working of Southwark PCMHT facilitating a psychologically informed framework within the service

KR 5 Record-keeping and Information Governance

• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping according to professional and Trust guidelines

KR 6 Research and development

• To undertake service evaluation, audits or research if required

KR 7 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior clinician according to regulatory and Trust guidelines.
• To ensure own CPD in line with regulatory body guidelines and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements
• To adhere to the Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

About us
About South London and Maudsley:
The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice

Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment

We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Details
Date posted: 03 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £58,133 to £65,261 a year
per annum incl. of Inner HCAs pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 334-CLI-8152055
Job locations: Maudsley Hospital OPD / and as directed, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please be aware:
That this vacancy is for a qualified psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapist, who is registered as such within the UK. This means, if you are a qualified (counselling) psychologist, integrative psychotherapist or art therapist we still require you to be qualified as an adult psychodynamic psychotherapist in addition to your other qualifications.

That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should address how you meet each requirement specified as your application will be judged against these criteria.

That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should a sufficient number of applications have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Qualifications
Essential Requirements

• Qualification in Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy that has been accepted by the BPC/ BACP/ UKCP (or equivalent) for purposes of professional registration
• Registeredwith BPC/ BACP/ UKCP (or equivalent) as a psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapist

Desirable Requirements

• Training in applied psychodynamic models such as Transference Focused Psychotherapy, Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy or Mentalisation Based Therapy

Experience
Essential Requirements

• Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in adult mental health settings
• Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience

Desirable Requirements

• Pre or post qualification experience of working in a community mental health service, secondary care mental health setting or related area
• Pre or post qualification experience working with personality difficulties or personality disorder, trauma, and social marginalisation
• Experience of working in an organisation
• Lived experience of mental health challenges
• Experience of developing and carrying out research projects

Knowledge / Skills
Essential Requirements Skills

• To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources
• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
• Well-developed MS office skills as well as IT skills to enable working independently within SLAMs IT environment

Essential Requirements Knowledge

• Theoretical knowledge of adult mental health and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, information governance, child and adult protection, and equalities legislation
• Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care for people with different vulnerabilities and experiences of marginalisation

Essential Requirements Abilities

• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance and risk management as appropriate
• Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour, including in the clinical situation

Desirable Requirements

• Interest in developing skills in providing evidence-based therapies for treatment resistant depression or personality disorder

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• oQualification in Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic Psychotherapy that has been accepted by the BPC/ BACP/ UKCP for purposes of professional registration
• oRegistered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and with BPC/ BACP/ UKCP or equivalent as an Adult Psychotherapist

Desirable

• oTraining in applied psychodynamic models such as Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, Mentalisation Based Therapy or Transference Focused Psychotherapy

Experience
Essential

• oExperience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in adult mental health settings
• oExperience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience.

Desirable

• oPre or post qualification experience of working in a community mental health service, secondary care mental health setting or related area
• oPre or post qualification experience working with personality difficulties or personality disorder, trauma, and social marginalisation
• oExperience of working in an organisation
• oLived experience of mental health challenges
• oExperience of developing and carrying out research projects

Knowledge
Essential

• oTheoretical knowledge of adult mental health and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
• oKnowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, information governance, child and adult protection, and equalities legislation
• oKnowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care for people with different vulnerabilities and experiences of marginalisation

Skills
Essential

• oTo select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources
• oTo communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
• oWell-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of data.
• oAbility to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
• oAbility to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance and risk management as appropriate

Desirable

• oInterest in developing skills in providing evidence-based therapies for treatment resistant depression or personality disorder.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).