Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

Job summary
We are looking for an experienced Clinical Psychologist with experience of and expertise in CAMHS emergency care response. This is an opportunity for a band 8a clinical psychologist to work within the SWLSTG Trust CAMHS emergency care service, supporting young people and families accessing A-E departments at Kingston Hospital, St Helier hospital, and St Georges hospital.

The postholder will be joining a passionate team in an established and valued role which will contribute to the development and delivery of services that seek to transform mental health delivery within the CAMHS crisis pathway.

The role offers a balance of direct clinical work, specialist consultation, training delivery, service development, and supervision. Candidates will also have access to relevant specialist training as per their development plan.

Main duties of the job
Alongside direct clinical work, there will be an expectation to provide leadership, consultancy, and training to CAMHS and partner agencies in relation to Brief Solution Focused therapy and other psychological interventions, as required.

Candidates will be committed to partnership working, hold excellent communication, engagement, and people skills, and have experience of working within the acute hospital settings, as well as working within an emergency care service.

About us
Unless expressly stated in the job advert this role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job responsibilities

• Work within the CAMHS Emergency Care Service
• Conduct emergency assessments and 7 day follow up assessments.
• To provide advice and consultation on care and treatment for children and young people who present in crisis settings.
• Provide specialist advice, guidance, and consultation to other professionals.
• contributing directly to the care and treatment plan for the child/young person
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and young people and to provide advice to other professions on risk assessment and risk management
• Support the team with formulation work.
• Offer therapeutic engagement and systemically informed work with families who are struggling to support children and young people in crisis.
• Consult with Tier 3 CAMHS and the Adolescent Outreach Team to identify the most appropriate care pathway for a child or young person in crisis.
• Co-ordinate care for children and young people who need multi-disciplinary network involvement in discharge planning.
• Participate in the service Leadership Triad alongside the Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Service Manager
• Support with development of the service to offer short term crisis intervention, to potentially include parenting support and emotional distress tolerance/DBT skills, in collaboration with borough Tier 3 CAMHS to ensure equity of access, efficient use of staff and resources, and sustainability.
• Manage risk within team, Directorate and Trust structures.
• Work to relevant professional and ethical guidelines, and within the framework of Directorate and Trust policies and procedures.
• Use screening and outcome measures in clinically meaningful ways to develop the service and seek feedback about user experience.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications
If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.
Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.
Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Training & Qualifications
Essential

• Qualified Clinical Psychologist registered with the HCPC as an applied psychologist
• Training in supervision of other psychologists
• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.

Desirable

• Training as part of a CYP IAPT collaborative in a recognised evidenced based approach

Experience
Essential

• Demonstrable experience of working with children and young people in a variety of community settings
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
• Experience of inter-agency working
• Experience of safeguarding and Child Protection

Desirable

• Experience of leading case reviews
• Experience of working in the NHS
• Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
• Experience of liaison/paediatric psychology
• Experience of leadership within the NHS

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).

Employer details
Employer name: South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust
Address: Springfield University Hospital, Springfield Drive, London, SW17 0YF, United Kingdom
Employer's website:

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Clinical Manager Nicholas Wilson, View email address on meeveem.com, View phone number on meeveem.com

Details
Date posted: 27 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £66,274 to £73,496 a year per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 294-CAMHS-8259826-AZ
Job locations: Springfield University Hospital, Springfield Drive, London, SW17 0YF, United Kingdom