East London NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 01 March 2026

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and motivated Highly Specialised CAMHS Psychologist to join the Adolescent Mental Health pathway. This will be a busy, interesting, and varied job working with adolescents and their families/carers within the Adolescent Mental Health Team (AMHT).

The AMHT provides assessment and evidence based treatment to young people (13-17 years) presenting with significant and enduring mental health problems including psychosis, bipolar disorder, severe depression and OCD, as well as providing additional support to some high-risk young people in crisis. There is a focus on providing targeted care in the community and preventing admission and work closely with the local adolescent inpatient unit and intensive community crisis service.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will join an experienced multi-disciplinary team of clinicians who provide a range of mental health assessment and treatment services to children, young people and their families. The post holder will take a leadership role within the team, including the possibility of some supervision and line management, as well as service development. The post holder will provide comprehensive assessments for children and young people who have severe mental illness. Assessments may be carried out jointly with MDT colleagues and include at risk mental state assessments, family assessments and standardized assessments (such as the cognitive assessements, if trained or CAARMS assessment) where indicated. The clinician will also provide evidence based interventions for children, young people and their families including individual therapies, CBT for psychosis (if trained), group work such as DBT and family intervention (if trained).

The team works in partnership with other services such as the Coborn Adolescent Unit at Newhan, Intensive Community Crisis Support Service, CAMHS Disability Service at the Hackney Ark, our other Specialist CAMHS pathway teams co-located at Homerton Row, schools, children's social care and other community agencies.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Details

Date posted

20 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

363-SS7794727

Job locations

City & Hackney CAMHS

15 Homerton Row

London

E9 6ED


Job description

Job responsibilities

** FULL JD/PS ATTACHED**

The post holders role, as a senior clinician for the AMHT, will be to develop and deliver a wide range of therapeutic interventions, lead service development projects and promote system change to better support young peoples mental health.

The post holder will have line management and supervisory responsibility for other Band 7 members of the Adolescent Mental Health multidisciplinary team. The post holder will be accountable to the Clinical Team Lead.

The post holder will be a highly specialist and experienced psychologist with a substantial knowledge of the field of child and adolescent mental health, especially in the areas of adolescent mental health. The post holder will be expected to develop expertise working with psychotic disorders and should have experience of other severe difficulties of adolescence. The post holder will have expertise in crisis / risk management.

The post holder will directly contribute to the positive working environment within the multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will have a high degree of professional autonomy and will be expected to account for their professional practice through appraisal and audit.

Job description

Job responsibilities

** FULL JD/PS ATTACHED**

The post holders role, as a senior clinician for the AMHT, will be to develop and deliver a wide range of therapeutic interventions, lead service development projects and promote system change to better support young peoples mental health.

The post holder will have line management and supervisory responsibility for other Band 7 members of the Adolescent Mental Health multidisciplinary team. The post holder will be accountable to the Clinical Team Lead.

The post holder will be a highly specialist and experienced psychologist with a substantial knowledge of the field of child and adolescent mental health, especially in the areas of adolescent mental health. The post holder will be expected to develop expertise working with psychotic disorders and should have experience of other severe difficulties of adolescence. The post holder will have expertise in crisis / risk management.

The post holder will directly contribute to the positive working environment within the multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will have a high degree of professional autonomy and will be expected to account for their professional practice through appraisal and audit.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Qualification in Clinical/Educational/Counselling Psychology. Clinical Psychology
  • o Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working at an equivalent to Band 7 level in child and adolescent mental health
  • Experience of working specifically with adolescent mental health

Knowledge

Essential

  • Evidence of well- developed individual clinical skills and knowledge in CAMHS
  • Specialist clinical skills within specific therapeutic modalities.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Qualification in Clinical/Educational/Counselling Psychology. Clinical Psychology
  • o Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working at an equivalent to Band 7 level in child and adolescent mental health
  • Experience of working specifically with adolescent mental health

Knowledge

Essential

  • Evidence of well- developed individual clinical skills and knowledge in CAMHS
  • Specialist clinical skills within specific therapeutic modalities.

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).

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.

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

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

City & Hackney CAMHS

15 Homerton Row

London

E9 6ED


Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

City & Hackney CAMHS

15 Homerton Row

London

E9 6ED


Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Team Lead, Adolescent Mental Health Team

Yoko Totsuka

y.totsuka@nhs.net

02032225600

Details

Date posted

20 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

363-SS7794727

Job locations

City & Hackney CAMHS

15 Homerton Row

London

E9 6ED


Supporting documents

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