Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
Band 8a
Main area Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist Grade Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity leave cover until Sept 2027) Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm) Job ref 824-INNER-7985348
Site The Medical Centre Town London Salary £66,274 – £73,496 per annum, inclusive of HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 22/06/2026 23:59
Job overview
An exciting 12‑month fixed‑term opportunity has arisen for a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join the psychology team within the Woodfield Child Development Service (WCDS). The primary focus of this post is neurodevelopmental assessment, particularly social communication assessments. Applicants must have experience of completing neurodevelopmental assessments and be ADOS trained, with confidence contributing to MDT diagnostic discussions.
You will work within a well‑established multidisciplinary team supporting children and families through the assessment process. In addition to assessment work, there will be opportunities to contribute to pre‑ and post‑diagnostic support and to service development or project work, depending on service needs and interests.
This role would suit a psychologist who values collaborative, reflective, and neuroaffirmative practice. The post offers a supportive team environment with regular supervision throughout the fixed‑term contract.
We welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with lived experience of neurodiversity.
Main duties of the job
- Clinical Assessment: Deliver effective assessment for children and families referred to the service, ensuring high‑quality care.
- Group Facilitation: Plan, implement and evaluate behavioural and therapeutic groups with psychology assistants and MDT colleagues.
- Multidisciplinary Work: Contribute to MDT formulations and care delivery, focusing on psychological assessments and treatments.
- Development & Innovation: Support the development of psychological frameworks for assessment and intervention within the team.
- Materials Preparation: Prepare relevant resources, test materials, and visual aids to support therapeutic use.
- Research & Audits: Participate in or lead research and audit projects as required to inform best practices.
- Data & Reporting: Assist with data collection, analysis and reporting for the team.
- Support & Development: You will receive regular supervision from a senior psychologist, with opportunities for peer supervision and collaboration across trust (e.g., CDS, CAMHS).
If you’re passionate about working in child psychology, developing creative interventions and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, we encourage you to apply and explore this exciting opportunity further.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Successful applicants will be required to demonstrate alignment with the Trust’s values – Accountability, Inclusion, Compassion, and Empowerment, alongside fulfilling the duties detailed in the attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Person specification
Qualifications
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS.
- Pre‑qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
- Further specialist training and experience in the administration and interpretation of the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule); a range of neuropsychological tests including the WISC, WIAT and NEPSY (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; Neuropsychological Assessment of development); CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) and knowledge and experience of assessment and intervention of complex feeding difficulties.
Experience
- Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience of specialist psychological assessment and intervention with children with neurodevelopmental differences across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in‑patient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Clear experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of presenting research or audits within service or to wider forums.
- Engagement and working with voluntary organisations.
Skills
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Competent neuro‑psychological and psychometric assessment skills.
- Knowledge about the application and adaptation of psychological approaches when working with children & adolescents with complex neuro‑developmental difficulties.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non‑professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
CLCH Commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role.
- Provide reasonable adjustments to support diverse needs throughout the recruitment and employment process.
- Challenge misconceptions about disability and foster an inclusive culture for everyone.
Learn more about our equal opportunities policy on our website: Equal opportunities: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust clch.nhs.uk
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application telephone 0776696881 2077669688 12
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