Clinical Psychologist​/Forensic Psychologist​/Counselling Psychologist

Job Summary

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Band 7 clinical psychologist to a permanent post within our friendly and highly experienced talking therapies service at HMP Brixton. Psychology is closely integrated within the wider multidisciplinary mental health hub, which includes psychiatry, nursing, speech‑language therapy and occupational therapy.

The post holder will provide assessment and therapeutic interventions (individual and group), work directly with prisoners and staff, and liaise with the multidisciplinary team and other professionals (prison officers, safer custody, probation, etc.). The role will also involve working on the development of a new 8‑bed in‑patient unit and contributing to research and service evaluation initiatives.

Previous experience in restrictive settings is an advantage, but we welcome enthusiastic newly qualified psychologists.

Support the delivery of care via Integrated Care Pathways, ensuring the service meets London Wide service specification standards for prison healthcare.

Collaborate with the therapies team to offer integrated triage, assessment and intervention to individuals presenting with mental health problems in line with the ICPs.

Provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy, advise and consult with non‑psychologist colleagues, work autonomously within professional guidelines and policies, supervise junior staff, and utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development.

• Provide specialist psychological assessments using appropriate tests, self‑report measures, rating scales, structured observations and semi‑structured interviews.
• Formulate and implement treatment or management plans based on an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence‑based methods across all care settings.
• Implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, refining formulations and adjusting models as required.
• Evaluate and decide on treatment options, integrating theoretical and therapeutic models and complex historical/developmental factors.
• Offer specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals to inform formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans.
• Contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care for all clients across all settings, including in‑patient units.
• Conduct risk assessment and management for individual clients, advising other professions on psychological aspects of risk.
• Act as care coordinator where appropriate, initiating planning and review of care plans under the CPA.

• Provide consultation and training to other professionals within the unit to develop understanding of psychological interventions.
• Receive regular clinical supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and other senior professionals.
• Gain additional specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology as agreed with the service manager.
• Develop skills in postgraduate teaching, training and supervision and provide supervision to other MDT staff.
• Provide supervision of junior members of the department, including qualified staff and trainees.
• Contribute to pre‑ and post‑qualification teaching of clinical, counselling and/or forensic psychology.
• Provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across agencies and settings.

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology OR Doctoral or Masters level training in Forensic Psychology with full competencies completed OR Doctoral training in Counselling Psychology.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment across a range of care settings – outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient.
• Experience working with a wide variety of client groups, maintaining professionalism in emotive and distressing situations, including histories of violence.
• Able to contain, explore and formulate high levels of distress directly with patients and indirectly via supervision or case reviews.
• Flexible, engaging and approachable, able to work quickly and responsively with clients and the…