Senior Practitioner PsychologistNHS

Job summary

Do you want to be part of a passionate community of practitioners, committed to making a difference?

Weve got an opportunity in our Greenwich service (which can be available as a preceptorship for the right candidate) for a HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologist (clinical/counselling/forensic). The role available on a part-time basis (30 hours a week), but flexible arrangements can be considered.

Main duties of the job

The Role

The role will provide high-quality psychological assessment and interventions at our Greenwich service. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the post holder will help ensure that psychological thinking is a golden thread throughout our work, supporting development through consultancy, reflective practice, supervision, training, and clinical case management.

This well supported post is ideal for newly qualified or experienced practitioners seeking to develop well-rounded skills in trauma-informed working. We offer:

• Opportunities for expanding and refining competencies, training/CPD and supervision (such as EMDR)
• Working within a growing national community of psychologists and psychological professionals who collaborate on developing ideas and provide mutual support

Job description

Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Role Purpose

• Supported by central Via Clinical Department (including clinical supervision) to provide and facilitate high quality psychological assessment and interventions across designated Via services as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Support staff development through consultancy, reflective practice, supervision, training, and clinical case management.
• Be responsible for the designated services Assistant Psychologists, less experienced Psychologists/Psychological Therapists and associated training placements.

Key duties and activities of the role

Clinical:

• Provide psychological assessments drawing on complex data from a variety of sources.
• Formulate and implement plans involving specialist psychological treatment and/or management of problems, utilising joint working where appropriate.
• Facilitate the application of psychological principles in care delivery, using theory, evidence-based literature and research.
• Undertake risk assessment and management relating to psychological interventions and ensuring appropriate action in accordance with legislation, professional and organisational requirements and best practice guidance.
• Record, monitor and report on clinical work and communicate (in accordance with organisational requirements), in a skilled and sensitive manner, clinical information (including assessment, formulation, treatment plans and progress) to a variety of recipients (e.g. people who use services, their significant others, other professionals, formal panels, statutory and voluntary organisations) orally, in writing and electronically.

Leadership:

• Provide specialist psychological guidance, consultation and training to other professionals.
• Provide supervision and facilitate reflective practice sessions for recovery practitioners, less experienced psychological therapists, trainees (as appropriate with professional registration), assistant psychologists, and other team members where appropriate.
• Lead local development and implementation of evidence based psychological interventions and pathways, e.g. our group work programme, talking therapies offer.
• Utilise research skills for evaluation, policy and service development, as well as wider research.
• Be involved in relevant audits/performance indicators and implementation of associated recommendations/action plans.
• Meaningfully participate in appropriate multi-disciplinary/project meetings, advising on issues of service and policy development for the psychological care of service users, as well as wider operational and strategic issues.
• Provide line management and be responsible for the continued development of assistant psychologists, trainees and less experienced psychological therapists.
• Be involved in recruitment processes as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies to help improve our psychology provision (e.g. universities, commissioners), developing and facilitating pathways into wider services such as mental health teams and social services.
• Contribute to the reporting of incidents, complaints and disciplinary matters to reduce the risk of recurrence.

General:

• Work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures.
• Manage the emotional demands of working with individuals with complex needs, including behaviours that the service can find challenging to manage.
• Develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
• Work alongside management and their direct reports to effectively support a one team approach.

Person specification for the role

• Accredited Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS and registered with (or eligible for registration in 2027) with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Additional psychological training (or willingness to undertake) in relevant therapeutic modality (e.g. compassion focussed approaches, CBT, DBT, AMBIT, EMDR).
• Experience in the psychological assessment and treatment of people with co-occurring substance use and mental health problems, of varying severity, using formulation to inform complex decision making.
• Sound and demonstrable knowledge of psychological issues relating to problematic substance use, including safeguarding and risk management.
• Experience of providing supervision, training and/or consultation to other professional/non-professional groups.
• Able to plan, prioritise and organise own clinical work.
• Experience of planning and coordinating an area of service development.
• Demonstrable leadership skills, team working, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with routine outcome monitoring, audit and clinically related research.
• Skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
• A demonstrable understanding of Health and Social Care regulatory requirements including the CQC, NICE and any other relevant bodies.
• Good IT skills including use of Microsoft Office programs, digital meeting platforms and Case Management Systems.
• Solution-focused, with an inclusive and innovative approach to service development.
• The ability to work calmly under pressure, ensuring that deadlines are met, and ensure all information is recorded in a timely manner.
• The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in different settings (e.g., written, spoken, presented, etc) in situations which may be highly emotive and to different groups of people.
• A demonstrable commitment to working in partnership with other professionals such as criminal justice agencies, primary care, secondary care, commissioners, community groups and other stakeholders to achieve good outcomes for people who use our services.

Responsibilities for all Via staff

• To work within Via values and ethos, supportively collaborating with all colleagues, and demonstrating active engagement with the wider organisation.
• To promote and deliver positive, inclusive and anti-discriminatory practices in line with Via policies, professional and sector requirements, and legislative frameworks.
• To act on all Safeguarding concerns so that all statutory and organisational Safeguarding responsibilities are met and that all learning is shared.
• To observe professional integrity and candour at all times and with all people.
• To comply with all organisational policies and procedures including GDPR and all Health and Safety policy and guidance, taking responsibility for your own safety and contributing to that of colleagues and others as applicable.
• To regularly participate in one-to-one / supervision sessions, objective setting and review, training, practice and learning forums.
• A commitment to learning and to continuously improve everyones knowledge and skills.
• To work flexibly to enable the delivery of effective services. This may include flexibility across sites or flexible hours, and any other duties that may reasonably be required of you within your role.

About us

Via offers community and residential services for substance use. We nurture new ideas, put co-production at the heart of what we do, and provide clinicians with the support to explore and grow. Within this role, you will work directly with individuals and groups, flexibly delivering psychological support that responds to the context of peoples lives and works with the social determinants of health.

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Dr Michelle OSullivan, Head of Psychology: [email protected] closing date for applications is 6th December 2026. Interviews are likely to take place 17th December 2026