Job summary
The Cassel is a long established, national specialist Tier 4 service comprising an Inpatient Service and a comprehensive Outreach Programme for adults diagnosed with personality disorders. It is recognised as a centre of excellence for the treatment of personality disorders and is unique in offering a highly specialised combination of formal psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychosocial nursing in a therapeutic community setting, complemented by a full programme of community activities.
This is an exciting and rare opportunity for an experienced psychoanalytic psychotherapist to join the multidisciplinary team of our Inpatient Service.
Main duties of the job
The successful applicant will carry out assessments, provide twice-weekly individual psychotherapy to a caseload of patients, teach and supervise colleagues and trainees, and contribute significantly to the containment of the therapeutic community as a whole via a firm commitment to the Cassel's culture of enquiry. Supervision will be provided as part of the post.
The post holder is expected
- To provide efficient, effective and highly specialist individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy, to include assessment, treatment and discharge/follow-on care planning to a case load of patients with severe, complex and persistent mental health needs from a multi-problem background.
- To work autonomously as a senior clinician with full responsibility for risk assessment and risk management within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service's policies and procedures.
- To actively contribute to the day-to-day operational management of the Inpatient Service.
- As a senior clinician, to carry delegated responsibility for clinical decisions and overall risk assessment and management in the absence of the Head of Psychotherapy & Social Work and/or the Clinical Lead on a regular basis.
- To actively contribute to the Cassel Hospital's culture of enquiry across a number of settings.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.
The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualification in psychoanalysis/ psychoanalytic psychotherapy accredited by the BPC or equivalent.
- Qualification in a core profession e.g. medical, psychology, social work, nursing, or teaching.
- Good relevant honours degree or a recognised equivalent.
Desirable
- Academic qualification to Masters or Doctorate level.
Experience Clinical
Essential
- Extensive experience in the role of highly specialist practitioner, carrying own caseload in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and working independently and autonomously.
- Experience in the specialist assessment and treatment of patients with personality disorders in inpatient and/or outpatient settings
- Experience of working with patients drawn from a wide range of diagnostic groups.
- Experience in clinical supervision of other psychoanalytic psychotherapists either in training or qualified.
- A personal analytical psychotherapy or psychoanalysis of at least three times per week frequency and of sufficient intensity and duration to be able to work according to psychoanalytic principles with the most difficult and demanding cases
Desirable
- Experience of group, family and/or marital therapy.
Experience Work setting
Essential
- Extensive experience of working in the NHS or other public or voluntary sector care and treatment services.
- Significant experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable
- Significant experience of working with a range of other therapeutic models.
Experience Management
Essential
- Experience in the management of aspects of a psychotherapy service
- Taking on delegated responsibility for the operational management of a service for periods of time.
Experience Teaching
Essential
- Experience of delivering training in the theory and practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and related topics to trainees and colleagues in related professions.
Desirable
- Writing and delivering clinical and theoretical papers.
- Publications in relevant academic journals
Experience Research, Audit & Clinical Governance
Essential
- Experience in undertaking research and service audit projects.
Desirable
- A proven record of continuous professional development.
Knowledge
Essential
- Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theory regarding development, models of the mind, unconscious processes and psychopathology.
- Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theories of technique.
- Comprehensive knowledge of adult mental health problems including a familiarity with psychiatric diagnoses.
- Knowledge of legislation and NHS policies and their implications for clinical practice, professional management and service development.
- A comprehensive understanding of organisational and team dynamics
Desirable
- Familiarity with other psychotherapeutic models of treatment.
- An awareness of mental health provision in the statutory and voluntary sectors.
Skills
Essential
- Organising and managing a caseload of patients who are suffering from the most severe, complex and enduring mental health problems autonomously.
- Maintaining a containing and thoughtful stance in the clinical work with patients, families and couples where there may be a high level of distress, verbal aggression or chaotic activity.
- Assessing and monitoring high levels of risk, and deciding on appropriate intervention as necessary.
- Understanding and interpreting unconscious processes in a timely and sensitive manner.
- Working in an often stressful environment with high expressed emotion in a contained and thoughtful manner, and the capacity to note and recover from failures in this area.
- Applying psychoanalytic thinking to work in the NHS and within the context of a therapeutic community
- Working collaboratively with other members of staff in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Communicating effectively with managers, colleagues, referrers and outside agencies in both written and verbal form, including the preparation of reports and treatment plans.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualification in psychoanalysis/ psychoanalytic psychotherapy accredited by the BPC or equivalent.
- Qualification in a core profession e.g. medical, psychology, social work, nursing, or teaching.
- Good relevant honours degree or a recognised equivalent.
Desirable
- Academic qualification to Masters or Doctorate level.
Experience Clinical
Essential
- Extensive experience in the role of highly specialist practitioner, carrying own caseload in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and working independently and autonomously.
- Experience in the specialist assessment and treatment of patients with personality disorders in inpatient and/or outpatient settings
- Experience of working with patients drawn from a wide range of diagnostic groups.
- Experience in clinical supervision of other psychoanalytic psychotherapists either in training or qualified.
- A personal analytical psychotherapy or psychoanalysis of at least three times per week frequency and of sufficient intensity and duration to be able to work according to psychoanalytic principles with the most difficult and demanding cases
Desirable
- Experience of group, family and/or marital therapy.
Experience Work setting
Essential
- Extensive experience of working in the NHS or other public or voluntary sector care and treatment services.
- Significant experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable
- Significant experience of working with a range of other therapeutic models.
Experience Management
Essential
- Experience in the management of aspects of a psychotherapy service
- Taking on delegated responsibility for the operational management of a service for periods of time.
Experience Teaching
Essential
- Experience of delivering training in the theory and practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and related topics to trainees and colleagues in related professions.
Desirable
- Writing and delivering clinical and theoretical papers.
- Publications in relevant academic journals
Experience Research, Audit & Clinical Governance
Essential
- Experience in undertaking research and service audit projects.
Desirable
- A proven record of continuous professional development.
Knowledge
Essential
- Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theory regarding development, models of the mind, unconscious processes and psychopathology.
- Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theories of technique.
- Comprehensive knowledge of adult mental health problems including a familiarity with psychiatric diagnoses.
- Knowledge of legislation and NHS policies and their implications for clinical practice, professional management and service development.
- A comprehensive understanding of organisational and team dynamics
Desirable
- Familiarity with other psychotherapeutic models of treatment.
- An awareness of mental health provision in the statutory and voluntary sectors.
Skills
Essential
- Organising and managing a caseload of patients who are suffering from the most severe, complex and enduring mental health problems autonomously.
- Maintaining a containing and thoughtful stance in the clinical work with patients, families and couples where there may be a high level of distress, verbal aggression or chaotic activity.
- Assessing and monitoring high levels of risk, and deciding on appropriate intervention as necessary.
- Understanding and interpreting unconscious processes in a timely and sensitive manner.
- Working in an often stressful environment with high expressed emotion in a contained and thoughtful manner, and the capacity to note and recover from failures in this area.
- Applying psychoanalytic thinking to work in the NHS and within the context of a therapeutic community
- Working collaboratively with other members of staff in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Communicating effectively with managers, colleagues, referrers and outside agencies in both written and verbal form, including the preparation of reports and treatment plans.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
